Here on Full Measure, we’ve been tracking El Salvador’s stunning transformation from a gang-ridden, violence-plagued nation to the safest country in the Western Hemisphere. But we noticed another theme emerging on our visit to the Central American country. Something unheard of just a few years back: it’s rapidly becoming a must-visit tourist destination.

The following is a transcript of a report from “Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.”
Watch the video by clicking the link at the end of the page.

El Salvador’s top tourism draw is its 190 miles of coastline and 74 top surfing spots. First discovered by this Pittsburgh woman during America’s Covid shutdown.

American tourist: I’m 65, but I learned how to surf at 60, 61-year-old when I first came here.

Sharyl: What’s the short version of how you discovered El Salvador?

American tourist: My daughter was dating a surfer in Long Island during the Covid. And he was from New York too. But to get away from New York during the Covid, they came here and border closed and they stayed here. And at first I thought this was dangerous, but then she was sending me all this beautiful picture. So as soon as when the border opened, I came here and I fell in love with this place and been back many times since then.

El Salvador tourism has tripled from 1.4 million visitors in 2018 to an estimated 4.2 million this year— a record number that puts it on the map as one of the fastest-growing destinations on the globe.

The strategy, driven by Tourism Minister Morena Valdez. She was appointed to the post by President Nayib Bukele because of her unique credentials.

Morena Valdez (As translated): The President called me up, he said, “you’re a surfer.” I said, “yes.” He said, “and you live at the beach” and I said, “yes.” [He said] “that’s what I need.” He said, “we are going to build Surf City and I need someone to build that with me. We need to stand out for something. And I need someone who understands why a surfer would come to El Salvador and how we’re going to position El Salvador as a new destination, just like Hawaii, where they focused on their lifestyle.”

Valdez executed the president’s plan to brand El Salvador for its surf officially dubbing a popular beach “Surf City.” Now, it routinely attracts professional surfers and world class competitions.

Sharyl: Do you know how many of your visitors or what proportion of them are American?

Valdez (As translated): Yes. Our main market is the United States. It’s approximately 40 to 41%, at least it was in 2025 so far.

Valdez says the corner was turned when El Salvador finally got a grip on its rampant crime, transformed through President Bukele’s reforms into one of the safest countries in the world.

Valdez (As translated): I live in Surf City where I used to surf, and I saw that there weren’t many tourists there. And now, you can see tourists from all over the world, all different nationalities, surfing these waves and doing so very safely. That’s when you can really see, “alright, it’s changed. We’ve turned the corner.” You see tourists everywhere. You see them at the beach, you see them on the bus, you see them downtown.

They include this first time visitor we met from Los Angeles.

Sharyl: Tell me what brings you here.

American tourist: The perfect waves and the warm weather. People are real friendly. It’s easy to get around.

Sharyl: What are you gonna tell your friends?

American tourist: Gonna keep it a secret. No, no. It’s amazing here. I love it.

Sharyl (on-camera): Last year, tourism was the #3 industry in El Salvador generating $3.7 billion dollars. Interestingly, number one industry driving the economy is “remittances,” which refers to El Salvadorans outside of that country sending money back home, most of it from the U.S.

Watch video here.