Good News Continues to Flow for the New Nicaragua
Trade and investment are up again.
Tourists continue to flock to the country in record numbers. And more and more publications are spreading the word about what is becoming Central America’s most exciting place—the New Nicaragua.
On the commerce front, exports from Nicaragua reached record levels through November, promising even higher numbers for the entire year. The total for January-November 2011, totaling $2.13 billion USD, surpasses the same period of 2010 by nearly 24 percent. The United States continues to be Nicaragua’s largest export destination with 29 percent of the market, followed by Venezuela with 12.1 percent, Canada with 11 percent and El Salvador with 8.6 percent. Coffee was again the country’s main export product, followed by meat, gold, dairy products, sugar cane and peanuts.
Government and central bank projections show the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growing between 3.5 and 4 percent for the year. In addition, tourism and tourism spending are both expected to again set new records as Nicaragua proves to be a beckoning destination. And the addition of a third daily flight by American Airlines is anticipated to further boost travel in the coming year.
Big Names Doing Business in Nicaragua
The well-known logos of Nike and Adidas, two of the world’s leading sports brands, now appear on goods manufactured by American companies in Nicaragua.
According to Javier Chamorro Rubiales, executive director of PRONicaragua, the country’s exports will increase through the involvement and investment by Adidas and Nike. He also noted that “the most important benefit is the thousands of employment opportunities created for the population when one of these leading brands chooses Nicaragua to outsource their products.” Both brands continue exploring Nicaragua with the purpose of further expanding their supplier base.
Nicaragua also was the country in Central America with the highest growth in apparel exports (in volume) to the United States for the first three quarters of 2011, compared to the same period last year. According to the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) of the U.S. Commerce Department, Nicaraguan garment exports to the United States increased 20 percent in terms of volume and 37.3 percent in terms of value.
Lonely Planet Says Nicaragua is the Place to Visit
The New Nicaragua gained yet another endorsement when Lonely Planet, one of the world’s largest publishers of travel guides, recently ranked the country as one of the top ten best value destinations for 2011. According to a recent article on the Lonely Planet website, “Nicaragua is quickly becoming one of the most popular places to escape winter. Culture, adventure, sand and surf are all part of its cachet.”
The article also points out that Nicaragua possesses places and things to do that are “nothing short of spectacular, including hammock-hanging opportunities on the mythically unspoiled Corn Islands, bar-hopping and live music in colonial cities Leon and Granada, and volcano trekking on Ometepe Island.”
Nicaragua is an “Undiscovered Paradise”
Travel journalist Ron Stern believes Nicaragua to be an undiscovered paradise. “It's not hard to see why,” he wrote in a recent article. “With an abundance of sunshine and natural beauty, there are many areas to see and explore that offer travelers an alternative to the usual high-priced destinations.”
In addition, the Montreal Gazette stresses this is the time to visit Nicaragua because “this Central American nation offers empty beaches, exotic wildlife, tropical forests and recreational activities--and prices have yet to catch up with neighboring Costa Rica.”
Good Reasons to Sign Up for Our January Discovery Tour
We don’t like to say we told you so, so we’ve let others do it for us. But if this
inspires you to come and experience the New Nicaragua, check out the details
and agenda for our next Discovery Tour, set for January 25-29. As one of the
members of the October event put it, “This was the best way for someone who’s
never been to Nicaragua to get a first taste of what the country has to offer.”
To learn more about joining is in Nicaragua, go here.