U.S. government tells travelers El Salvador is totally safe to visit

The U.S. State Department has changed its warning level for the popular tourist and cruise destination.

Apr 11, 2025 - 15:58

U.S. government tells travelers El Salvador is totally safe to visit

In the 1970s, the U.S. State Department began issuing travel advisories and rating foreign countries based on how safe (or not) they are for Americans to visit.

While the specifics of the system that is now used by most countries around the world has evolved over the years, the highest level on the four-tier system is currently assigned to authoritarian governments and active war zones while level one is given to countries where the average traveler is unlikely to run into any problems.

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Many European countries particularly popular with American tourists, such as France, Italy and the United Kingdom, are under the "exercise increased caution" advisory due to the risk of terrorist attacks in their capital cities. Mexico, which welcomed over 12 million American tourists in 2024, is also at level two due to crime rates.

El Salvador, a Central American nation that has for decades ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world to visit, is now under level one's "exercise normal precautions" after an April 8 update from the U.S. State Department. It had previously been at the level two ranking.

"Gang activity has decreased over the last three years," the new advisory reads. "This has caused a drop in violent crimes and murders."

This comes at a time when the President Donald Trump Administration has been working with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to deport 238 Venezuelan and 23 Salvadoran citizens suspected of gang activity to the country's notorious Cecot mega-prison. On April 10, the Supreme Court ruled that it needs to facilitate the return of a man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, that the Justice Department admitted was deported due to an "administrative error."

As U.S. warms up to El Salvador, other countries warn of 'searches, seizures'

Since his inauguration, Trump has repeatedly praised Bukele's anti-crime crackdown that has been criticized by countless human rights organizations — since the Salvadoran president declared a state of emergency in 2022, the country's prison population has tripled to the highest in the world.

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Countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom currently have El Salvador at the third-highest "exercise a high degree of caution" rating.

El Salvador is a Central American nation that often ranks as the world's most dangerous to visit.
Shutterstock

"Although the security situation has improved, a state of exception remains in effect," the Canadian government writes. "As a result, security forces have increased rights to conduct searches, seizures, and detain persons of interest, including foreign citizens. Local authorities have detained foreigners, sometimes in a reportedly arbitrary manner."

While the country's history and reputation means that El Salvador sees low number of international visitors, places like the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos have for years been considered tourist meccas.

The State Department has put out new advisories for both Caribbean destinations this spring. For the Bahamas, the government warns that "violent crime like armed robberies, burglaries, and sexual assaults can occur anywhere" while Turks and Caicos visitors are urged to respect locals laws that "police strictly enforce."

An earlier advisory for El Salvador still visible on the government's website states that "the state of exception allows local authorities to arrest anyone they think is involved in gang activity."