whynicaragua

Nicaragua remains one of the most misunderstood nations in the world. This country is not in the midst of a civil war, & is not a Communist state. It is a well established democracy with a booming economy.

Nicaragua is rated as the safest country in Central America and the 2nd safest country in the Western Hemisphere, behind only Canada.

The Civil War between the Contras and Sandanistas ended over 15 years ago. Since then, tremendous change has occurred. A peoples’ revolution replaced the military dictatorship. General elections were held and the country has steadily grown and benefited since.

New initiatives were passed promoting tourism and the development of the infrastructure increased. International financial institutions teamed with local banks to provide funding for major investments in the nation’s infrastructure. Multi-Nationals such as Holiday Inn, Intercontinental Hotels, Princess Hotels, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Mercedes Benz, Mitsibushi , Chrysler, TGIF Fridays, Benetton, Radio Shack, Pepsi, MacDonalds, and many others have moved in.

Incentive progams such as Law 306 Tourism Investment Program, have attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in investments and projects that are now underway. A highlight of this plan is a 10 year tax free program for any tourism related inventment.

Inflation is in single digits and is now the second lowest in Central America. Extremely Impressive considering this period of high GDP growth

Foreign investment has increased and shows signs of more rapid growth. $475 Million in 2002 alone was invested in Nicaragua by foreign entities.

Resort projects in the 100’s of Millions of dollars have been started and are off to a spectacular success. Several of them them are within a 5K radius of Rancho Bougainvillea. The area is fast becoming the prime resort destination in Nicaragua.

A new Pacific Highway will be a huge boon to the area's economic future. The opening and widening of the Rio San Juan into Lake Nicaragua, has also recently been announced.

Roads ( Nicaragua has some of the best roads in Central America ), communications, potable water, electricity, and related infrastructure have undergone substantial improvements; new blacktop is evident in many areas of the country.

Many previous citizens who left the country during harder times are now returning with new educations and methods and are seeking out the investment opportunities and the trend continues.

Now , as the tide of visitors is increasing, the threats posed by dictatorships are gone, costs remain reasonable, and ideas for building and operating new businesses abound.

Taxes are very inexpensive. Annual property taxes approx. 1.5% of the assessed property value, which is 50% or less of market value.

The craft market in Masaya, held for years in a makeshift shed where hammock-makers battled goat merchants for space, moved a few months ago into a newly- refurbished marketplace in the center of town - part of a government funded plan to clean up the tourist amenities. Now the entrepreneurs selling mahogany carvings and bowls, hand-woven hammocks, paintings by local artists, and leather goods each have a proper stall of their own.