Tourism statistics in Nicaragua have become increasingly scarce since the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute (INTUR) stopped publishing its annual statistical reports. As a result, assessments of the country’s tourism industry now rely largely on annual reports and public statements by Anasha Campbell and Mara Stotti, who have emerged as the only two officials from Daniel Ortega’s regime still traveling internationally to attract tourists.
Their international outreach comes amid a wave of sanctions that has led the United States to revoke or deny visas to more than 2,000 officials tied to the Ortega government and their family members.
As INTUR co-directors, Campbell and Stotti have effectively become tourism ambassadors for the regime, traveling worldwide to promote Nicaragua despite the severe damage to the country’s international reputation caused by the Ortega-Murillo government’s repression of organizations and individuals it views as political opponents.
The two officials promote Nicaragua at tourism fairs and industry events across the United States, Central America, and other major source markets. They have also expanded their efforts to countries with little traditional connection to Nicaragua’s tourism industry, including Russia, China, Vietnam, and Algeria.
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Nicaragua Is Not Ready for Chinese Tourists
Tourism industry leaders, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, say they are particularly struck by the fact that Mara Stotti has faced no apparent obstacles to international travel despite sanctions imposed on close members of her family. Other relatives of officials sanctioned by the United States, Canada, and several European countries have faced significant travel restrictions.
Critics also question the government’s decision to focus promotional efforts on Asia and Africa, arguing that the strategy makes little economic sense. In their view, the real objective is to repair Nicaragua’s damaged international image rather than generate meaningful tourist arrivals from those regions.
«They are wasting the very limited promotional resources they have on markets that, because of poor air connectivity, long distances, and in many cases because they are not significant sources of tourists, will produce no meaningful results,» one tourism entrepreneur said.
Industry representatives are particularly skeptical of efforts to attract Chinese visitors, arguing that Nicaragua lacks the infrastructure needed to serve that market, including tour guides who speak Mandarin.
Sanctions Have Not Affected INTUR’s Co-Directors
Mara Stotti is married to Daniel Edmundo Ortega Murillo, making her the daughter-in-law of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo. Despite sanctions imposed on her in-laws—and more recently on her husband—she spent the first half of the year attending international tourism events promoting Nicaragua.
Anasha Campbell has followed a similar schedule. She is married to Foreign Minister Valdrack L. Jaentschke, one of the few members of the regime’s inner circle who has not been sanctioned to date. However, the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) identified him as a key figure in the regime’s strategy of transnational persecution against Nicaraguan dissidents.
In response to serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity attributed to the Ortega government, the United States has revoked or denied visas to approximately 2,350 Nicaraguans. Those affected include Rosario Murillo and, reportedly, her children, spouses, descendants, and other close relatives, as well as numerous government officials, including senior representatives to international organizations headquartered in the United States.
INTUR Co-Directors Continue Traveling the World
One official affected by those restrictions is Central Bank President Ovidio Reyes, who now participates virtually in meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where he represents Nicaragua. Campbell, by contrast, continues traveling freely throughout the United States.
The European Union also maintains sanctions against three Nicaraguan entities and more than 20 officials, including Rosario Murillo. Those measures, repeatedly renewed, include travel bans within the EU. Nevertheless, Stotti—Murillo’s daughter-in-law—has continued to visit European countries without apparent difficulty. The United Kingdom has also sanctioned senior regime officials, including Murillo.
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In a recent interview with state media, Stotti said INTUR had carried out an extensive international promotional campaign during the first half of 2026.
«We’ve been present at the world’s leading tourism fairs. We’ve been in Europe, Germany, Spain; we’ve traveled to Russia twice; we’ve also been to China; and we’ve attended six trade shows in the United States as well as events in Canada,» she said.
INTUR’s social media accounts also show Campbell representing Nicaragua at several U.S. tourism expos, including the Travel & Adventure Show in Los Angeles, the inaugural South Florida Travel & Adventure Show, and the Chicago edition of the same event. She has also attended promotional events throughout Central America and elsewhere in the region.
Stotti began the year at FITUR 2026 in Madrid, where she had the opportunity to greet Spain’s king and queen. She has also participated in multiple tourism fairs and promotional events in Russia, China, and other countries.
During the first half of 2026, Nicaragua also participated in the 15th Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM 2026), the International Tourism Exchange (BIT 2026) in Milan, Italy, The Outdoor Adventure Show in Montreal, the 60th edition of the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin—alongside FITUR, one of the world’s largest tourism fairs—as well as Outdoor Adventure Show events in Vancouver and Toronto, and the MITT International Travel & Hospitality Exhibition in Moscow.
Nicaragua Advertised in Times Square
Regionally, Nicaragua also participated in Colombia’s ANATO Tourism Showcase 2026, Central America Big Day 2026, and promotional activities in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica organized by the Central America Tourism Promotion Agency (CATA).
According to Stotti, the government’s promotional strategy extends beyond trade shows. She said INTUR has secured coverage in major media outlets and launched advertising campaigns, including one displayed on digital billboards in New York’s Times Square during the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
The goal, she said, was to capitalize on «World Cup fever,» which attracts «people from all over the world» who gather in Times Square to watch matches.
«We’ll have visibility on a screen located in a place where everyone passes by and everyone looks. We’re taking advantage of those spaces to raise awareness about our country and showcase Nicaragua. We expect excellent results,» Stotti said.
Officials Say Tourism Is Growing
According to both officials, INTUR will continue attending international tourism fairs and promotional events during the second half of the year, including a major event in China. They also plan to expand media campaigns and other promotional initiatives.
Neither Campbell nor Stotti, however, disclosed how much public funding is being allocated to those efforts.
In a recent interview with state media, Campbell said Nicaragua received 278,937 visitors between January and March 2026. She said 89 percent were overnight tourists, while 11 percent were same-day visitors. Total arrivals increased by 11.1 percent compared with the same period in 2025.
Campbell also said average daily spending reached more than $49 per visitor, representing a 33 percent increase.
«The United States continues to lead with 22 percent of all tourists, followed by Costa Rica with 20 percent and Honduras with 16 percent. Other Central American markets, including El Salvador and Guatemala, also posted notable growth. Canada increased by 38 percent, driven by charter flights operating between December and April,» Campbell said.
Central Bank Reports Higher Tourism Revenue
Campbell added that the European market has also expanded, now accounting for nearly 10 percent of all visitors, compared with around 8 percent in previous years. The largest increases came from Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and Italy.
She made no mention of whether Nicaragua has seen increases in arrivals from Russia, China, or the Asian and African countries where INTUR has concentrated much of its recent promotional activity.
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Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nicaragua’s latest Balance of Payments report indicates that tourism revenue increased by 40 percent during the first quarter of the year compared with the same period in 2025.
According to the report, visitors spent $159 million in Nicaragua between January and March, up from $113.5 million during the first quarter of the previous year. However, that figure remained below the $170.6 million generated during the final quarter of last year, when tourism typically peaks because of the Christmas and New Year holiday season.
