Information
The helpful government organization Corporación Salvadoreña de
Turismo, or Corsatur , at Blvd del Hipodrome #508, Col San
Benito, San Salvador (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1.30-5pm; tel 243
0427, fax 243 0427, corsatur@salnet.sv ), has a useful
bilingual guide, Destination El Salvador , which gives an
overview of what there is to see in the country. They can also
provide information (Spanish only) on national parks and
archeological sites in El Salvador, and details of local specialist
tour operators.
The Instituto Salvadoreño de Turismo, or ISTU , C Ruben
Darío, 9a-11a Av Sur, San Salvador (Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 8am-noon;
tel 222 8000) is responsible for some of the national parks and the
network of turicentros . Staff are extremely unhelpful,
however, and will, more than likely, refer you to Corsatur.
Although El Salvador is gradually waking up to its own tourism
potential there are, as yet, no tourist offices outside the
capital , and the concept of independent tourism is still in
its infancy. If you have any questions, head for the largest and
most expensive hotel, or strike up a conversation with a taxi
driver. Alternatively, it might be possible to obtain information
from municipal cultural centres ( casas de la cultura ),
offices of the government-run culture development agency
Concultura , or the city hall ( alcaldía ).
Useful Web sites include
www.elsalvadorturismo.gob.sv and the comprehensive
www.sv , the Web site of the Republic of El Salvador.
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