The union of tourism entrepreneurs estimates that the country will receive 1.9 million tourists, and they expect the activity to generate close to $830 million.
Combining efforts on promotion and marketing in order to attract more tourists from South American countries is one of the goals proposed by the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur).Figures from the trade union indicate that the average daily expenditure of South American tourists exceeds the general average.
A new measure imposed by Nicaraguan immigration authorities requires foreigners who intend to enter the country to file a "notice of entry" seven days in advance.
The Nicaraguan business sector, particularly companies working in the tourism industry, regret the government's decision to implement this measure. The only thing it does is to discourage the entry of foreigners, who in their vast majority come to the country to take part in tourist activities.Complaints have arisen from El Salvador and other nations about the difficulties of this new measure, especially from tour operators and tourist companies that manage trips to Nicaragua from neighboring countries.
Tourism entrepreneurs have suggested setting up a border post in El Naranjo in order to encourage the arrival of international tourists coming from Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
The announcement of the possible construction of a coastal highway in the Pacific, represents an opportunity for entrepreneurs in the tourism sectorto further enhance the development of tourism in the area and also provide a route for foreign tourists arriving at the Liberia airport in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
At the end of the fourth quarter of 2014 the average stay increased from 6.9 to 8.2 days from the previous quarter, but the average daily expenditure remained at $43.
The average stay for a tourist from South America is 8.6 days, while tourists from other regions reported 13.9 days on average. The average daily tourist expenditure during 2014 was $43.40, only $0.90 more than the amount reported in 2013.
Up until May incentives have been authorized for 22 tourism investment projects, including the construction of the airport in Costa Esmeralda, for $12 million.
Tourism growth and incentives granted to investment projects in the tourism sector are boosting investment in the country, which, according to estimates by the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism, will amount to $400 million in the year.
The average expenditure of 1.27 million tourists who visited the country in 2013 amounted to $41 per day, while for South Americans the figure was $71.
In 2013 the number of tourists visiting Nicaragua increased by 3.3% compared to 2012, when the country received 1.23 million visitors. Of the total amount in 2013, 23.7% were from North America; 6.5% from Europe; 2.1% from South America and 2.2% from other parts of the world.
The difficulty in finding English speakers is the main bottleneck to Nicaragua's tourism industry.
In 2012, Nicaragua received 241,000 visitors from the U.S., 77,000 from Europe and 30,710 from Canada, representing 30% of the total of the 1.18 million tourists who came into the country.
This segment, very valuable because of its purchasing power, is becoming increasingly difficult for local operators to cater to, due to a shortage of bilingual staff.
The country is promoting in Europe its new fiscal incentives for tourism investments.
Nicaragua gets just 10% of its visitors from Europe. 30% are from the U.S and the remaining 60% from Central America.
Mario Salina, Nicaraguan tourism Ministry, and ProNicaragua’s tourism advisor, Laureano Ortega, explained the new incentives plan, which includes “fiscal incentives, easier red tape, … and the new Coasts Law”, reported Prensa.com.