Nicaragua Tourism An Introduc on to the Travel Trade April 2011

 Nicaragua Tourism An Introduc2on to the Travel Trade April 2011
Now is the *me to sell Nicaragua • 
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Tourism prices up to half of those in Costa Rica Safest country in Central America Beau8fully restored Colonial ci8es Undeveloped Pacific coastline with pris8ne beaches Authen8c ecotourism Warm, welcoming people Prospering economy—coffee, cigars, beef, sugar, tourism. Opportuni8es for tourists to give back to Nicaraguan communi8es •  Approximately 2,000 four and five star hotel rooms •  High quality local tour operators offering a wide variety of vaca8on choices and op8ons •  Nicaragua offers a truly authen8c travel experience 2011 Hot Lists Feature Nicaragua • 
Top Value Des8na8ons 2011 -­‐ Lonely Planet • 
Top 12 Comeback Des8na8ons 2011 -­‐ Bing.com/Travel •  "World's Top Re8rement Havens 2011 -­‐ " U.S. News & World Report & AARP • 
Outstanding Places to Visit 2011 -­‐ Kensington Tours "For clients who enjoy tropical weather and exo5c surroundings, Nicaragua may be the best, if not more authen5c, alterna5ve to travel to Costa Rica! Nicaragua Quick Facts •  Size of New York state •  Popula8on: 5.8 million •  ¼ of popula8on lives in capital city of • 
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Managua Managua has a modern interna8onal airport (MGA) No visa required; $10 Tourist Tax to enter Borders Costa Rica to south, Honduras to north, Pacific Ocean to west, Caribbean Sea to east Language: Spanish (English and na8ve languages on east coast) Currency: Cordoba; U.S. dollars accepted everywhere Tropical Climate How to Get to Nicaragua Nicaragua accessible from U.S. ci8es in less than 3 hours • 
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Miami (American Airlines) Houston (Con8nental Airlines) Atlanta (Delta Airlines) Dallas (American Airlines) Fort Lauderdale (Spirit Airlines) Los Angeles (TACA one-­‐stop) Washington (TACA one-­‐stop) GeLng around in Nicaragua and Central America •  Good system of paved roads; Pan-­‐American Highway •  Nature Air connects Managua with San Jose, Liberia, Costa Rica and Panama •  Nicawings connects Managua with San Juan River, Caribbean coast and Corn Islands Nicaragua—Landscape •  The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes : •  19 volcanoes •  Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America •  70 different eco-­‐systems •  1/5 of the country is protected—parks, reserves, biospheres •  Biosphere Reserve of Bosawas, the largest rainforest north of the Amazon •  Biosphere Reserve Ometepe, the largest island in the world comprised of two volcanoes and located in a lake Three Geographical Regions Pacific Lowlands •  Home to half of country s popula8on •  85°-­‐90° F. year round •  Dry season: November – May •  Rainy season: June -­‐ October •  Best beaches •  Great hotels North Central Highlands •  Eleva8ons 2,000-­‐5,000 k. •  Cooler temperatures (75°-­‐ 80° F) •  Rain/cloud forest •  Coffee farms •  Tobacco farms •  Ecotourism—birds, orchids, bulerflies Caribbean Lowlands •  Covers more than half of the country •  Sparse popula8on •  Rainforest crisscrossed with rivers •  Holer and rainier than rest of country •  Ecotourism—birds, orchids, caimen, jaguar •  Tarpon fishing in San Juan River •  Unspoiled Corn Islands in the Caribbean Tourism Triangle Most of Nicaragua s tourist alrac8ons in Tourism Triangle • Managua south to Granada on Lake Nicaragua—
Granada southwest to San Juan del Sur—north to Managua • Managua to San Juan del Sur –a 90-­‐minute drive •  Ecotourism •  Adventure Tourism •  Colonial Ci8es •  Best beaches •  Mombacho Volcano Nature Reserve •  300+ isletas near Granada •  Ometepe Island Biosphere •  Turtle hatching beaches •  Deep-­‐sea fishing •  Lake Nicaragua fishing •  Wellness: Yoga & spas Nicaragua—Nature, Adventure, Culture Nature in Nicaragua Discover untouched nature via: • 
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Ecotours Boat tours Fishing trips Coffee farm tours Turtle reserves Hiking Horseback riding Kayaking Bird watching Trekking Scuba diving Nature in Nicaragua: The Beaches The southwest Pacific coast of Nicaragua has unspoiled sandy beaches for sun bathing, swimming and surfing. • Balmy temperatures, warm water and sunny days November through June. • Best surfing during green season, June to October. San Juan del Sur The central loca8on for travelers enjoying beaches to north and south 1.  Beau8ful port town with coffee houses, bars, restaurants 2.  Safe 3.  Easily walkable 4.  Rooms at all price levels 4-­‐Star Pelican Eyes Resort in San Juan del Sur • 
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70+ rooms Fine and al fresco dining Spa services Day trips to beach, zipline canopy tours, surfing, fishing sailing, horseback riding •  Des8na8on weddings Other San Juan del Sur hotels: Villas Palermo, Orquidea del Sur, Mango Rosa, Victoriano Nature in Nicaragua Eco-­‐lodges Nicaragua offers eco-­‐
lodges in a variety of sesngs: •  Mountains • 
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Beaches Lake Nicaragua Cloudforest Rainforest Adventure in Nicaragua •  Canopy Ziplining • 
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Volcano climbing Scuba diving Horseback riding Surfing Kayaking Volcano Ashboarding Culture in Nicaragua: Colonial Ci*es Granada minute drive from interna8onal airport, in •  45 Tourism Triangle •  Founded 1524, oldest city in America s8ll preserved in its original loca8on •  Many historic churches • 
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Historic haciendas converted into hotels Museums Easily walkable On shore of Lake Nicaragua Horse-­‐drawn carriages Central park with vendors, music, entertainment •  Good restaurants, bars, clubs •  Half hour from Mombacho volcano for ziplining, coffee planta8on tour •  American expat community Leon •  90-­‐minute drive north of interna8onal airport •  Founded 1524, moved due to volcanic erup8ons in 1610 •  Original Ruins of Leon a UNESCO World Heritage site •  Famous Cathedral of Leon 1747 •  Close to volcanoes for climbing, hiking, ashboarding •  Close to beaches Music, Dance and Food •  Colorful tradi8onal dances with masks and costumes •  Tradi8onal music •  Patron Saint fes8vals •  Colorful folk art, ceramics, embroidery, leatherwork, hammocks, baskets •  Delicious food based on corn, rice and beans, seafood, steak, tropical fruits and vegetables •  Flor de Caña Rum-­‐ one of the best in world Tourism Outside Tourism Triangle Route of Water – Rio San Juan •  One hour east of Managua by plane or seaplane •  World-­‐class tarpon fishing in river and Lake Nicaragua •  Visit to 36-­‐island Solen8name Archipelago, where craks are made •  Ecotourism in virgin rainforest Route of Coffee -­‐ Northern Highlands •  2-­‐hour drive north of Managua on paved roads •  Visit coffee and tobacco farms •  Ecotourism •  Ecolodges •  Cloud forest Corn Islands •  2 hours from Managua by plane •  Unspoiled — like Caribbean islands 30 years ago •  Inexpensive hotels •  Scuba and snorkeling •  Dive for lobster Capital City: Managua The capital city offers hotels, restaurants, nightlife, shopping malls, conven8on and mee8ng space. Some of the beler known hotels include: • 
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Hilton Princess Managua InterCon8nental Metrocentro Crowne Plaza Barcelo Managua Hotel Contempo Camino Real Seminole Plaza Managua Hotel Los Robles Best Western Brief History of Nicaragua • 
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Pre-­‐Columbian inhabitants included Nicarao, Chorotegas and Chontales Conquered by Spanish 16th Century • 
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1821: Independence from Spain as part of Mexican Empire 1840s – 1850s: rivalry between Granada and Leon • 
20th century periods of poli8cal unrest, dictatorships Bri8sh ruled eastern seaboard mid-­‐17th Century •  English s8ll spoken today in town of Bluefields and in Corn Islands U.S. adventurer William Walker set himself up as President. Driven out and assassinated 19th century: Immigrants from Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Belgium established coffee farms, sugar, other businesses 19th century schemes to build canal from east coast via Rio San Juan and Lake Nicaragua to west coast •  Bill failed in U.S. Congress 1899; Panama Canal built instead • 
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U.S. Marines occupied Nicaragua 1912-­‐1933 Augusto Cesar Sandino a hero when Marines lek 1933 Sandino assassinated by Agos8no Samoza Somoza family dynasty dictatorship 1936-­‐1979 1972 earthquake destroyed Managua 1979 Sandanista Revolu8on 1980s—President Reagan backed Contras figh8ng Sandanistas 1990—First elec8on: Nicaragua elected Violeta Chamorro President 2006—Daniel Ortega, one of leaders of Sandanista Revolu8on, elected President 2011—Daniel Ortega running for Presiden8al re-­‐elec8on Why Selling Nicaragua benefits You? The Country is peaceful, safe and authen8c…………..your clients will be happy! The Country is the newest hot des8na8on. It s suitable for all travelers. It s close and they like Americans……..a smart recommenda5on from you ! The Government is pro-­‐tourism, pro-­‐business and pro-­‐investment…….doing business is easy! Nicaragua is undiscovered by mass-­‐market tourism and good margins are readily available… .a profitable choice for you and your clients ! Info on gesng started selling Nicaragua Contact Partner Concepts Paul Cohen, President 410 224 7688 paul@partnerconcepts.com Bill Maloney, Senior Advisor 703 582 3526 maloney@partnerconcepts.com INTUR-­‐Nicaraguan Tourism Board Julio Videa Alvarez jvidea@intur.gob.ni Catalina Gorgon cgorgon@intur.gob.ni