The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said international tourism is experiencing a strong recovery following the impact of a two-year Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, El Salvador is among the countries with the highest restoration rate, as visitor numbers have increased by more than 82% this year, and bitcoin (quotation BTC) is one of the main attractions of the Central American country.
Bitcoin attracts a lot of tourists
In the first half of 2022, more than one million people visited El Salvador, according to government data published by a local newspaper. In addition, according to the Minister of Tourism, Morena Valdez, the country expects to receive nearly 60.000 foreign visitors in August, which could generate about $ 60 million in tourism revenue.
The interest in El Salvador is such that the country's hotel capacity, currently around 7.000 rooms, has been filled, requiring at least another 13.000 beds to meet demand, Valdez added.
El Salvador's ambassador to Washington, Milena Mayorga, attributes the rise in tourism to the fact that bitcoin is legal tender in the country.
The data shows that bitcoin is actually attracting tourists to El Salvador, given that the visits received in the first half of this year almost exceeded those of 2019 (1.200.000), before the cryptocurrency was adopted by the Central American nation.
Visitors don't seem to care about the drop in the bitcoin price, nor about the fact that El Salvador has lost 47% of the national reserves invested in BTC, as a sector of the population stated.
Bitcoin, the main attraction of the land of volcanoes
Since El Salvador adopted bitcoin as its fiat currency, thousands of bitcoiners have embarked on the journey and talked about it on their social networks.
The country is also the central stage of many events related to the bitcoin ecosystem, attracting important figures in the sector and, with them, a greater number of bitcoiners from all over the world.
Indeed, next November El Salvador will host Adopting Bitcoin, one of the most important events in the world of cryptocurrencies. Another opportunity for the community to come together in the countryside.
On the other hand, many of the foreigners arriving in El Salvador do not have a return ticket to their places of origin. This is because they landed attracted to bitcoin and decided to opt for the citizenship that the country grants to those who invest in it through the cryptocurrency pioneer.
