Average daily spending per tourist fell by 13.4% compared to 2014, with average stays registered of 17 days.
From a statement issued by the Central Bank:
The Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN) has published the annual results of inbound and outbound tourism, corresponding to 2015.
According to data published by the NCBs, the per capita average daily expenditure realized by non-resident visitors who entered the country in this period was $41.5, mainly driven by spending on the part of tourists from South and North America, a result similar to 2014 ($41.8).
Visitor spending went from $3.728 billion in 2014 to $4.2 billion in 2015, double the growth rate for the category in a year.
The entry of travelers into Panama grew by 6.9% at the end of last year, going from 6,668 in 2014 to 7,128 in 2015. This greater volume of passengers spent 12.7% more than they did in 2014, reaching a record high of $4,199.7 million, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census.
Growth of 9% per year is part of the rewards brought about by incentives for the sector and the opening up of government by working in partnership with private enterprise.
Incentives for tourism have been vital to the creation of new projects in this sector. This is the view of Leonardo Torres, president of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (Cantur), who spoke to Elnuevodiario.com.ni.
In the first half of the year 1.4 million tourists visted the country, only 1.7% more than in the same period in 2014.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT):
In the first six months of the year, our country received 1,415,046 international arrivals; that is, more than 23,429 tourists entered through all ports, according to data provided by the Directorate General of Immigration (DGME) and analyzed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
Between January and June 1.7 million tourists visited the country, almost 4% more than in the same period last year, generating revenues of $772 million.
From a statement issued by the Government of Guatemala:
Guatemala July 21, 2015. The beauty of Guatemala continues to enthrall foreigners, which is reflected in a positive growth in tourist arrivals to the country from January to June, and in the generation of foreign exchange.
Between January and April this year, 2.4 million tourists came in, with expenditures of $1.29 billion, up 8% and 15% respectively compared to the same period last year.
The same upward trend can be seen when looking at monthly data on expenditures, which went from $308 million in January to $322 million in April, confirming the rise in visitor spending.
Although major hotel brands claim not to be affected, the growing supply of houses and apartments for short stays, is forcing hotels to change their methods of attracting guests in order to survive.
Airbnb, VRBO and Homeaway are just some of the countless websites where owners rent their houses or apartments to tourists, who increasingly opt for this alternative to conventional hotels worldwide, and Central America is no exception.
From May 31st to June 7th, 2015 Sardina beach, on the Pacific coast, will host the World Surfing Championship.
For the third time the beaches in the municipality of Tola will be hosting the World Surfing Championships, an important income generator because athletes have a level of daily expenses "... of about $100, which is twice the average spent by tourists who come to do other things.
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.
During the year 2.3 million tourists came into the country, of which 48% came from South America, 24.3% from North America, 12.7% from Central America and 2.5% of the Antilles.
The increase of 4.7% compared to 2013 did not solve the problem of low occupancy in hotels, because the supply of rooms also continued to rise. A drop of 20% was reported in financial income from this sector.
The Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism has unveiled a strategy which aims to increase the number of tourists especially in summer, promoting the main tourist routes in the country.
It is expected that the plan called "Nicaragua Our Summer 2015", will be implemented from February and will run until April this year. It also seeks to implement new measures to increase the daily expenditure of tourists which until September 2014 was $43.
Almost 70% of international arrivals by air corresponded to North American visitors, followed by Europe with 16.5% and South America with 6.9%.
From a statement issued by the Government of Costa Rica:
2014 was a momentous year for the tourism industry, in which all historical records of the country in tourism were exceeded . This is demonstrated by the data provided by the General Department of Immigration (DGME) which has been analyzed by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).
During 2014 2,142,000 visitors came into the country and tourism revenues increased 5.6% compared to 2013.
Foreign currency received from tourism amounted to $1,563 million at the end of 2014, representing $83.1 million more than reported in 2013 . Also, in 2014 142 thousand more than visitors were received than in 2013, coming mainly from El Salvador, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom, among other places.
Between January and September, 965,369 tourists arrived in the country, 7.1% more than in the same period in 2013.
From a statement issued by the investment promotion agency of Nicaragua:
Nicaragua, with a steadily growing tourism industry, received 965,369 visitors up to September this year, which is giving rise to new hotel investments, said the executive president of the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute, Intur, Mayra Salinas, yesterday after stating that "on October 21 we will probably pass the one million tourists figure. "
Between January and July 2014 the number of tourists who came into the country increased by 4.7% compared to the same period in 2013, and they spent on average $108.6 per day, which is 3% more.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism of El Salvador:
The main tourism indicators (employment, income, daily expenses, lodging, number of visitors) reported significant growth in the first seven months of the year, confirming the strength of the tourism industry in the Salvadoran economy. The indicator for job creation in tourism in the month of June 2014 shows an increase of 5.93% compared to the same month in 2013, with more than 48,893 versus the 46,154 jobs recorded in 2013.