By RON MADER

Special to Honduras This Week

No one doubts that the Internet is redefining how travelers, travel agents and local guides and tourism providers are doing business. The only problem is that if the Internet is an Information Superhighway, we seem to have lost the road map.

Enter Michael Shapiro, Internet cartographer -- at least as far as travelers are concerned. Michael is the author of the highly recommended Internet Travel Planner as well as the Internet travel columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. To learn more about his work, see <http://www.internettravelplanner.com.>

MADER: Do you have any favorite stories that highlight the changes taking place?

SHAPIRO: One of my early lightbulb moments was back in 1995 (ages ago in Net time) when I had an agent book a ticket for me to Mexico -- when I wanted to change the date, she said all other dates were full, so I logged on to a new site called Preview Travel and found that not only was the other flight available, but that it was slightly cheaper. The lesson was that even if you don't buy online, the Net gives you a window into worlds that were previously unavailable to travelers. It offers a way to check out most of your options, so you can be more informed about ticket prices or tour possibilities, and it lets you find tour operators you may have never known existed.

MADER: Can travelers really get good airfares online? I still find it's more of a hassle than calling up a good travel agent.

SHAPIRO: Sometimes, especially for last-minute and Net-only specials. I still advise people to check all channels, including travel agents and discount ticket agencies, such as those that take out those little ads in travel sections. For complex international itineraries, it's hard to beat a good travel agent or discounter.

My friend Morris Dye has said for years that travel agents have traditionally sold two things: access and expertise. Now that the Net gives everyone access, travel agents are only worthwhile if they're experts. That could mean experts at finding discount tix or experts at helping plan the right family vacation or ecotour. And now that many agents are charging fees, it only makes sense to use them if you feel you're benefiting from their expertise.

MADER: One of my biggest complaints about the travel industry is that while hotels or agencies may have a website, they sometimes forget to answer their email. Is this common?

SHAPIRO: Right, customer service is still evolving online. It is a lot better than it was a couple of years ago but still has a long way to go. Any online operation should answer email by the end of the following business day, ideally sooner. If a company doesn't promptly get back to you, take your biz elsewhere. On the plus side, a lot of larger companies now have tollfree phone numbers on their sites, or they offer the option of initiating an online chat with a service rep.

MADER: Any other suggestions for travel agents in the Internet Age?

SHAPIRO: As I alluded to: specialize, specialize, specialize. Also, agents can use the Net to assist their clients by directing them to helpful web sites about their destination. In sum, agents are worthwhile if they can save clients a significant amount of time or money, or if they can sagely advise clients about how to best use their precious time off.

MADER: Publishers also seem a little confused as to the proper course of action. Does it make sense for publishing houses to put entire guidebooks online?

SHAPIRO: Well, Rough Guides, which does this, says yes, citing that their print business has jumped 15-20 percent a year since they began putting most of their content online. However they probably would have grown anyway -- these are fat times and people have money to travel when the economy is good, thus they buy more guidebooks. My feeling is the Net doesn't replace a good guidebook - it complements.

The best online guide applications enhance what's in the print guides, for example Lonely Planet's online "Upgrades" and Frommer's daily email newsletter of travel bargains. In sum, you can probably do fine with online guides for a weekend getaway, but if you're going to be traveling for a week or more, it's well worth spending $15-20 for a good guidebook.

MADER: Do you have any advice for travelers seeking ecotourism providers on the web?

SHAPIRO: Go to Planeta.com. All I can really say is just get out and explore -- there's a vast amount of info out there and you can find much of it by learning how to effectively use search sites. Then blaze your own trail, hopping from one good site to the next. And remember, there are people behind these sites, frequently reachable via email, who are often willing to answer questions.

Michal Shapriro, author of Internet Travel Planner, also writes for various U.S. magazines including Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Trips, and The Industry Standard. He may be contacted via email: michaelshapiro@yahoo.com

The Bay Islands Hottest Investment Deals!! 

By TED PARKS

Special to Honduras This Week

WEST END, Roatan -- What do Hollywood and Roatan have in common?

Submarines.  In the recent blockbuster U-571, a U.S. sub goes after the secret encoding device aboard a German U-boot.  In Roatan, it's C-BUG ¾ short for Controlled By-Buoyancy Underwater Glider ¾ built and piloted by New Jersey native Karl Stanley.

And while submarine movies stretch back at least as far as Clark Gable, C-BUG is a new craft, completed three years ago.  It is the passion of its builder, still only in his 20s.  Stanley started the project when he was 15, then did the first test dives while still a student at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

A recent ride in the two-person C-BUG showed off the skills of pilot Stanley and gave a glimpse of the underwater neighborhoods for his eyes ¾ and one passenger's ¾ only.

One of the small outboard boats that shuttle swimmers and snorkelers around Roatan's West End positioned the sub near an undersea cliff that drops from the island's coral reef to the Caribbean floor.  The wall to the ocean's bottom off West End, Stanley explained, first descends to a sort of plateau.  It then "drops from 300 to 2,000 feet straight down," he said.

MARINE WONDERS

After a steep initial descent, Stanley guided the sub to the ocean wall.  He then moved the craft horizontally in search of a canyon cut into the cliff's limestone surface.  To the electric whir circulating the air inside through carbon dioxide scrubbers, Stanley maneuvered the sub vertically down the canyon, pausing to snap photos through the C-BUG's 2 ½-inch Plexiglas portholes.

Unique sights that silently grace Roatan's depths dotted the trip down.  An example, the glow of bioluminescent coral generating its own orange-red color in an otherwise all-blue world.  Despite the sunlight filtering down, Stanley explained the ocean's depths squeeze out all hues of red from above.  A confirmation, the sub's ironic "No Fear" decal.  Red above water, the decal's color vanished below.

Stanley's bright-yellow craft measures 12 by five-and-a-half feet and displaces about 2,500 pounds.  Its steel hull and Plexiglas portholes enable the pilot and passenger to experience depths unknown to divers.  While he has taken the C-BUG as deep as 725 feet, Stanley said, he usually stops at 525 feet.

The C-BUG's berth at Half Moon Bay on Roatan's West End is ideal, Stanley explained, because of its proximity to deep water.  The sub's twin one-third horsepower electric motors are mainly for maneuvering the vessel underwater rather than pushing it long distances on or beneath the surface.  The main propulsion is underwater gliding, aided by the series of flat ballast tanks flanking the cylindrical hull.

DESTRUCTIVE ACTIVITIES

Stanley's multiple trips up and down the island wall reveal more than deep-sea secrets ordinarily locked away from human eyes.  Sadly, his observations also warn of the damaging impact of human activity above the surface.

Stanley has seen debris from island development resting on the sloping portions of the underwater wall.  "I've seen definitely ... evidence of things being killed off by excess sediment," he said, "even at 400, five and 600 feet."  He finds "life flourishes underneath overhangs" but believes its challenged on the slopes by the choking effect of dirt from above.

"Anywhere people are clearing the land at all," Stanley added, "it's making sediment."

J. L. "Doc" Radawski, a Roatan resident since 1970, confirms the reef's suffering.  "Sedimentation and pollution are the main culprits," Radawski said, "coupled with the lack of any type of coherent coastal zone management."

A chemical engineer, Radawski has worked on environmental studies sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through various agencies, including the Bay Islands Conservation Association (BICA).

"The damage that's affecting our reef is all ... pretty much land based," agrees Jennifer Keck, education and research coordinator at the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences (RIMS) at Anthony's Key Resort.  "The reef is not imperiled right now," Keck added, hopeful officials are beginning to realize the threat.

 SECOND CLASS REEF

Radawski seemed less optimistic.  "The reef has gone from 'world class to second class' in less than 10 years," he said.

Tyll Sass, owner of Tyll's Dive on West End, believes something has to be done to check the damage.  "You can't just study a disaster, you have to try to change a disaster."

But the warning signs don't overpower the wonder of Stanley's sub.  Radawski has been one of the C-BUG's passengers.  "What is different is the deep water species not visible to scuba divers and the underwater topography," Radawski said.  "I thoroughly enjoyed it."

While Radawski said 90 to 95 percent of Roatan's aquatic life can be seen diving between the surface and 35 feet, he confirmed the C-BUG's advantages for research below 80 feet because of depth and time constraints on divers.

"I'm fascinated by what he's finding," said RIMS' Keck about Stanley.  "There's very little deep-sea exploration," she added.

The C-BUG, imagined, designed, maintained, and operated by Stanley, contrasts other commercial submarine ventures.

Atlantis Submarines International, for example, claims "a fleet" of subs "larger than that of many national navies."  The company's website says its submarines operate in Grand Cayman, Barbados, St. Thomas, Aruba, Guam, Cozumel, and Hawaii.  The Waikiki Beach vessel seats 64 passengers and measures more than 100 feet, according to the website.

DIVE OPTIONS

From his base at Half Moon Bay Cabins, Stanley offers his individual passengers two daytime dive options and a night ride.  Prices start at US$125 for a 45-minute trip 400 feet down.

Now a veteran of more than 350 dives in the C-BUG, Stanley traces his interest in submarines back to childhood.  "I read a book when I was nine," he said.  He looked at more than 20 subs in the process of creating the C-BUG.  The vessel is uniquely Stanley's, and now, Roatan's.

The C-BUG's builder is unsure about the future of his sub and his career.  He mentioned underwater mapping and research.  And treasures lurk in the waters off Roatan's Port Royal, he said, a place with stories of pirates and sunken ships.

"I've come down a road that's got ... limitless possibilities," Stanley believes.  "If you can't scuba dive past a 150 feet, and the ocean's so deep," he said, "all that's unexplored."  Stanley added, "I'm showing people things that there's no other way in the world for them to see."

The Bay Islands Hottest Investment Deals!! 

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

Well, it's that time of the year again.  The rains have returned, turning the hills around Copan a verdant green.  The months of May and June are also low season, the two dozen hotels in the village have plenty of rooms and often a generous discount can be had just for the asking.  At the archaeological site, you may have the good fortune to have the entire site to yourself,  especially if you arrive shortly after its 8 a.m. opening time.  The spring rains make the site especially lush this time of the year.

This spring there are a number of new things to report on in Copan Ruinas.  Hacienda San Lucas, located in the hills high above the Copan River Valley, is now open.  Dona Flavia, who hails from Kentucky, offers two rustic yet comfortable guest rooms with solar-powered private hot water bath and typical Honduran country cooking.  There are hiking trails to stroll along, the Los Sapos archaeological site is on the property, as well as magnificent views of the Copan River Valley and the archaeological park below.  Access to San Lucas is via horseback, car or walking.  For information, contact <sanlucas@honduras.com>.

Also this spring, Copan Ruinas will see its first live butterfly exhibition house open its doors.  The Enchanted Wings Butterfly Farm will offer tourists the opportunity to see up close and personal an amazing variety of butterflies indigenous to the area.  The butterflies are housed in an open air enclosure under special netting, landscaped with lush tropical gardens and a stone lined stream.  It's a great place to spend some time, relax and soak up nature.  Admission will be $5 and includes a guided tour.

Restaurant Vamos a Ver, justly famous for its oversized fresh baked bread, Dutch cheeses, huge sandwiches, great salads and friendly service, has new owners.  Gerard and Diny from Holland continue the tradition that has made Vamos "the place to munch" in Copan for those needing a hit of Euro home cookin'.  Stop in and say "hi!" next time you're in town.

Visitors to the ruins of Copan can now get down and dirty after the opening of two archaeological tunnels to the public.  The Rosalila Tunnel gives visitors a taste of the spectacular temple Rosalila, the only fully intact structure ever to be found at Copan.  The Jaguar Tunnel, which is my personal favorite, winds on and on past ancient structures ‑- it's dark, cool, mysterious and definitely not for the claustrophobic.  Note: If you have kids that are Indiana Jones fans they will love it!

 *   *   *

 Spring time in Tela means fun anyway you cut it.  Day trips to Punta Sal and Punto Izopo National Parks are the most popular way to spend a fantastic two-day Caribbean getaway.  The beaches are pristine, the water clear and the fresh fried fish beachside lunch is "to die for."  For information on ecotourism in and around Tela, log onto to <http://www.honduras.com>.

New in Tela for Spring 2000 is the opening of Mango Cafe.  The Mango's got everything the gringo trail weary traveller could possibly ask for, all rolled up into one: an Internet cafe, museum of Garifuna culture, restaurant, music bar, Spanish School, as well as being the departure point for Garifuna Tours ecotourism day trips to the national marine parks.  Rumor has it that Italian owner Alessandro D'Agostini has brought over some of his mother's secret recipes that are now offered up at the restaurant.  Lasagna, fettucini, spaghetti and tortellini are enough to make this writer long for a bottle of red wine and a plate of steaming pasta by the sea.....yummm!  For the seafarers amongst us, there is fillet of fish in white wine, for the carnivore what better than a huge hunk of grilled beef and sausage cooked up Honduran country style, and for those seeking something truly exotic there ain't nothing better than a steaming bowl of tapado -‑ a traditional Garifuna soup that is reported by locals to have strangely wonderful aphrodisiac like properties!  Enjoy, and tell 'em that Copan Update sent ya'.  For info on Mango Cafe, contact <mango@honduras.com>.

 *   *   *

 Come springtime Roatan rocks!  No winter crowds taking up precious white sand beach space, no cruise ship day tourists in their Bermuda shorts and Tommy Hilfinger polos livin' the vida loca.  Just plenty of great diving, great eating and great beaches, all to yourself.  One of the most primo beaches to drop your bags and check out the reef is West Bay Beach, which has the rep as the whitest, most awesome beach on Roatan.  There are plenty of great places to stay, all small in size but big on personal service and island hospitality.  Fredy out of Bananarama runs a first-class dive operation.  Divers like his German attention to detail and safety, and he's a heck of a nice chap as well.

For the hungry, West Bay offers what just may be the best restaurant on the Bay Islands.  Bite On The Beach, located next door to the Las Rocas Resort, is as close to nirvana as one can get without taking up meditation.  Chef Diane's seafood dishes are justly famous around these parts for being fresh, well prepared and mighty tasty.  Her blackened tuna steaks and lobster dishes alone  are reason enough to make the trip to West Bay.  Behind the seaside bar is Gene, Diane's better half who is rumored to work magic with his trusty blender, ice, rum and tropical fruits.  For a really special treat, ask him to mix you up a Copan Cocktail (using his newly acquired Copan hand-powered blender).

The Bay Islands Hottest Investment Deals!! 

TOURISM PERSPECTIVE

By ERLING DUUS CHRISTENSEN

Inasmuch as the Ministry of Tourism has often been the subject of criticism in HTW, it was particularly interesting to interview the new minister -- four months on the job, Anna Abarca.

Tapped for the position by President Carlos Flores from her position as assistant director for the Honduras Enterprise Company, Flores simply admonished her that Honduras was not fulfilling its tourism potential, and that with her background in the private sector she should be well positioned to achieve a better collaboration between the government and the tourist industry. In appointing Abarca, the president adds to his already impressive record of appointing capable and qualified women to high positions.

Abarca has spent her first months getting around, listening to people, sharing observations, and attempting to get a grasp on the challenges that face her. She is completely clear about the fact that there is much that needs to be done, and that her task will not be easy. The minister does seem well qualified, and while she displays self-confidence, she also has an unusual openness and a capacity to listen.

Abarca agreed that expensive air-fares to Honduras are a major problem. She said that the government is in the process of contracting with a U.S. company for the management of its airports, which, she believes, will result in greater efficiency

and a consequent lowering of fares. I expressed skepticism about this, and suggested that the only solution was more aggressive bargaining with airlines, and the luring of new carriers with sweetheart deals. She seemed intrigued, if a little surprised by such an approach.

The minister is working on improving Internet access for Honduran tourist operators, and to generally improve accessibility. Beyond that, she talked about the need to have more tourist operators.

We agreed that Tegucigalpa and its environs, for example, are failing dramatically to take advantage of touristic possibilities, with day trips and the like. One problem is that getting bank loans to start a business is not encouraging, because of the high interest rates. Surely the government could work to create low interest loans for individuals interested in environmentally credible tourist operations.

Consistently, the minister emphasized the point that tourism has the potential to be environmentally destructive and that projects need to be environmentally sustainable. This motivated me to mention the sacking of Utila by the Ministry of Public Works (SOPTRAVI) in the name of improving the airport. She very plainly agreed with my perspective, and promised to write to President Flores about this issue.

The tourism ministry in Honduras is not very large or powerful. It is poorly funded. Many of the improvements needed involve services and infrastructure, and these are under the aegis of SOPTRAVI, a difficult agency to work with at best.

While the government of Honduras certainly would like more tourist revenue, it has never been a priority, and the tourism ministry is in no position to implement a grand strategy. Nevertheless, there are things that can be done, and Abarca is a woman who wants to get them done.

To do that, however, she will have to empower herself. That is, she will have to make a commitment to the notion that a shrewd, charming, articulate, and forceful women can accomplish great things, despite the limitations of her office...with a little help from her friends.

The Bay Islands Hottest Investment Deals!! 

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

Attention to those of you out there who run a hotel, resort, bed and breakfast, restaurant, bar, tour operator, transport operator: if there are still any doubters out there as to the value of the Internet in regard to helping to promote and market not only your property but also Honduras as well as your destination, doubt no longer. According to The Pew Center, each day 55 million persons in the U.S. connect to the Internet, 52 percent of those in order to send and read e-mail messages. In addition, the study pointed out that in the past five months, 9 million women have connected for the first time to the Internet.

So let's get with it, guys (I'm referring to the tourism private sector here), empty out that bucket where you've been tossing all those worthless and useless 5, 10, and 50 centavo coins all these years and make a down payment on a computer, get an e-mail address, get a server (there are a number of good ones in La Ceiba, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa), set up an attractive yet simple web site for your property or service provider, get together with like-minded techno geeks in your neck of the rain forest, and whip up a nifty little web site for your destination.

Tela, for example, is one of the pioneers in Honduras at posting an attractive, well done destination web site. Now, all that's the easy part, now comes the hard part -- maintaining one's net presence is the "key" to net marketing and promotion. It's all fine and macanudo to have a brand-spanking-new computer with all the cool latest bells and whistles and an attractive web site with links up the kazoo, but it's another to provide the 24/7 customer service and attention that American consumers have come to not only expect but demand from on-line businesses. Many Internet connected tourism sector businesses in these parts simply don't respond to e-mails sent by potential clients. Why? Who knows? If they do respond it will be when they feel like it.

The concept of 24/7 (for those expats out there who have been away from the States for too long, 24/7 refers to offering answers to potential clients questions 24 hours per day / 7 days per week. Now, obviously I don't expect many (or for that matter any) of my tourism colleagues out there to be checking and responding to e-mails at 3 a.m. -- I for one have better things to do like sleep, for example, but the point is that a quick check of one's inbox should be as automatic as rolling out of bed in the morning and immediately sipping a steaming cup of cafe con leche.

* * *

In other Honduras related high-tech news, we have the not so good news from Celtel, the one and only cellular operator in Honduras, reporting that it has only 90,000 subscribers. Currently the cell network covers the following areas of the country: Valle, Choluteca, La Paz, Danli, Yojoa, La Ceiba, Tela, Roatan, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, which according to Celtel execs comprises 70 percent of the economically active population in the country. The penetration of cellular communications in Honduras with a population of 6 million is less than 1 percent.

Compared to neighboring countries, this is a very poor showing. In El Salvador, for example, cellular has achieved a penetration of 5 percent. Guatemala, in particular, has seen explosive growth in cellular communications. Cell phone use has gone from a paltry 293 to a whopping 430,000 subscribers. It is estimated that this figure will reach 600,000 by next year. The key here is that there are currently three cell phone companies in the Guatemalan market; Comcel, Telefonica and Telgua. Competition means lower prices to the consumer, providing the spark that makes the cell phone a viable option to an ever expanding cross section of Guatemalans.

Honduras would be well advised to heed the lesson here to open up the wireless telecom sector to additional players -- more competition will lead to lower prices to the consumer and more consumers will purchase cell phone service. The fact that in the year 2000 only 90,000 privileged Hondurans are able to purchase cell phone service is another in a long list of factors that help to hold back the Honduran economy from realizing its potential for expansion.

* * *

In my May 6 Copan Update, I quoted U.N. Development Programme statistics that 14,000 Hondurans leave the country each year to reside elsewhere. Today I came across the interesting stat that during the last two years, Mexican authorities detained and deported 78,957 Hondurans, the vast majority of whom were on their way to El Norte, the United States. Note: these are just the one's who were caught...imagine how many got through!

Howard Rosenzweig, a U.S. expatriate living in the Village of Copan Ruinas, is the owner of the Casa de Cafe Bed and Breakfast. He can be contacted at e-mail <casadecafe@mayanet.hn>.