LatinNews Daily - 28 April 2026

*Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña has named Jacinto Santa María, a lawyer, as the country’s new tourism (Senatur) minister, replacing Angie Duarte who had been in the post since August 2023. National daily ABC Color reported that Santa María’s appointment took Duarte by surprise, despite the decree announcing it saying that she had resigned. The state news agency, Agencia de Información Paraguaya (IP), cites Santa María as saying that he will raise the ministry’s objectives to transform the country into a “magnet for high-impact tourism investment such as in entertainment complexes and theme parks”. IP cites President Peña as saying that his administration is seeking to strengthen tourism as a driver of economic growth, employment generation, and to boost the country’s international profile. Prior to his appointment, Santa María served as a director and co-founder of the Mbatoví Eco Reserve, a nature reserve in Paraguarí department. A presidential press release cites the new minister as proposing the “ambitious target of boosting the number of tourists to the country from 2m to 10m by 2037, through attracting investment in tourism infrastructure, developing innovative products and increasing the length of stay for visitors in the country”. According to a 28 January Senatur report, Paraguay registered a 91.24% increase in international tourist arrivals in 2025, with 2.03m visiting the country last year, together with 1.63m day-trippers. According to the Senatur report, Argentina was the source country for the overwhelming majority (79.98%) of tourists to Paraguay, followed by Brazil (10.14%) and the US (1.09%).

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