The United States had previously refused to lower the country’s travel designation from Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” the second-highest rating possible, despite the transformation of the country’s crime situation. Over the past decade, the country had gone from having the highest murder rate on Earth to one of the lowest, largely due to President Nayib Bukele’s gang crackdown. After protests from the newly formed Congressional El Salvador Caucus, the United States lowered the travel advisory to Level 2.
“While crime remains a concern in El Salvador, there has been a significant reduction in gang-related activity and associated crime in the last two years,” the updated advisory on the U.S. Embassy’s website says. “This includes drops in violent crimes and murders. U.S. government employees may travel throughout the country during daylight hours.”
The El Salvador Caucus was quick to claim credit for the move, earning the attention of Bukele.
“The future is bright for El Salvador and its relationship with the United States,” El Salvador Caucus Co-Chairman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told the Washington Examiner. “Last week, the El Salvador Caucus delivered a huge win when the State Department agreed to lower El Salvador’s travel advisory from Level 3 to Level 2 in response to the Caucus’s August letter. In just three months, our work has achieved real results for the betterment of our nations.”
“Peace and security conditions for tourism have existed in El Salvador for more than two years. This is the first achievement of the @SAL_Caucus, and I am sure that with the new administration we will do much more. We are ready to welcome all American visitors,” Salvadoran Ambassador Carmen Milena Mayorga said in a post on X.
Bukele shared the announcement as well.
The travel advisory lowering serves as a major boon for the Central American nation, which has seen its tourism industry explode in recent years.
However, the lowering isn’t a total victory, as August’s letter from the bipartisan El Salvador Caucus called for the lowering of the country’s travel advisory to Level 1.
El Salvador had a Level 4 travel advisory for an extended period across the 2000s and 2010s due to the gang violence engulfing the country. A Salvadoran official familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner that it was first lowered to a Level 2 in September 2019 after a personal request by Bukele during a meeting in the United States with President-elect Donald Trump, then-President.
U.N. Tourism ranked the country as having the fourth fastest-growing tourism industry. Valdez said the tourism industry is set to amount to 14% of the country’s GDP by the end of 2024, compared to 5%-6% in 2019.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Tourism Minister Morena Ileana Valdez Vigil stressed the importance of American tourists while speaking with the Washington Examiner in August.
“It has been an issue in the past, but actually, the security has impacted the tourism level,” Valdez said. “Two million visitors we have received this year, 40% coming from the United States. … Also, we are receiving a growth in tourism from Canada, South America, and Europe.”
