News1 min readLizbeth Sanchez
El Salvador news: what matters to the diaspora
Updates on tourism, TPS, residency, bitcoin and the policy changes that affect anyone visiting, living in or investing in El Salvador.
We track the changes that actually affect people: tourism, TPS, immigration paperwork, bitcoin and the property market.
Tourism, 2025
The Ministry of Tourism reported 3.9 million international visitors in 2025, up 6% on 2024. A significant share of that figure is Salvadorans living abroad visiting family. Monthly data is in tourism statistics.
Remittances
Remittances closed near $8.5 billion, around a quarter of GDP. Growth has moderated to the low single digits. Monthly tracking in remittances.
Bitcoin
After the January 2025 IMF agreement, merchant acceptance became voluntary and bitcoin is no longer used to pay taxes. The state continues to buy. Detail in bitcoin.
TPS
No definitive changes. Always confirm with USCIS before acting. See TPS, in Spanish.
Keep reading
Field NotesEl Zonte
The rainy season nobody photographs
Nine days of afternoon storms in El Zonte, an empty point break, and the argument for visiting El Salvador in the months the brochures skip.
El Salvador reports a record tourism year
Visitor arrivals passed 3.9 million in 2025 according to Ministry of Tourism figures, with the coast and the volcano circuit taking most of the growth.
SurfLa Libertad
Punta Roca, at six in the morning
The best wave in El Salvador belongs to the people who grew up on it. A morning at the point in La Libertad, and the etiquette of paddling out somewhere you have not earned.