PHOTO. Surfing Punta Roca Beach. (courtesy El Salvador Ministry of Tourism)
El Salvador's Minister of Tourism, José Napoleón Duarte Durán, along with the Mayor of La Libertad, Javier Jimenez and the president of the World Surf League, Alfredo Martinez, announced details of the first Female Surf Championship that took place in the country, "El Salvador Impressive QS Six Star Cup," held from Aug. 6-9 at Punta Roca Beach, La Libertad.
The event was part of the Ministry of Tourism strategy to promote El Salvador as a world-class surfing destination; this will help generate conditions for the economic and local development of the area through the massive influx of domestic and international tourists.
"El Salvador has shown its potential in the organization of international surf events, in addition to the excellent beaches we have for its practice such as Punta Roca beach. Our main goal is to promote sport tourism and to encourage international tourists to visit El Salvador, which would generate an important income to the country, "said El Salvador's head of tourism during the press conference.
The championship was a six-star competition due in part to the prize pool of about $40,000. Most of these events have taken place in world famous beaches such as the Canary Islands, France, Portugal, Spain, England, Ireland, and the Azores, due to the quality of their waves.
According to the Surf World League representatives, more than 80 athletes participated in the event which was full of great surfing techniques. The surf competition had participants from Peru, Brazil, France, Japan, and the United States, among other countries.
The Minister of Tourism stated that El Salvador has been considered by international organizations as one of the top 10 surfing destinations in America, thanks to its waves.
Recently, Fulcrum Travel, a Brazilian company that seeks to invite the best surfers in their country to try other surf destinations, promoted El Salvador beaches as one of their top destinations.
According to authorities, Surfing is a sport which is having a considerable growth in the region. It has also become a touristic activity of great importance within the industry, with tourist visits generating a significant income, motivating the development of hotel infrastructure and services, as you can witness at El Tunco beach, La Libertad.
The event was broadcasted by international chains Fox and Space and it is estimated that over 5 million people followed it worldwide. The investment for the realization of the event was of $200,000.
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