Monteverde is a renowned destination for eco-tourism and adventure holidays which is home to more than 200 companies specialising in lodging, tours, entertainment, food and souvenir sales.
A statement from the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) reads:
In light of the poor condition of the road to Monteverde
• Hotels in the area are already seeing a significant drop in occupancy rates.
The hotel chain InterContinental Hotels Group announced the signing of two contracts for Holiday Inn Express hotels in Managua and Tegucigalpa respectively.
In total the two properties represent an increase of 220 rooms for the Holiday Inn brand family in Latin America and the Caribbean, where there are currently 18 Holiday Inn Express hotels and 24 Holiday Inn hotels.
In Panama, the district of Chitre, in the province of Herrera, is becoming a boutique metropolis for trade and tourism.
According to the architect Jose del Carmen Perez, a new zoning plan for Chitre by the Ministry of Housing is on the point of being adopted, which allow the construction of buildings over 10 storeys, something that is not allowed under the current plan.
With an investment of $67 million the Spanish chain Riu Hotels & Resorts will build a beach resort in the district of Rio Hato, Cocle Province.
The 520 room hotel under the name Riu Playa Blanca, will be the second in Panama owned by the chain, after having opened the Rui Plaza in 2010 which has 645 rooms in the capital.
"The stretch of beach, located between Punta Chame and Rio Hato, has been the heart of hotel investments which together add up to more than $300 million.
A partnership has been formed between the Nicaraguan government and the Spanish group Barceló to build an international airport in the Montelimar resort, in San Rafael del Sur.
An article in Laprensa.com.ni reports that "The Government of Nicaragua and the Spanish hotel group Barceló have signed an agreement to build an international airport in the Montelimar resort, in the Pacific, officials said on Sunday.
A large scale theme park would be located in Guanacaste, on an estate measuring more than 900 hectares, with hotels, shops, offices and function rooms.
The project, developed by Sun Ranch calls for investments of $1 billion over 15 years and the use of 578 hectares.
The complex would be located about 9 kilometers from the city of Liberia, near the Daniel Oduber Airport.
It is very difficult to understand as reasonable the Costa Rican Comptroller's annulment of the award for a Convention Centre by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute.
EDITORIAL
An article in Elfinancierocr.com reviews the details of a situation that is being repeated ad nauseum in most Central American countries, namely the difficulty of awarding important public works contracts with a minimum of speed and efficiency.
The construction of an airport capable of receiving aircraft carrying up to 42 passengers is the basis of a development plan by the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism.
The 1,500 meter long and 30 meter wide airstrip is being built by Meco and is a few months away from being completed, which will allow a qualitative advance in the development of tourism in the unique island of Ometepe, which is formed from two volcanoes in the middle of lake Nicaragua.
The Colombian Decameron Group is expanding its investments in Latin America in 2012, including the opening of two hotels in Costa Rica and one in Panama.
In Costa Rica, Decameron will open this year a 330-room Royal Decameron Irazu in San Jose, and one in Jaco Beach, with 130 rooms.
"In April, they will open the first Hard Rock hotel in Central and South America, which will be located in Panama and will have 1,463 rooms.
Plans are afoot to boost coastal areas as a center of tourism development, agribusiness and marine resources with funds from the US Millennium Challenge funds.
The Salvadoran government could be managing $277 million to be provided by the MCA (Millennium Challenge Corporation MCC) of the U.S. government to create development centers in coastal areas which have great potential.
In order to attract the attention of investors, entrepreneurs have created a portfolio of six major projects for tourism development.
The Association of Coastal Marine Tourist Developers (Promar in Spanish), led by renowned Salvadoran entrepreneurs, recently presented the Government with an ambitious portfolio of six mega resorts with high potential to attract investment to the country, to be run in the next 14 years, and which is valued at $2 billion.
The marine industry is immersed in a crisis caused by uncertainty about the recovery in demand for docks and related services.
In 2007, before the crisis in the United States, Costa Rica had 21 projects in the pipeline for the construction of marine tourism, of which today only three remain in operation while the development of another has been suspended due to lack of funding.
The Panamanian government will announce in the coming weeks a tender for several tourist developments in the area.
The executive secretary of the Management Unit for Reverted Property (UABR in Spanish), Juan Carlos Orillac said they have already completed a development plan for the area prepared by the Spanish consulting firm C4T .
"The exploitation of the beautiful beaches of Sherman offers the industry, the chance to construct of six ecotourism hotels, yacht marinas, cultural centers, eight housing cores and recreation centers.