September 13, 2008 by sacuanjoche.

Once-troubled Central American country is at peace and looking to entice travellers to explore its cultural, historical and recreational attractions

September 13, 2008

Heather Greenwood Davis
Special to the Star
Managua, Nicaragua–The beach butlers haven’t arrived yet. And the soldiers haven’t left.

But tourists who flip past this small Central American country in travel brochures fearing for their safety should take a second look. The country is moving forward and the lush landscapes and towering volcanoes that were once only an impetuous backpackers’ playground are increasingly available to those who prefer a hotel to a hostel and a backrub to a backpack.

Nicaragua is in transition and actively seeking out travellers who will come and see the changes for themselves. Many who have been refer to the country as “the next Costa Rica,” a tip of the hat to the southwestern neighbour that has become a favourite spot for North Americans looking for a safe, eco-friendly, virtually untouched place to vacation or retire.

Nicaragua offers all of that, as well as historically significant cultural options in museums and architecture where Costa Rica falls short. But its violent history, still fresh in the minds of many, has been a hurdle in the country’s struggle to attract tourists.

“People still think of us as war-torn,” says guide Marlon Rivera. “We still have that negative image.”

The country is peaceful. The war-torn era of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s that made international headlines is long gone. All that seems to remain of the turbulent times are relics and buildings that make for interesting tours in Managua, and the people who were left to pick up the pieces.

They’ve done that remarkably well.

The new Nicaragua is cited by many guidebooks as one of the safest countries in Central America. Cruise ships have been stopping regularly since 1996.

The number of visitors to the country has increased 7 per cent since 2007, says Tania Estrada, spokesperson for the tourism and trade department.

Most visitors are Europeans, primarily from England, who spend four to five days and upwards of $150 (U.S.) per day. Canada ranks fourth. The United States is third and other Central American countries fill in the gap.

“We are trying to fight that negative perception of Nicaragua,” Estrada says.”Nicaragua has beautiful places to go.”

On board a recent flight to Managua, the plane is full. There are babies nibbling on chubby fistfuls of crackers, a student group of teenage boys (and one lone female teacher) boasting of the waves they’ll conquer on surfboards, families of all sizes and businessmen itching for the seatbelt sign to go off so they can start their BlackBerrys.

When they land, they’ll venture out across the country:

The popular beaches of San Juan del Sur, the peaceful seclusion of Ometepe Island, the colonial city of Granada and the university hub of Leon.

If there are concerns for safety among these travellers, it isn’t evident. Snippets of overheard conversation suggest a different preoccupation: At a time when travel is expensive, Nicaragua is cheaper than the Caribbean, its beaches equally as beautiful and sunshine just as plentiful.

“Tourism here in Nicaragua is growing very slowly, but it’s growing in a good way,” says Estrada.

Due in no small part, no doubt, to the fact that in Nicaragua a middle-class traveller can live like a king.

Hotel and restaurants are constantly besting each other in a race to be the most lavish, the most luxurious, the most exclusive and the most upscale.

But you can also still find well-priced – and even cheap – accommodation. An expensive gourmet meal with fresh seafood, well-seasoned steaks and a cornucopia of sides will run you no more than $25 (U.S.).

New eco-friendly routes (including visits to organic coffee plantations) and artisanal routes are among tours being introduced to take visitors beyond the major centres and into the rural northern areas.

And there is a building boom afoot.

Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and EcoLounge – a 15-bungalow retreat in a natural conservation area – opened in 2004. Gran Pacifica, a combination owner/rental pool of properties, is being developed on the Pacific Coast 45 kilometres from Managua and will feature a Marriott hotel.

With obvious pride, Estrada rhymes off a string of large, upscale projects being developed across the country over the next five years; most of the investors are from North America.

Tax incentives and tourism laws aimed at luring international investors and retirees to the country are working.

Nadene Holmes, a former ESL teacher from St. Catharines, has witnessed the changes firsthand.

“It used to be just backpackers,” she says, sitting at a small table under one of two large Canadian flags in her café in Granada. “But now we’re getting a much higher-end tourist. Two years ago, to spend $10 on a meal was like, `How much?’ That’s no longer the case.”

Holmes moved with her family to Nicaragua in 2002 and opened Maverick’s – a bookshop/café – in downtown Granada a few years later.

But last year she realized there was a market developing for people who could guide newcomers through the initial settling process. She and her husband Camillo Calderon launched Maverick’s Details Management (granada-english-college.com/Mavericks) just over a year ago and have watched profits jump 15 per cent.

That’s thanks in part to the government’s commitment to attracting tourism, especially in bringing new flights from the United States and promoting the country as a viable investment.

“We’ve definitely noticed a lot of positive buzz,” Holmes says of the growing tourism market. “The interest is there. The change is coming.”

It is clear that, for the most part, any investor-driven changes will need to come from outside the country.

With 72 per cent of Nicaragua’s population under the age of 30, and 42 per cent under the age of 15, this country of about 5 1/2 is young, ambitious – and poor. There are more than 35 universities in the country, but at a cost of about $140 (U.S.) per month, even the least expensive of the private schools is out of reach to most locals.

A teacher in this country, for example, earns less than that in a month. There are hospitals here that you can’t enter without a U.S. credit card and Rivera says there are movie theatres where $6 or $7 will give you a private table where you can watch a movie while dining on steak – but you won’t find your average Nicaraguan inside.

“We have very, very poor people, middle poor and then rich people,” Rivera says. “There is no middle class.”

As if to prove his point, a truck that looks about three metres high and just over a metre wide passes us, filled with bananas bound for El Salvador. Another with almost as many men heading out to work on one of the plantations is going the other way.

The top industry remains agriculture: coffee, sugar, seafood, tobacco – but now there are glimmering signs that tourism may one day add to that bounty.

On the tarmac in Managua airport sits a mix of American Airline jumbo jets and smaller twin engines. In a hangar in the distance, a camouflage-coloured chopper bides its time. The present and the past continue to mix here, but Estrada says the country is moving forward, not looking back.

“The thing that you need to see is the country, not the political things or the problems of the government,” she says. “People need to visit to understand.”

Heather Greenwood Davis is a freelance columnist. Her trip to Nicaragua was subsidized by the Nicaraguan Tourism Board.

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August 7, 2008 by sacuanjoche.

The Associated Press

Article Launched: 08/04/2008 05:25:41 AM PDT

BERKELEY, Calif.—In an effort to get travelers off the beaten path and support destinations in developing countries, a group called Ethical Traveler has published a list of the “10 best ethical destinations.”The organization said in a statement that many countries “are making noble attempts to preserve their natural assets, create a user-friendly infrastructure, and build an economy where their citizens share the benefits of tourist revenue. By bringing our commerce to such places we encourage their efforts, and inspire neighboring countries to support these values as well.”

To create the list, Ethical Traveler looked at environmental protection, social welfare and human rights in the world’s developing nations. The honorees on the Ethical Traveler’s list, in alphabetical order, are Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Namibia, Nicaragua, and South Africa.

The organization used various resources to make the determinations, including data collected by the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy and Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network; progress made by countries in reducing infant mortality rates as measured by UNICEF; and reports on civil liberties and human rights from sources like Amnesty International and Freedom House.

For more details, visit http://www.ethicaltraveler.org.

Source:  mercurynews.com

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July 31, 2008 by sacuanjoche.

Thursday, 31 July 2008 Property investors from the US are no longer buying in Nicaragua because of the economic downturn and concerns over the political regime, it is claimed.

But European investors are stepping into the breach and the country’s property market is starting to recover from a spartan period.

‘You have to be somewhat of a contrarian to buy real estate in Nicaragua right now,’ said developer and advisor Jeff Cassel. ‘Two years ago this Nicaragua was right up there in the property-buying popularity polls. Hordes of buyers, especially soon-to-be American and Canadian retirees, couldn’t get enough of it,’ he explained.

‘Pristine properties in Nicaragua were plentiful - beachfront, mountaintop, lakeside, and everything in between and best of all, they were very inexpensive. This was the fabulous frontier, waiting to be explored and settled.’

But the US buyers dried up due to the election of Daniel Ortega as president of Nicaragua and then the economic crisis.

Now Ortega is taking steps to encourage foreign investors and is openly talking about new regulations to encourage overseas investment.

‘It’s not for the timid or for those who are worried about the country’s political uncertainties. But contrarians may win big here, as the potential for gain is great if nearby Costa Rica and Panama are any example,’ said Cassel.

Others agree. According to Robin Donaldson, a real estate agent, things are picking up gradually. ‘As Ortega refrains from pursuing an aggressive policy foreign investors and the markets are coming back to life, Nicaragua has plenty of models in Latin America for growth in the real estate sector,’ she said.

Charles Southwell of RE/MAX Granada said there is potential. ‘Nicaragua is turning into quite a tourist mecca, and it has huge investment possibilities,’ he said. He compares it to Costa Rica which has succeeded in becoming a popular tourist destination, an inexpensive place to do business and attracted global players such as Microsoft and GE.

‘The countries that build the middle class are the countries that have long-term success, and that’s what’s happening here,’ Finch said.

And some Americans are also taking the risk. ‘We’ve been getting lots of inquiries from Americans posted in Afghanistan,’ said Cassel.

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