“It’s gonna keep some people away, definitely,” says Ronny Avendano, who runs the Bitcoin Hardware Store, which sells all the Bitcoin bells and whistles including tech and books about the cryptocurrency.

“The IMF is definitely a governing body that you want to stay as far away from as possible... It might be detrimental to the business,” he adds.

“From a tourist perspective, you know, I don’t feel that excitement anymore... It used to be ‘I can’t wait to come to El Salvador’ to now ‘tell you what’s going on with this deal’.” He adds: “For me, nothing’s changed. People in town still accept Bitcoin, and I still love the Bitcoin farmers market. Yesterday, I went to buy food at the grocery store in Bitcoin.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen over the next six months if it were to change... I’d have to close my business down.”

Mr Mena, 49, who returned to El Salvador in 2019 after living in France for 15 years, is in the midst of constructing apartments he hopes to rent to wealthy Bitcoiners.

Mr Mena, who accepts Bitcoin payment for his legal services, does not think the IMF deal will make any difference.

“Now people know what Bitcoin is and how to use it... Bukele is pretty smart, and the IMF is full of dinosaurs,” he said.

“People probably will turn back, but the people who understand, who are already here, they’re not leaving.”

Surf teacher Isaac Reyes, 28, who is from El Zonte, says there have been more positive impacts than negative on the local community. He is sometimes paid in Bitcoin but he and most of the locals transfer it straight into dollars using an app on their phone.

He said he believes the novelty of Bitcoin Beach had already reached its “peak” and is now “going back down”.

“Now the difference is the people, not the currency… less people are coming,” he said.