The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and the Government of Nicaragua are currently negotiating an agreement that will represent a substantial increase in the number of visitors entering Nicaragua by sea. Mario Salinas, President of the Nicaraguan Tourism Board (INTUR, for its acronym in Spanish) said an additional project is being introduced to improve all of the country’s main ports parallel to this negotiation.
“Since we are expecting an increase in cruise ships entering the country, we need to improve the infrastructure of our ports and the services they provide. We will start by improving the Corinto and San Juan del Sur ports. We will offer visitors a better variety of touristic packages and activities, which will give them an opportunity to choose where they want to eat and which sites to visit, “commented Salinas.
Mr. Salinas highlighted a particular meeting held with an important private firm to implement a master plan for the San Juan del Sur port, “the plan includes designing a new dock where passengers can disembark directly unto the port instead of being transferred from the cruise ship to the port by a local boat”, he explained.
The master plan focuses on redesigning the port’s facilities by including restaurants, souvenir stores and other attractions.
“This project will represent a very significant investment, the decision has been made to initiate the design of this development plan as soon as possible, which will probably transform the port into one of Central America’s most attractive sites,” expressed Salinas.
INTUR’s President expects to have an estimate of the investment in three months, where the firm will finance half of the project and the rest will be obtained through international cooperation.
Nicaragua currently receives an average of 60 cruises between the months of October and May, representing a 62 percent increase since 2007. The goal for the next two years is to attract 100 cruise ships to the country.
