Paraguay's Tourism Minister, Jacinto Santa María, submitted his resignation on Monday, after just over three months leading the National Tourism Secretariat (Senatur). In a statement published on his social media, Santa María said the decision was made for "personal and dignity reasons", without providing further details on the circumstances.
Santa María had assumed the post on April 27, replacing Angie Duarte. In his farewell message, he defended his brief tenure, stating he worked with "honesty, hard work, and patriotism" and that he "never lied and never failed" Paraguayans. The former minister announced he will return to the private sector to continue working on tourism development in the country.
The resignation comes at a sensitive time, just weeks before the start of the WRC Rally Paraguay 2026, one of the country's main tourism promotion events, to be held in the Itapúa department. Just one day before his departure, Santa María participated in a meeting with the Swiss ambassador, Álvaro Borghi, to discuss cooperation opportunities in nature tourism, including the valorization of the Bertoni Museum.
To replace him immediately, President Santiago Peña signed Decree N° 6568/26, appointing Javier Eduardo Ramírez Valdez as interim minister of Senatur. Ramírez is a career official at the secretariat since 2007 and held the position of Director General of Tourism Management.
The Minister of Industry and Commerce (MIC), Marco Riquelme, denied that Santa María's departure was motivated by disagreements and took the opportunity to confirm a government plan: the merger of Senatur with the MIC to create a new Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism. Riquelme said he will meet with sector representatives on Wednesday to explain the project, which aims to give tourism a "different level of focus" and ministerial status.
President Peña himself ratified the idea of the merger, arguing that tourism is an industry with enormous potential and has synergies with MIC policies, especially due to the profile of sector companies, which are mostly micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). He thanked Santa María for his work and said the former minister left "with dignity".