Nicaragua's tourism activity increases

Sept. 9, 2013 - PRLog -- Nicaragua’s tourism board (INTUR, for its acronym in Spanish) recently informed that over 607 thousand tourists have visited the country during the first semester of 2013, representing a 4.4 percent increase vs. the same period of 2012.

60 percent of these visitors came from Central America, a great majority from Honduras. Another 24 percent visited the country from the U.S., according to INTUR. In 2012, the amount of tourists during the first semester was 581,206 and visited mostly from the U.S., Central America, South America and Europe, according to official sources.

INTUR expects 1.2 million visitors by the end of this year. This would contribute to an increase of 9 percent in comparison to 2012, during which the country received 1.1 million visitors.

Also, according to the Central Bank of Nicaragua, during the first semester of 2013, tourism receipts accounted for US$197.53 million.

President of INTUR, Mayra Salinas, acknowledged there is still much to do in terms of tourism infrastructure. Salinas also announced that Nicaragua will be promoting a strategy to attract tourists from South America since they have a high purchasing power.

It’s natural beauty, public safety and low cost of living are some of the factors that have helped transform Nicaragua into a highly rated tourism and retirement destination. The country has been recently highlighted in this regard in renowned international publications such as the New York Times, the Huffington Post, International Living, U.S. News and AARP Magazine. In fact, in January 2013, the New York Times rated Nicaragua as number 3 on its list of 46 places to visit this year.