At the end of 2014 110 hotels were operating in the main tourist city of Nicaragua, where three new establishments plan to open to the public during the year.
Tax incentives granted by the Nicaraguan government have allowed employers in the hotel sector to increase their investment in Granada, which in 2014 received 521,000 tourists, according to figures from the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism.
Tourism entrepreneurs disagree with the list of countries in which the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism has announced it plans to promote the country.
The tourism promotion agenda includes a visit to the United States, the Netherlands, Finland, Spain and Germany, among others, where tourism facilities on offer for 2015 will be presented. With this initiative it is expected that more than 1.4 million foreigners will be received, which would equate to about $440 million in foreign exchange.
Between January and November 30th tax breaks for private investment projects were approved as well as 9 public ones, estimated at $95.7 million, up 125% compared to the same period in 2013.
Added to the approval for incentives for investments worth $95.7 million are more supplies for tourism, including 12 hotels, adding 283 new rooms. It is expected that by the end of 2014 incentives for investment in tourism will reach $100 million.
Between January and September, the Nicaraguan Tourism Board approved eleven new hotel investment projects that will add 248 new rooms to the market.
The Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur) reported that the approved investment amounts to $32 million for hotels in various municipalities, including the Caribbean zone.
Mayra Salinas, executive president of Intur, told Eleconomista.net that "...
Suppliers and representatives from local hotels and Central Americans will be gathering together in Managua on October 21st to participate in conferences and business appointments.
As a result of tourism growth and increased demand for these services the first edition of the Feria de Nicaragua will be held in the convention center of the Crowne Plaza hotel. Over 150 suppliers and 300 hotel owners are expected to attend.
Hoteliers have denounced the unfair competition and are demanding that regulations and monitoring be put in place for rental housing for tourism on the coasts.
The hotels in the beaches of San Juan del Sur are the most affected by the boom taking hold in rental housing for tourists, an activity on which taxes are not paid and no regulation must be followed.
The American chain La Quinta Inn has announced that in 2015 it will begin construction of three hotels in Managua, Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango.
From a statement issued by La Quinta Inn and Suites:
IRVING, Texas, Aug. 12, 2014 / PRNewswire / - La Quinta Holdings Inc. (NYSE: LQ) ("La Quinta" or the "Company"), owner, operator and franchisor of La Quinta Inns & Suites, announced it has signed franchise agreements for new hotels in Nicaragua and Guatemala, marking the entry of the company into those countries.
In a partnership with Central American businessmen five Park Hyatt hotels will be built in the capitals of Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador and two in Honduras.
From a statement by the Hyatt Hotels Corporation:
"Hyatt Hotels Corporation today announced that a Hyatt affiliate has signed a master development plan with LATAM hotel Corp. to develop 10 Hyatt Place hotels in Central America and Mexico and that Hyatt affiliates have signed franchise agreements with LATAM hotel Corp. The five hotels are: Hyatt Place Managua in Nicaragua, Guatemala Hyatt Place in Guatemala City, Hyatt Place San Salvador in El Salvador, and the Hyatt Place San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa Hyatt Place in Honduras .
The trend of renting out non-hotel accommodation for a few days is global, and it will grow even more in the next 5 years, so regulating it will be a better solution than banning it.
In Central America Panama is the country where the phenomenon of Holiday Rentals shows the highest growth, despite a law prohibiting it. According to an article in Prensa.com, the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) "...
In the past 20 years hotels have had to adapt to much more informed clients, who are less loyal and have broader interests.
An article on Hosteltur.com reviews the evolution of the hospitality industry, in times of globalization and most of all the possibilities offered by the Internet.
The Secretary General of CEHAT, Ramón Estalella, notes that "...
"The Food and Drink Trade Show 2014" will be held from May 19 to 21 in San Salvador and will bring together international buyers with companies in the region.
From a statement issued by the Restaurant Association of El Salvador (ARES):
ARES presents the first annual exhibition that brings together suppliers, distributors and importers to showcase their products and services for the food industry, and related hospitality services in the region.
The Coastal Act passed four years ago encouraged tourism and real estate development in the Pacific.
Businessmen claim that the legal certainty provided by the legislation has resulted in more tourism and real estate projects in coastal areas, but there are still a lack of incentives for investment in projects in the Caribbean.
Adiak Barahona, CEO of Gran Pacifica Resort, told Laprensa.com.ni that "the Coastal Act eliminated uncertainty for landowners near the beach and encouraged the building of homes measuring more than 300 square meters."
On March 24th and 25th Central American companies supplying the hotel and restaurant industry will meet in El Salvador.
El Salvador will be hosting the fifth edition of the Regional Provider Fair "Ferprotur 2014" for the hotel and restaurant industry, which will be held on 24 and 25 March in San Salvador.
In the fifth edition of Ferprotur national and international companies providing products, goods and services for the hotel and restaurant industry will come together.
With an investment of $35 million the plan is to build a shopping center with movie theaters, a convention center and a hotel in Puerto Salvador Allende.
According to Virgilio Silva, CEO of the National Port Enterprise (EPN) , the construction of a shopping center with cinemas in Managua Malecon is very close to completion. Documentation has been formalized with Arab investors to develop the project which also includes the construction of a convention center and a hotel.
Without contradicting the provisions of law which state that tipping must be voluntary, the regulation approves phrases which suggest the possibility of the amount which can be paid and including it in the bill.
This is how it is described in the regulation of the Law on protection of the rights of consumers and users, published last week in the newspaper La Gaceta.