El Salvador Expects Over 58,000 Hondurans for Morazán Week Holiday
EL SALVADOR · TRAVEL
Key Facts
- —The country El Salvador, Central America’s smallest country with about six million people, uses the US dollar and markets itself as a safe beach destination.
- —Why it matters Its larger neighbour Honduras bundles three October public holidays into one break, Morazán Week, when many families travel.
- —What changed Honduran visits are rising fast: 699,002 arrived from January to September 2026, up 26.6 percent on a year earlier.
- —What happened On Saturday 3 October cars from Honduras streamed into El Salvador at El Amatillo, the busiest crossing between the two countries.
- —The numbers El Salvador expects 58,522 Honduran visitors from 3 to 11 October, 20 percent more than the 48,768 of 2025.
- —What it means for you Expect queues at El Amatillo and fuller beaches in the Surf City area this week.
- —Still open The 58,522 figure is a forecast; the real count will come from migration records after the holiday.
Hondurans are pouring into El Salvador for Morazán Week, a holiday break in Honduras, with a steady line of cars at the El Amatillo crossing. El Salvador’s tourism ministry expects 58,522 Honduran visitors between 3 and 11 October.
That would be 20 percent more than the 48,768 who came during the same period in 2025, the ministry said. The Salvadoran news site La Página reported the rush at the border on Saturday 3 October.
A Steady Stream at El Amatillo
“The flow is constant, numerous vehicles are entering our country,” said Lizandro Girón, a migration official at El Amatillo, according to Infobae. Migration staff were on hand to speed up entry for tourists.
El Amatillo sits on the Goascorán river in Pasaquina, a district of the eastern La Unión department, on the main road from Honduras. It handles 53.2 percent of Honduran arrivals, the newspaper El Diario de Hoy reported.
The second route is El Poy, in the northern department of Chalatenango, with 38.9 percent. Together the two crossings carry more than nine in ten Honduran arrivals.
What Morazán Week Is
Honduran law moves three October public holidays into a single break in the first week of the month. They are 3 October, Soldiers’ Day and the birthday of Francisco Morazán, plus 12 October and Armed Forces Day on 21 October.
This year the official Morazán Week holidays run from Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 October, El Heraldo reported. Honduras’s government gave public employees the whole week off from Monday 5 October, Infobae reported.
Morazán, born in Honduras in 1792, led the Federal Republic of Central America in the 19th century. He is buried in San Salvador, which gives Honduran visitors a historical reason to come.
A New Resting Place for Morazán
On 23 September his remains were moved from the Cementerio de Los Ilustres to a new mausoleum in San Salvador’s historic centre. It stands in the Jardín Centroamérica, beside the National Palace.
The mausoleum opened to the public on 24 September, El Diario de Hoy reported. Entry is free from Tuesday to Sunday, between 10 a.m. and midnight.
La Página listed the new mausoleum among the attractions for Honduran visitors during Morazán Week.
Where the Visitors Go
Most Honduran visitors head for the coast. Surf City, the surf beaches of La Libertad, draws 56 percent of Morazán Week visitors, official tourism and migration data show.
San Salvador drew 46 percent and its historic centre 43 percent, while San Miguel drew 13 percent and Chalatenango 10 percent. Visitors often go to more than one place, so the shares add up to more than 100.
A Honduran visitor spends an average of US$117 a day and stays about four nights, El Diario de Hoy reported. Almost all travel without a package, and about half stay in hotels.
Beaches such as El Majahual offer cheap seafood and surf. El Salvador uses the US dollar, so visitors pay in dollars rather than lempiras.
Why More Hondurans Are Coming
From January to September 2026, 699,002 Hondurans visited El Salvador, up from 552,325 a year earlier, the official data show. That is a rise of 26.6 percent, or 146,677 more visitors.
La Página said visitors come to enjoy the country’s climate of security. Since 2022 a state of emergency against the gangs has sharply cut violence, although rights groups criticise its mass arrests.
Tourism has become one of the visible gains, as reported in July. Honduras, home to about 10 million people, borders El Salvador to the north and east.
What It Means for Travellers
Citizens of Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua can enter El Salvador with a valid national identity card or a passport. Under a regional agreement known as CA-4, they cross with minimal formalities.
Anyone else crossing at El Amatillo or El Poy this week should allow extra time. Beaches, hotels and restaurants on the coast are likely to be busier than usual until the weekend of 10 and 11 October.
What Comes Next
The Morazán Week travel window closes on Sunday 11 October, when most Hondurans head home. Migration records will then show the actual number of entries.
The 58,522 figure is a projection, not a count, and border traffic can change with the weather or with fuel prices. A strong result would add to a year of rising Honduran arrivals, not prove a lasting trend on its own.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
What is Morazán Week in Honduras?
It is a holiday break that groups three October public holidays into the first week of the month. In 2026 the official days are 7 to 9 October, and many Hondurans travel.
How many Hondurans will visit El Salvador for Morazán Week?
El Salvador’s tourism ministry expects 58,522 Honduran visitors from 3 to 11 October 2026. That is 20 percent more than the 48,768 counted in the same period of 2025.
Which border crossings do Hondurans use?
Most cross at El Amatillo in eastern El Salvador, which handles 53.2 percent of Honduran arrivals. El Poy in Chalatenango handles 38.9 percent.
Why is Francisco Morazán linked to El Salvador?
Morazán, born in Honduras in 1792, led the Federal Republic of Central America and is buried in San Salvador. His remains moved to a new mausoleum in the historic centre in September 2026.
Sources: La Página, 3 October 2026; Infobae, 3 October 2026; Diario El Salvador, 3 October 2026; El Diario de Hoy, 3 October 2026; El Diario de Hoy (Morazán mausoleum), September 2026; El Heraldo, 1 September 2026; Infobae (Honduras holiday), 1 October 2026.
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief