Jacinto Santa María Ammatuna, the newly appointed head of the National Secretariat of Tourism (Senatur), has outlined an ambitious goal to increase tourist numbers from two million to ten million by 2037. This target forms part of a new strategic direction to position Paraguay as a leading tourist destination in South America. The new tourism minister announced the strategy during a recent visit to state media outlets.
Upon taking office, Santa María informed his team that “the challenge is immense and failure is not an option.” He emphasised that the strategy revolves around attracting high-impact investments to develop state-of-the-art theme parks and high-technology entertainment complexes. The core objective is not only to increase the number of visitors, but also to extend the duration of their stays within the country.
A new strategic direction
To illustrate his vision, the new tourism minister used the example of Orlando, Florida. He noted that despite having no coastline, snowy mountains, or lush jungles, the city attracts 75 million tourists a year. This success, he argued, is due to the world-class parks built in an area that was once only swampland before the construction of Walt Disney World.
Santa María maintained that everything there was created with technology, investment, and creativity, resulting in its massive tourism figures. In this context, he expressed that Paraguay must get to work to achieve similar outcomes. He stated that the immediate priority is to actively seek investors for tourism products. Furthermore, he believes these potential investors should be informed not only of the country’s abundant energy and workforce but also of its central location on the continent.
Capitalising on geographic advantages
The minister also highlighted Paraguay’s proximity to one of the world’s most important tourist icons, the Iguazu Falls. He explained that over four million tourists visit the other side of the river annually, but do not cross into Paraguay. The primary reason for this, he asserted, is the lack of an appealing product that would encourage them to stay for at least one night.
An overnight stay, Santa María pointed out, would create significant economic benefits. Tourists would require accommodation and meals, which involves purchasing local goods like cheese, meat, and milk. This activity would, in turn, support an entire chain of value within the local economy.
Building on past national achievements
To demonstrate the nation’s capabilities, Santa María recalled the 2026 World Rally Championship, which was held in Paraguay for the first time. He noted that although some believed it could not be done, the entire country united behind the event. The government, organisers, media, and all sectors worked together as a single team, and as a result, Paraguay was awarded “Best Rally of the World” in its first attempt.
new tourism minister asserted that this achievement is a clear indicator of the nation’s potential: “This means that we Paraguayans are capable, creative, tenacious, we are full of resources and when we unite behind a common objective, we not only achieve it, but we surprise the world with our results. With that same faith and confidence, I dare to take on this challenge, as I expressed to the Senatur team.”
In addition, Santa María mentioned other successful major events hosted by the country, such as the FIFA World Congress and Pan American Games. He presented these as further proof that Paraguay is more than capable of managing large-scale international gatherings.
From natural beauty to marketable products
While acknowledging Paraguay’s many existing attractions, the minister stressed the critical need to create more products and services to sell to tourists. He used his own experience with the Mbatoví Eco Reserve as an example. Twenty-five years ago, he explained, the reserve’s only asset was a beautiful landscape, which he noted is not something that can be directly sold to a tourist.
However, by building viewpoints, trails, suspension bridges, and zip lines, acquiring internationally certified safety equipment, and training instructors with experts from abroad, they successfully created a marketable “Eco Adventure” product. He also pointed to the creation of the San José and La Costanera beaches in Encarnación, which first attracted people and were subsequently followed by hotels, restaurants, and large businesses, stimulating growth for the entire area.
He is confident that as Paraguay develops more products that attract people, airlines will “beg to come to Asunción.”
Targeting high-value, world-class tourism
The new minister of tourism was clear that Paraguay is aiming for world-class tourism, which generates greater foreign currency income. Nevertheless, he clarified that this new focus does not mean that traditional tourism will be neglected.
Santa María concluded by describing the target market for this new strategy: “We are going to bet on high-spending tourism, the tourist who comes, stays in a five-star hotel and leaves 300-400 dollars, which means foreign currency income for the country, economic growth and generates job creation for Paraguayans.”
