About

Summary

Acorn Tourism collaborated with INTUR to enhance Nicaragua’s appeal to European travellers by identifying opportunities in niche markets and analysing its competitive positioning. The project included two phases: developing six Product Market Combination (PMC) Factsheets for selected niches and conducting a comparative analysis of regional competitors. This work aimed to align Nicaragua’s tourism offerings with market demands and global best practices.

Our Approach

Acorn Tourism adopted a two-phase methodology:

Phase 1:

Produced PMC Factsheets by analysing market trends and interviewing European tour operators.

Delivered reports tailored to Nature & Ecotourism, Active Tourism, CBT, Wellness, and Surf tourism.

Presented findings in a format designed for both national and international stakeholders.

Phase 2:

Conducted a detailed competitive analysis of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru.

Studied their tourism strategies, niche offerings, and marketing practices.

Included direct consultations with 50+ stakeholders and field visits to key competitor markets.

Acorn’s team worked closely with INTUR to ensure knowledge transfer, including a week-long training programme at Acorn’s office for INTUR's Head of Market Research. This collaboration empowered INTUR to independently produce niche market studies.

Outcome

The project provided INTUR with actionable insights, including:

Clear strategies for differentiating Nicaragua’s tourism products, such as leveraging unique experiences like volcano boarding and integrating cultural and natural heritage into tourism offerings.

Practical recommendations for improving infrastructure, enhancing service quality, and increasing digital marketing efforts.

A strong foundation for INTUR to independently develop niche market strategies, supported by a knowledge-sharing approach during the project.

The initiative positioned Nicaragua to diversify its tourism portfolio, attract high-value European travellers, and align with global best practices for niche tourism development.