According to industry players, rural community tourism is growing "slowly, but surely."
According to Harold Ramos, president of the Nicaraguan Network of Rural Tourism (Renitural), agritourism and rural community tourism , "is something that is developing slowly, but surely."
Laprensa.com.ni reports that "at the end of February this year, the National Assembly unanimously approved the Sustainable Rural Tourism Act, which aims to boost this emerging type of tourism. Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, president of the Tourism Commission at the National Assembly, explained that the Act creates the conditions to implement and promote appropriate measures for sustainable development of rural tourism initiatives. "
The Intur, with the support of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, has announced new investments to develop the second phase of the ‘Ruta del Café’ (Coffee Route).
The departments that make up the ‘Ruta del Café’ are Jinotega, Matagalpa, Estelí, Madriz and Nueva Segovia.
The first stage saw the completion of 31 tourism projects such as museums, parks and other cultural establishments, said Mayra Salinas, vice minister of the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur).
The campaign, with a $ 7.2 million investment, is to support Ometepe's tourist related MSMEs and agritourism farms.
The project will begin next January and will start with the refurbishment of the first farms of the 90 included on the project. These will be ready to welcome tourists by May 2011.
The funding includes $ 2 million for the Ometepe tourism conglomerate, $ 2 million to the Department of Rio San Juan and $ 3 million for the proposed agro tourism farms in Nicaragua.
Luxemburg has announced the donation to go towards developing tourism in the north of the country.
The first phase of the program began in 2007 with an investment of $5.2 million in financial and logistical assistance aimed at increasing the number of tourists visiting the northern area of Nicaragua known as the Ruta del Café ("Coffee Route"). This stage is due to finish this year.
A support program, funded with $1.2 million donated by Luxembourg, will benefit 130 touristic SMEs from the country's north.
This program will provide financial and logistic assistance to local companies, in order to increase the number of visitors to the area known as the 'Coffe Route'.
Mario Salinas, president of Nicaragua's Tourism Institute, explained that "they are negotiating additional support from the Government of Luxembourg.