Nicaragua tourism has had a slow beginning because of the country's turbulent past. It's been almost two decades now since the end of fighting between the Sandinistas and the Contras. There was a democratic election in 1990 and Nicaragua tourism has been growing ever since. It's still poor, but pockets of tourism are thriving in certain areas. Ecotourism is taking route as well and tourists feel more and more welcome eacb year in Nicaragua. Today, tourism is Nicaragua's second-largest industry, after coffee.
Nicarugua is not the poorest country in this part of the world, but it does come in second in the western hemisphere. Things have slowly stabilized since the election in 1990 of Bioleta Chamorro. Even with the election of former Sandanista leader Daniel Ortega, development of real estate for tourism has grown and even become a priority. Ortega encourages foreign investment in real estate because it helps all sectors of the economy.
Managua, the capitol, was ruined by years of war and poverty but it's now making a comeback. Other areas on the rise again are the Moskito Coast and nature preserves around Lago di Nicaragua. There are more and more ecolodges, eco hotels and other ecotourism spots appearing. There are large swathes of undeveloped land in Nicaragua, which hopefully will be preserved. In some areas, only one person per square mile can be found. The biodiversity is such that one area is called "Little Amazon" for its greenery and vast, lush dense jungle.
The Moskito Coast, a famous area on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua, was devestated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Flooding was very severe, and local villagers lost all crops. Then the area was massively fumigated to prevent the outbreak of malaria in stagnant, trapped flood waters that bred mosquitos. In the decade since then, and beyond, villages have brought their land back to health and are once again planting and living their traditional way of life.
Nicaragua is situated in Central America between Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. Some travelers combine their trip to Nicaragua with travel in Costa Rica, flying into Costa Rica's large airport and numerous flights. Flights to nicaragua are increasing, so shop around for flights if you're planning on visiting just Nicaragua and don't want to make a border crossing.
