NicaNotes

January 15, 2026

Nicaragua Tourism “Steals the Spotlight,” Earning Punitive Measures From US

By Becca Renk Foster

(Becca Renk Foster is originally from Idaho, USA. For 25 years, she has lived and worked in sustainable community development in Nicaragua. She coordinates the work of Casa Benjamín Linder in Managua and serves on the coordinating committee of the Nicaragua Solidarity Coalition. This article was first published in Popular Resistance on November 28, 2025)

“Nicaragua Steals the Spotlight in Global Tourism Fairs,” read a headline in Travel and Tour World on 15 November 2025, highlighting Nicaragua’s performance at recent industry events in the United Kingdom, China, Germany, and Canada. “Nicaragua is rapidly becoming one of the most talked-about destinations for international tourists,” the article gushed.

Two days later on 17 November, the United States Embassy in Nicaragua

announced new visa restrictions on representatives of Nicaraguan transportation companies, travel agencies, and tour operators. In a statement, the embassy claimed those affected had been “identified as knowingly facilitating illegal immigration to the United States.” These restrictions follow a pattern of the U.S. imposing punitive measures each time Nicaragua’s tourism industry looks set to grow.

In 2016-17, Nicaragua had an excellent reputation for safety, and tourism was a booming industry supporting thousands of small family businesses across the country. Following the failed coup attempt in 2018, which was led and funded by the United States, tourism has struggled to recover. One hindering factor is that since 2018, the U.S. State Department has maintained a “Level 3: Reconsider Travel” advisory on Nicaragua as part of its hybrid warfare strategy against the country.

In spite of the advisory, Nicaragua received a number of tourism accolades in early 2025. It made the top 25 places to visit by the world’s most influential travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveler.  Vogue called Nicaragua an “it” destination and the country was one of the places on the top 50 list of Travel + Leisure Magazine. It was #14 on the New York Times List of “52 Places to Go in 2025” which called Nicaragua, “A darling of ecotourism… ready for its next renaissance.”

Apparently frustrated by Nicaragua’s resilience in the face of its attacks, the U.S. State Department held a conference warning U.S. citizens not to travel to the country.

“Despite a flurry of positive reports in the travel press, U.S. officials say Americans should avoid Nicaragua because it’s an authoritarian regime,” read a June 2025 New York Times article.

U.S. officials now claim these most recent visa restrictions on the Nicaraguan tourism industry are an attempt to slow migration to the United States. “Investigations indicate the entities these individuals represent facilitated travel through Nicaragua, enabled by the Nicaraguan dictatorship’s permissive-by-design migration policies that destabilize the region and push illegal immigration to the United States,” the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua said in its statement.

Nicaraguan migratory regulations allow for all visitors to enter the country upon purchasing a $10 tourist visa. Due to Nicaragua’s geographical location in the heart of the Central American isthmus, migrants traveling by land must go through Nicaragua. Rather than profiling visitors to try to stop migratory flow, Nicaragua’s policy allows equal freedom of movement for all tourists, regardless of their country of origin.

Using promoting illegal immigration as a pretext for these latest restrictions on Nicaragua, however, is particularly ridiculous in light of the fact that migration to the U.S. has now slowed to a trickle. According to U.S. Homeland Security, by June 2025, undocumented migrants apprehended at the U.S. southern border had dropped by 93% (6,072) compared to June 2024 (83,532).

In fact, with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) routinely kidnapping and disappearing people of color from the streets of the U.S., migratory flows have actually switched to north-south movement now. So, if they’re not really designed to stop migration to the U.S., what is the point of these visa restrictions?

As part of the hybrid warfare strategy, the goal is to hurt Nicaragua’s tourism industry, deal a blow to the economy, and ultimately force regime change. Attacking the tourism industry is an effective way to hurt Nicaraguan communities and families. Since the Sandinista government came back into power in 2007, Nicaragua has developed a community-based tourism model which ensures that benefits reach local people, is culturally appropriate, and minimizes the environmental impact.

This model also benefits travelers, providing an authentic experience that can be life-changing. Ken Yale, an educator and anti-imperialist activist who has travelled extensively to more than forty countries, recently visited Nicaragua for the first time on a delegation organized by Casa Ben Linder. He said, “As an educator, going to Nicaragua on the Women’s Empowerment Delegation was one of the most powerful experiences I’ve ever had; as an activist, one of the most inspiring; as a traveler, one of the best organized.”

Perhaps the real threat to the U.S. is not illegal immigration, but rather the danger represented by a viable tourism model that encourages people from the Global North to visit the Global South to learn about ways of being together on this earth that are not promoted within their home countries.

As Nicaraguan Tourism Minister Anasha Campbell says, “We believe…that tourism enhances that understanding between cultures and also contributes to strengthening the culture of peace in all countries.” A culture of peace in all countries certainly would be a threat to the U.S.

Briefs

By Nan McCurdy

Sandinista Government Cuts Poverty in Half

On January 10 the president of the Central Bank, Ovidio Reyes, said that Nicaragua has made significant progress as a result of the economic and social development policies implemented by the Sandinista government. He presented an economic report for 2025 and the outlook for 2026 to the National Assembly.

He told the National Assembly that, “Over the past 19 years, the country has grown, promoted employment and stability in the labor market, protected the purchasing power of the population by reducing the inflation rate, ensured the country’s fiscal and external sustainability, safeguarded the stability of the financial system, preserved macroeconomic stability, and made progress in social objectives and poverty reduction.” “With regard to domestic inflation, it is expected to remain low in a projected range of between 2.5 and 3.5 percent, supported by an appropriate fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policy framework, along with government subsidies to contain the increase in the cost of living for the population,” he said. Reyes said that overall poverty fell from 48.3% in 2005 to 24.9% in 2016, while extreme poverty fell from 17.2% to 6.9% in the same period. Since then, other indicators related to poverty measurement have also shown reductions. “Rates of inadequate services, low education, inadequate housing, and economic dependence have fallen significantly, indicating that the government’s major objectives are being achieved,” he stated. The agricultural sector has been instrumental in generating production and employment in Nicaragua, he noted. “The country produces enough food both for domestic consumption and to supply other countries around the world. Self-sufficiency is such that the country has become a net exporter of food. This has ensured food security and promoted rural economic development,” he said. To read entire speech: https://radiolaprimerisima.com/2026/01/10/gobierno-sandinista-ha-logrado-bajar-a-la-mitad-la-pobreza/ (La Primerisima, 10 January 2026)

Tourism Boom during the Holidays

The colonial city of Granada, known as “La Gran Sultana” and the capital of Nicaraguan tourism, experienced a tourist boom during the Christmas and New Year holidays, with an influx of visitors described by business owners as “unprecedented.” Hotels, restaurants, and service providers reported full occupancy and record sales, driven by both domestic tourism and visitors from other countries in Central America. Antonio Prieto, owner of Café de las Sonrisas, expressed his satisfaction in statements to Canal 8: “We feel that this is the best season ever seen; since December 15, we have noticed increased activity in the city. It has been impressive, but there is something very nice: domestic tourism has grown considerably. The number of tourists coming from other departments to visit Granada is increasing.” (Informe Pastran, 5 January 2026)

19 Years of the People as President

Co-President Rosario Murillo stated that “January 10 marks 19 years of the People’s President, and in these 19 years we have cultivated and cared for, we have safeguarded our sublime and supreme right to live in peace, security, working in harmony to advance and prosper. Because that peace, that security, that guarantee of unity and work is what our people demand and deserve.” In celebration of the 19th anniversary of Pueblo Presidente, the Doctor Fernando Vélez Paiz Western Hospital in Managua was relaunched to continue strengthening specialized care for families across the country. This hospital now offers new services such as kidney transplants, interventional cardiology, pacemaker implants, and heart surgery. It has also added an MRI machine, a 160-slice CT scanner with artificial intelligence, lithotripsy equipment, angiography, an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation machine, an electroencephalogram, and a mammography machine. (Informe Pastran, 5 January 2026)

First Delivery of Food for School Lunches

The Ministry of Education made the first delivery of food for school lunches for the 2026 school year, reaffirming the government’s commitment to education and the well-being of children. The political secretary of the FSLN in Juigalpa, Hallyl Navarrete, said that this first delivery ensures that students will be fed during the first four months of the year. This program demonstrates the continuity of social projects promoted in favor of education. The school lunch is being distributed to educational centers, which guarantees adequate conditions for the start of the school year and strengthens student retention and academic performance from the first day of classes. The delegate from the Ministry of Education, Professor Tania Chavarría, said that more than 8,800 children in early childhood education, special education, regular primary education, multigrade education, and the three teacher training colleges in the municipality will benefit. Chavarría specified that a total of 64 educational centers in Juigalpa receive the food. The program benefits the entire country. (La Primerisima, 9 January 2026)

International Reserves Increased by US$2 Billion

The Central Bank (BCN) reported that the balance of gross international reserves (GIR) as of December 31, 2025, stood at US$8.3 billion, representing an increase of US$2.2 billion over the year. The Bank indicated that the performance of international reserves in 2025 was mainly driven by the implementation of a monetary policy that has strengthened the use of the national currency and a fiscal consolidation policy, which has increased national savings. Operationally, the increase in reserves was due to: accumulation of public sector deposits, foreign currency purchases at the BCN exchange desk, external disbursements, and financial income from investments abroad. The BCN expects that in 2026 the sustained growth of international reserves will continue, which will continue to guarantee the current exchange rate regime, ensuring the protection of the economy against external and internal events, as well as the macroeconomic and financial stability of Nicaragua. (La Primerisima, 12 January 2026)

Illiteracy Eradicated and Free, High-Quality Education System Consolidated

January 11 is National Education Day in Nicaragua, a day which commemorates a turning point in the country’s educational history. Through Executive Decree No. 116-2007, President Daniel Ortega proclaimed free public education in 2007, eliminating the School Autonomy model that was in place between 1993 and 2006 enforced by the International Monetary Fund under neoliberal governments. This executive decree not only meant a change in access to education, but also the beginning of a series of advances and projects that have profoundly transformed the education system in Nicaragua. After 19 years of quality education, education authorities highlight the following achievements: illiteracy reduced to 4.2%, 60,000 certified teachers, more than 9,200 educational centers functioning, more than 37,000 new classrooms inaugurated, 1.2 million school meals delivered daily, 63,000 vouchers for high school graduates, and 500,000 vouchers for early childhood education students in 2025. To see more achievements: https://radiolaprimerisima.com/2026/01/12/desterrado-el-analfabetismo-y-consolidado-sistema-educativo-gratuito-y-de-calidad/ (La Primerisima, 11 January 2026)