Tourism in Nicaragua Generating Significant Amount of Jobs

June 21, 2013 - PRLog -- According to the Mayra Salinas, President of the Nicaraguan Tourism Board (INTUR, for its acronym in Spanish), the tourism sector in Nicaragua jumped from 140,000 to 168,000 employees in the past 12 months.

Last year Nicaragua generated US$421 million in tourism revenue and in 2013 the figure could reach US$480 million.

Salinas explained that the increase in the generation of employment in this sector is mainly due to the existence of new hotel projects which include a new Hyatt Place, a Holiday Inn and a hotel from the Wyndham Hotel Group, among others.

According to the Nicaragua in Figures report released by the Central Bank, in 2012 the country had an offer of 812 hotels.

Investors are starting to notice that Nicaragua is an attractive destination for doing business thanks to its low labor costs, its geographical location and generous fiscal incentives. International Living commented that “Nicaragua is finally going mainstream. A country once viewed with suspicion and misconceptions is now home to eco-lodges, spas, and restored colonials.”

According to INTUR, more than 1,280,000 tourists are expected to arrive this year in Nicaragua, this would represent a 8.8 percent growth rate in tourists compared to 2012.