Why not El Salvador?

Endless, white beaches. And endless, black beaches. And not one human being in sight except yourself. About 25 vulcanos, some of them active. Some of the best surf spots of the continent. Excellent roads. Sea turtle projects and loads of other local development projects. This country has a world of possibilities for different kinds of tourism, and still the tourists shine with their absence. How come?

A regular question when I told people I was going to El Salvador was "Why El Salvador?". Since I'm here not as a tourist but as a student doing a minor field study, my answers were usually accepted without further confusion. However, if you intend to visit this country as a backpacker or a regular tourist, you'll find it hard to convince your friends back home that El Salvador is THE place to visit. You will probably hear things like: "Aah, you're going to Salvador, Brazil? No??", and; "Aren't people getting killed there all day long??", or; "Isn't there a war going on there?", or; "What does El Salvador have that other countries don't?", or; "Why not go to Guatemala instead, I heard they have indigenous people and Spanish courses there", and most likely; "Bye the way, where the hell is El Salvador located??".

The most serious obstacles to international tourism in El Salvador seem to be its small size and its bad reputation. Basically, Europeans don't know that El Salvador exists, and if they know something about it, they know about THE VIOLENCE PROBLEM. And yes, El Salvador has problems with high criminality rates and scores about second place in the world regarding the number of murders per capita (about 40-50 per 100 000 inhabitants). However, there are some zones that are insecure and others that are not. The killing is mostly gang members killing each other. There are things you just don't do, like taking the bus at night, wearing jewlery for everyone to see or flashing your lap top. You avoid zones controlled by the maras (criminal gangs). And something you might not know is that Guatemala, too, has problems with maras. But that country has no problems at all attracting tourists. Guatemala has managed to put itself on the map and spread its reputation as an awesome place to visit. Guatemala has indigenous people and Maya temples, and they know to market these particularities. El Salvador, too, needs to understand its unique features and spread the word about itself in order to attract tourists.

A friend, who works at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said that before there can be any success in tourism in El Salvador, the Salvadorans themselves need to travel the country more and get to know the place. The internal tourism has yet to be developed. Considering its small size and the almost flawless roads connecting all parts of the country, it's quite strange that Salvadorans don't travel more. It's a cultural problem, my friend said. No tradition of exploring new sites, to leave the familiar for the unknown. I don't know if he's right. But I agree that the Salvadorans should appreciate the beauty of their country more, and take better care of the environment. Poverty is not the biggest obstacle, the middle class is big and the people relatively well educated. But in order to develop love and care for the nature, integrated education about the topic is needed. However, I think that increasing tourism could have good implications for this kind of counciousness in the people, and not only the other way around. It depends on what kind of tourism we're talking about, of course. I think that El Salvador could offer something unique to more alternative tourims, such as eco- and adventure tourism. Climb a vulcano by day, save a turtle by night. Visit Barra de Santiago to learn more about some of the country's excellent local development projects. Surf in Punta Roca, one out of many famous surf spots. Meet the faboluos Salvadoran people and anjoy their hospitality and creativity. Enjoy Salvadoran theatre. And if you're into history, visit the university and learn more about the cruel civil war that ended just 16 years ago. El Salvador offers something for everyone who is open minded enough to embrace it. For everyone who is curious enough to overcome the myth of the rule of violence. Get over it!!

Welcome to El Salvador!


In my opinion...

... cheap theatre is THE BEST.
... political polarization sucks.
... Swedish weddings should adopt some Latino elements.