Authorities estimate that during 2018 some $350 million will be invested in public and private works, and that the sector could generate approximately 23 thousand new jobs.
According to the Honduran Institute of Tourism, investments are expected such as the cruise dock in Roatán and the construction of a hotel in San Pedro Sula.
Following 2017's 5% increase in the arrival of foreign tourists, the authorities foresee an increase of 6% for this year.
Regarding the figures on domestic tourism, authorities in the sector estimate that last year this item generated an economic spillover of about $2.122 million, an amount that they aim to exceed in 2018.
The Honduran Tourism Institute has announced that the airline Air Europa will continue operating the flight between Honduras and Spain until April 2018.
Authorities from the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT) confirmed the airline's decision to continue providing the air service.
Sue Chávez, marketing manager for IHT, told Elheraldo.hn: " ...´We have been operating the service for six months with very good results, the average occupancy rate is above 80%.'"
The Honduran Institute of Tourism has announced that the first flight operated by Air Europa, between Madrid and San Pedro Sula, is scheduled for April 27.
Authorities at the Honduran Institute of Tourism explained that the agreement has already been formalized and flights will begin in late April.
Laprensa.hn reports that "...The inaugural flight will depart from the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport on Thursday, April 27, and will land at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport.The aircraft will return to Madrid, a few hours later with passengers."
The Central American Cruise Summit 2017 will be held in San Pedro Sula from May 10 to 12, and is expected to include the participation of 200 people linked to the tourist industry in the region.
At the summit organized every year by the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association issues will be discussed such as tourism development, ports, tourism operations and security for tourists, among other issues related to the cruise industry.
The arrival of 1.2 million cruise passengers is expected to Roatan between November and March 2017, and daily per capita expenditure made during their stay is estimated at $80.
Authorities at the Honduran Institute of Tourism anticipate that the figures for the 2016-2017 season will exceed those achieved in the previous season, which was rated as "satisfactory".
The Honduran Tourism Institute is inviting bids for the creation of a strategy to promote tourism in the country, geared towards the domestic and international market.
Honduras Government Purchase National Public Competition No.IHT-001-2016:
The proposal has to improve the Honduras' position as a tourist destination in order to encourage an influx of tourists generating foreign exchange and improving the distribution of income in the communities that are visited and, through effective strategic communication and with the objective of carrying out creative and innovative promotion, enable existing markets to be penetrated and new markets to be captured, improving the country's image, recruitment and familiarization of this destination internationally.
It has been announced that next season the spanish company Pullmantur cruises will include the island in its list of destinations in the Caribbean.
Reports state that the new line will make 18 visits this season, positioning Roatan in the list of Pullmantur's Caribbean destinations with vessels capable of carrying 2,000 passengers and 800 crew.
Emilio Silvestri, director of the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT), told Laprensa.hn told "...
Reports reveal that during the 2014-2015 season which began in October and ends this month, 292 cruise ships arrived at Honduran ports, 41.7% more than in the previous season.
From a statement issued by the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT):
Tegucigalpa.- The Director of the Honduran Institute of Tourism IHT, Emilio Silvestri said today at a press conference that the cruise industry in Honduras grew by 41.7 percent in the 2014-2015 season which began in October and will end this April.
With a runway of 1400 meters suitable for domestic flights, the airfield at Río Amarillo in Copan has started operations.
From a statement issued by the Government of Honduras:
The President Juan Orlando Hernandez opened the Río Amarillo airport, 18 kilometers from the Copan ruins, which is now the second air terminal built under his administration, after the de Gracias airport in Lempira.
A bill being prepared by the government intends to extend tax breaks for investment in the sector, focusing on exemptions from the payment of income tax and import products, among other things.
All activities pertaining to the tourism production sector such as car rental businesses, hotels, cruise lines, airlines, among others, will be taken into account in the new draft law, which aims to increase the competitiveness of Honduras as a tourist destination in the region.
Spirit Airlines plans to increase the number of flights it operates from San Pedro Sula to five a week and open, in the future, a frequency between Tegucigalpa and Miami.
Up until now the airline has operated frequencies from San Pedro Sula to several cities in the United States and Canada, but is now examining, together with the Honduran government, the ability to operate in the short term, flights between Tegucigalpa and Miami.
The arrival of the charter flights with the airline Transat to the island will run until August 28, with a weekly frequency.
It is expected that the entry of Canadian tourists to Roatan in June-August 2014 season, will bring in revenue of over one million dollars, as average tourist spending in the summer is $600 per stay. The flight will operate the Toronto-Roatan-Toronto route once a week and can accommodate 189 passengers.
Representatives from the cruise lines together with the Honduran authorities are defining new flights from Río Amarillo airport in the tourist center of Copán.
Boosting the domestic tourism sector through the Roatan / Copan / Gracias triangulation, which will be possible with the opening of the Celaque airfield in Gracias, Lempira and the Rio Amarillo Airfield in Copan, is the aim of sector authorities who will meet from 28 to 30 May with executives of the Federation of Rail Florida and the Caribbean (FCCA) in order to establish this route as a new option for cruise passengers arriving in Roatan.
The cruise line Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Corporation are reviewing security measures implemented on the island with the government.
Reinforcing the image of the destination and defining a new security strategy for the Island of Roatan, including the recommendations of security directors of the three largest cruise lines in the world is the goal of the meeting between these businesses and the national authorities on security and tourism.
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