There Was Never a Better
Time
Now is the time.
 Any visitor to Nicaragua
senses that the country is poised on the edge of something special,
something big. Business, tourism and most importantly optimism
are all on the upswing just north of the border as Nicaragua
commemorates 10 years of peace and democracy.
The headlines of the 1970s and 1980s are thankfully, history,
these days in Nicaragua. The dictatorship, corruption, war, natural
disasters and economic hardship that crippled the country for
so many years are fading into the past. Though no one shies away
from the discussing them, confidence in the future is infectious.
Nicaragua receives some 400,000 visitors per year, few compared
to Costa Rica's 1 million annual total, but remarkable, considering
how late the country is getting into the tourism game.
For visitors of all budgets, the difficult-to-travel-in Nicaragua
of the past has been tamed. Those wishing to visit in comfort
and style can do so much more readily these days. New luxury
hotels and mid-range lodgings have sprung up and more are on
the way. In true leave-the driving-to-us spirit, a new breed
of tour operator has arisen- professional, dedicated and enthused
about showing off Nicaragua to visitors, all at reasonable prices.
For the budget and independent traveler, Nicaragua has been
tamed as well. Traveling here economically isn't the hardship
it once was. Basic, comfortable hospedajes dot the country. Budget
travelers haven't been shut out of the market anywhere in Nicaragua.
And a good highway network, in the western half of the country,
at least - a dream come true for visitors from Costa Rica - and
an extensive public transportation system make getting around
Nicaragua easy.
 Numbers are bound to increase as Nicaragua takes
further steps to promote itself as a tourism and investment destination.
For now, though, for the visitor, there is a wonderful feeling
of visiting uncharted territory, of being in on a secret that
the rest of the world doesn't know yet know.
What will happen when the secret is out of the bag? The tourist
industry doesn't anticipate any ill effects. The discussion about
increasing numbers of visitors to Nicaragua always seems tempered
by a Let's-do-it-properly philosophy. All are confident that
the late entry into the tourism stakes will make the country
conscious of doing things right, of not losing what makes Nicaragua
special.
There's never been a better time to go.
Reprinted from The Tico Times
SPECIAL NICARAGUA SUPPLEMENT February 18, 2000.
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