Nicaragua: Paradise on the Pacific Coast

International traveler and real estate investor Vinnie Apicella draws on years of experience and local connections to offer Nicaragua as a featured location at Vinnie’s World, www.vinniesworld.com, an online platform that allows visitors to capitalize on key investment opportunities in select emerging market locations.

The creator of Vinnie’s World has been a frequent visitor to Nicaragua since 2001 and combined a wealth of knowledge and local resources, including everyone from ex-pat business owners to property managers to legal advisors, which have enabled him to make a number of successful property purchases and distribute detailed information to site visitors.

Such articles authored by Apicella as The Undiscovered Country and Exploring the Undiscovered provided answers through a first person narrative for readers to “discover” Nicaragua as a beautiful but downtrodden country that had much to offer visitors and investors. “I certainly knew of Nicaragua’s troubled past and the risks involved in investing in emerging countries on a broad scale, but after my first visit, I was awed,” says Apicella. “The abundance of natural beauty and pristine coastline was simply breathtaking.”

With governmental instability and internal strife now in the past, Nicaragua is rebuilding and primed for a promising future. Many travelers have become residents, enamored with the family-friendly atmosphere and favorable year-round climate. Tourism is growing at 19% annually and contributing more than any other industry to the country’s economy. At the close of 2007, it is projected that more than one million visitors will arrive in Nicaragua. “We’re seeing more and more people buying property, building homes and even starting a business,” Apicella adds. “They’ve realized you can own a piece of paradise at a fraction of the cost of most other places in the world.”

The “paradise” is Nicaragua’s prized Pacific coast, which stretches from Costa Rica to the south and Honduras to the north and a breeding ground for several coastal projects catering to savvy investors seeking a sun-bathed retreat. Names such as Rancho Santana and Montecristo Beach have become synonymous with burgeoning coastal development. Closer in to the capital city of Managua, Gran Pacifica is a large scale project of unprecedented proportions, expecting to house a brand name luxury hotel and casino before the end of the decade.

With tourism on the upswing, so too is the entrepreneurial spirit of ex-pats who are entering the market with everything from eateries, bed and breakfasts, specialized tours, surf camps, and almost anything that contributes to the country’s rising tourism sector. Owing much to a widely hailed governmental perk known as Law 306, qualified investors are exempt from paying income or property taxes for up to ten years.

Prior to the November 2006 presidential elections, all of the political parties stressed their commitment to continuing the country's upward trend in tourism and support of internal investment. In 2007, during his first 100 days as president, Daniel Ortega managed exports to top $1 billion for the first time in Nicaraguan history. According to World Bank, Nicaragua is now the country with the best conditions for business and attracting foreign investments in Central America.

At Vinnie’s World, visitors will find a selection of quality properties along Nicaragua’s Pacific coast. The website features a content-rich section on Nicaragua that arms viewers with plenty of background and essential facts about the country and why it should be on their radar for a family vacation or future investment.

“I researched Nicaragua in the first place because it was so inexpensive to buy property,” says Apicella. “Was it a good deal? Time has proven that so far it is. And the best days are still to come. Forget what you thought you knew about this country…the phoenix is definitely rising.”

Prices in Nicaragua are still very inexpensive, but they won’t remain that way forever; Costa Rica next door is a key indicator in that regard. Vinnie’s World promotes a careful selection of projects with strong backing and clear titles, all of which provide beautiful home sites and excellent prospects for future growth. Buyers can choose from among upscale resorts to quaint retreats and receive tremendous bargains.

Through in-country cooperatives and long-standing relationships with property developers, Vinnie and his team can provide additional incentives to Vinnie’s World clients by way of travel planning, special discounts and exclusive deals on available real estate listed on their site. Visit www.vinniesworld.com for more details.