By MICHAEL COLEMAN

COPAN RUINAS -- The town of Copan Ruinas wants some help with the tab. The local council is in the process of asking the government for 50 percent of all money garnered from entrance fees into the nearby Mayan archaeological park to help pay for the costs of keeping the town "tourist-ready."

"We are definitely not satisfied with the economic aid we are receiving from the government," says city councilman Filodelfo Acosta. According to Acosta the national government is not giving enough support to this town about a kilometer away from Honduras' most popular tourist attraction. Yet, the town supplies all the necessary services for tourists coming in.

He says the municipality is currently receiving about Lps. 500,000 per year and that isn't enough to cover road maintenance and repair, education costs, water supply, sewage, keeping the city clean -- definitely not unusual problems in Honduras, but Copan Ruinas is not a usual town.

Acosta claims that because his town is a tourist center, there are more and higher expectations to keep the city clean and functioning efficiently. As a result, many regular residents are suffering.

"In the center of town it's okay," he says. "But walk five or six blocks up and you'll see that things are not in good shape." The roads turn from quaint cobble-stone to dirt and the surrounding environment changes along with them. The impact of tourism has also affected locals because everything here is much more expensive than in other cities of similar size. The only public school in town was begun about two years ago but hasn't been finished yet. The 500 students there are still without electricity, light and some walls.

Acosta estimates that the archaeological park takes in about Lps. 12 million - Lps. 15 million every year -- none of which, he says, comes directly to the city.

Oscar Cruz is in charge of the western region of Honduras for the Honduran Institute of Anthropology and History (IHAH) and works in offices at the park. Cruz says the park makes far less money, about Lps. 5 million for ticket sales last year and about Lps. 8 million total. The park is not about to give up 50 percent so easily.

"If we gave 50 percent to the local government," says Cruz, "then the government needs to give us that money lost to make up the difference." Also, the town indirectly benefits from a brisk business at the archaeological park, he says. The hotels, the restaurants are all indirectly funded by the Ruins.

Cruz is also encouraging the town to look at different government ministries for the funding. Meanwhile, Cruz may have to deal with another 25 percent demand from the local Maya-Chorti group in the future.

In the end, Acosta says the municipality is not simply looking for a hand-out, just some help to maintain the standards they are expected to keep and pay for. He says they are looking at other options to become more self-sufficient as well, such as improving the road and promoting the nearby hot springs and exploring other options which would keep people in town longer. A Lps. 1.5 million renovation of the central park is hoped to be finished by the new year.

By MARIA FIALLOS

TEGUCIGALPA -- International experts from the private and public tourist sector will participate in the II National Tourist Congress to be held in San Pedro Sula next month to define the structure of the Honduran tourism industry.

According to Tourism Minister Norman Garcia, "the Congress will allow us to evaluate the development of the tourism industry to date and, with the help of international experts, learn from the experience of other countries with similar tourist activities to establish a vision of what we want to achieve in the future."

Program objectives for the Congress are:

• stimulate competitiveness in the Honduran tourism sector;
• evaluate current projects and actions defined during the first congress and;
• define a vision for the future of the Honduran tourist industry.

According to the Honduran Tourism Institute (IHT), during 1999, 340,000 tourists will have entered Honduras by air and land and another 100,000 visited via cruise ship. Each tourist spends on the average $90 a day for an approximate total of $200 million, placing this industry third in foreign currency generation, as well as providing 21,000 direct and more than 36,000 indirect jobs.

However, despite these figures, Honduras falls behind all other Central American countries in the number of tourists received and income generated by this sector.

Garcia also stated that by not ratifying reforms made to Constitutional Article 107 (that would allow foreigners to buy coastal lands), Honduras is projecting an image of unfriendliness toward foreign investment. He also believes that indigenous groups have no right to hold up this process, since this constitutional article first appeared in 1957 due to border disputes between Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua and has nothing to do with indigenous rights.

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

This year, Honduras will export US$105 million worth of shrimp to the U.S. market, which weighs in at some 12,000 tons of those slimy, yummy crustaceans. In spite of storm damage last year, the nation's 39 cultivated shrimp producers sold $111 million worth. The cultivated shrimp industry is centered in the Gulf of Fonseca on Honduras' south coast, where 113,600 hectares are devoted to shrimp production. The industry provides some 10,000-plus jobs. Compare these numbers to the tourism sector, which consistently earns some $150 million per year for the country -- a poor showing to be sure, especially when Honduras' potential to increase tourism revenues are taken into account.

Television Espanola will film a series on Central American tourism to be titled: "Central America - A Nearby Paradise." Filming was scheduled to initiate Oct. 20 in Honduras and Guatemala and will wind up in December in El Salvador. The series will air in Spain during the first part of 2000.

One step forward and two steps back. It often seems like (at least in terms of tourism) the more things change -- the more they stay the same, and instead of moving forward we often regress or tread water. Let's look at some recent developments. The Mayan Sculpture Museum in Copan, the number one Maya museum in the Mundo Maya, is closed indefinitely due to structural failure unrelated to any storm damage. The corte at the ruins of Copan is beginning to fall down. The corte or cut is the huge section of ruins that was exposed centuries ago by the Copan River. According to press reports, the 4 percent tourism tax that the government collects and which is supposed to go for international promotion is not being turned over to the Ministry of Tourism. The long awaited National Tourism Police has never materialized. The tourism private sector seems to be frozen in a state of suspended animation (which is a very difficult thing to achieve in a hot, tropical country like ours)! The vast majority of tourism sector businesses are small, family-run operations whose owners know or care little about the in's and out's of promoting a travel destination or product on an international scale. Here in Copan Ruinas, for example, tourism entrepreneurs know that barring any further cataclysmic disasters, Copan will attract its accustomed 100,000 yearly visitors -- without much effort at promotion and marketing. It's that simple. And simply, this lethargic attitude is what is holding back tourism in Honduras from taking its rightful place as a major source of foreign currency for the nation. If we don't watch out, in another year or two Honduras will be better known for its yummy shrimp in garlic sauce than its white sand beaches and coral reef. As we say in Honduras, que barbaridad!...incredible!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that there are currently two Latin American nations whose citizens do not require a visa to enter the United States for tourism or health reasons. And the winners are Argentina and Uruguay. Congrats guys!

Trujillo tourism open for the winter season

By WENDY GRIFFIN

Trujillo on Honduras' North Coast felt the force of Hurricane Mitch during three days in October 1998. People gathered in the strongest houses. "First the wind whistled, then it thumped against the walls. The whole building, especially the wooden parts shook, as Mitch tried to blow the entire roof off," said one resident.

The community has for the most part rebuilt after the hurricane. The principal hotels -- Colonial, Emperador, Mar de Plata, O'Glynn, Villa Brinkley, Trujillo Bay, Christopher Columbus, Hospedaje Lilian, and Coco Pando are all open. Electricity, water, telephones, and fax lines are working as well as before the storm.

Hurricane Mitch trashed the Aguan Valley; however, buses are now running normally along the San Pedro-La Ceiba-Saba-Tocoa-Trujillo routes. Some bridges are still provisional, and especially spectacular is what is left of the old bridge over the Aguan at Saba. The river undermined supports, leaving part of the bridge in pieces while the rest is just gone. Transportes Olancho is also functioning on the Tegucigalpa-Trujillo route, through Juticalpa and San Esteban.

The first corn and bean harvest after Mitch is partially in, although thousands of acres in Olancho were lost to drought. On the wholesale level, beans are at Lps. 3 and Lps. 4, while retail prices are climbing Lps. 5 with the rains. Plantains have returned for sale. Immediately after Mitch, plantains reached Lps. 5, but now are Lps. 1 a piece, so tajadas (chips) are available. Bananas cost twice as much as last year (Lps. 4 a pound vs. Lps. 2), but at least they are available.

So hotels and restaurants have adequate food, although prices have gone up, such as Lps. 9 -Lps. 10 a Coca-Cola where they were Lps. 7 last year.

With respect to restaurants, Rogues has rebuilt its champa and is again offering a full range of seafoods and cold drinks. With the drop in tourism, Garifuna Food at Cristales has gone back to selling mostly ice cream. If tourists want Garifuna-style fish, they can get it at the new Cristales Cafe on the main road.

The Rufino Galan Museum has redesigned part of its exhibition space and is open for business as usual as is the colonial era fort of Santa Barbara.

In Cristales, the Garifuna neighborhood next to Trujillo, most houses have been repaired and crops have been planted. GariArte, the store which sells Garifuna handicrafts, has reopened but is now located closer to the beach. They hope to build a Garifuna Museum on the second floor of the new building, which will help replace the gap left by the closing of the Garifuna Museum in Tela.

Mitch partially destroyed Casa Azul where the Garifuna music group "Los Menudos" plays live punta dance music. Already rebuilt, the club will reopen for business during December when many people come to see Garifuna Christmas dances. "Pancho" David, the drummer there, said the police were travelling up and down the road and checking people, which should help make everyone feel safer. Foreigners in Trujillo also felt crime was down from last year, because of arrests and patrols by the police.

The Tourist Information is still open at Resturante El Patio, although e-mail service was temporarily suspended, because the computer repair man had charged thousands of lempiras of Internet use to the restaurant's account.

Travellers to Trujillo still have the option of flying there, if reports of attacks on the roads worry them. Instead of Islena, Rollins Airlines is now the airline into the Trujillo airport from La Ceiba. If travellers want to continue on to other Garifuna villages, buses are running to Santa Fe, Limon and Sangrelaya. It is possible to reach Santa Rosa, but much rebuilding remains to be done, so this is no longer a recommended overnight trip.

Mitch's high winds stripped the leaves from the trees at Capira and Calentura Park. Guaymoreto Lagoon flooded with water from Rio Chapagua. This damage has been repaired, indeed a new aquatic path and dock have been finished at the Lagoon, says Freddy Matute Wood, president Capiro and Calentura National Park and Guaymoreto Lagoon Foundation (FUCAGUA).

At Puerto Castilla, the hurricane left 15-foot dunes, plus a lot of drift wood. FUCAGUA's project to have groups help clear the beaches for nesting turtles has had positive effects, with four species of turtle coming there to nest during different times of the year. They are seeking protected area status for these beaches. Some concern has been raised about the proposed construction of the "City at Sea" ship so near the turtle nesting beaches, as turtles will not nest in the presence of light.

Herons, egrets, pelicans, terns, kingfishers and other aquatic birds spend the winter in Trujillo. If this sounds like a good idea to you, too, Trujillo businesses are still open, including the tour operator there, Turtle Tours.

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

Extra! Extra! Love Boat to come to Honduras!? According to published news reports, government authorities have agreed in principal to permit the construction of the largest cruise ship in the world in Honduras. Reports maintain that the barcazo or 'big ship' as it is known in Honduras will contain 20,000 residential condominiums, commercial centers, hotels, restaurants, casinos among other amenities, and is slated to be constructed in Puerto Castilla in Trujillo Bay. According to investors, Trujillo Bay was chosen as the best site to construct the ship because it is a deep, protected port. The ship is projected to cost $8.5 billion. What is one to make of this? Well, I'll tell ya' if history is any indicator, in a few months from now we will find this project along with a heap of other mega-tourism projects (for example Tela Bay) in the recycling bin of hyped-up-mega-projects that were destined to failure from the start, simply because they were too big, too ambitious and too darn expensive.

Will Honduras get its share of the pastel? According to The Wall Street Journal, tourism in Latin America will experience an annual increase along the lines of 4.8 percent between 1995 and 2020.

All aboard! The idea of a Trans Central America railway from Guatemala to Panama is being shopped around. A feasibility study will be undertaken by the Instituto Centroamericano de Administracion de Empresas, INCAE. The $6 million study will be financed by the government of Taiwan. But don't run out yet to reserve your 1st class tickets. The project, according to Costa Rican Vice President Astrid Fischel, will carry a price tag of $1 billion! The railway will have a length of 5,600 km of which 2,000 correspond to linking Panama and Guatemala, and the rest to linking the regions ports and airports. Sounds a bit ambitious to me,. but if Taiwan is willing to foot the bill for the study and private enterprise builds the railway with private sector funds, then why not -- it'll sure beat those 3rd class chicken buses we all know and love!

"Where have all the tourists gone, long time passing, where have all the tourists gone, long time ago..." Tourism in Honduras has hit its annual low season. Visitors to Copan Ruinas during the month of October, for example, are about as visible as a troop of penguins in La Mosquitia! Good news for tourists because hotel prices are discounted and great bargains can be achieved with a bit of negotiation. Also, the archaeological park, beaches, dive schools and restaurants are uncrowded. October is traditionally a quiet month, but not this quiet. Why? Well one factor may be CNN who I like to call the Central Nasty Network for their continued lack of support for Honduran Tourism. Every time it starts to drizzle and a puddle forms, there is good old CNN reporting the play by play of the "gloom, doom and destruction" that does wonders for turning off potential tourists. The recent flooding at the end of September is a case in point. Serious flooding took place near El Progreso, Yoro and parts of Tegucigalpa, it got airtime on CNN, and potential tourists surely thought twice about visiting Honduras even though the flooding did not affect any tourism infrastructure at all. The result? Fewer tourist visits and no follow-up stories by CNN. Ya' just can't win!

Flores and Arzu shake hands with tourists during their tour of the Copan Archaeological Park.

By BLANCA MORENO

The presidents of Honduras and Guatemala, Carlos Roberto Flores and Alvaro Arzu, met Thursday (Oct. 13) to exchange impressions about the future of regional tourism and in particular the Maya Route.

In both Honduras and Guatemala remains of the Maya culture are found, constituting an immense tourist attraction with enormous potential. Honduras has Copan and Guatemala, Tikal and other ruins. The two leaders believe that if there is better communication between their respective countries, both could maximize this potential.

President Flores stated that one of the topics they discussed was how they would jointly promote the Maya world in Europe.

Despite the fact that a joint statement was not signed, both presidents agreed to develop tourism in the border region.

Flores and Arzu, whose term of office ends in two months, met at the "Los Tablones" airport in Chiquimula, Guatemala, about 30 kilometers from Copan Ruinas and then they toured the area.

During the trip, they also spoke about issues related to the regional customs unification project and the need to develop joint projects.

Flores said that if necessary, a special unit made up of Honduran and Guatemalan patrols would be formed in tight cooperation.

All Inclusive, 3 days, 2-nights adventure. Journey from the 
Honduras Maya Hotel in Tegucigalpa to the city of Danli, the heart of Honduran Cigar production. 

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

COPAN RUINAS -- Tourism is back in Honduras! Knocked down -- but not out -- by last year's Hurricane Mitch, Honduran tourism is fully open. All major tourist sites are now ready and open for business! Tourist visits have been rising steadily over the past 10 months to the point where it can now confidently be said that Honduran tourism is just about back to normal.

For prospective travelers who are now making their winter 2000 plans, here is a comprehensive guide to Honduran tourism as we approach the one year anniversary of the hurricane of the century.

Copan Ruinas is Honduras' number one tourist draw. Over 100,000 tourists visit the archeological sites, museums, go horseback riding, soak in the hot springs, enjoy Honduran cuisine in the quaint colonial-inspired village.

The village and archeological sites as well as other nearby tourists attractions were spared the brunt of the storm. The Copan River did flood, washing out primarily agricultural land. A number of homes in close proximity to the river were either flooded or washed away by the storm. The road from La Entrada to Copan Ruinas, which was newly completed prior to the storm, was hit by rising rivers and washed out hillsides. Most damage was limited to a small section near the town of Santa Rita.

Within days of the storm local construction crews established provisional detours, opening the road to traffic. At the present time, the affected portions of the road are being reconstructed. The bridge into the village of Copan Ruinas was also destroyed by the rising creek. It has since been rebuilt using the same historical arched construction. The 12 km of road from Copan Ruinas to the Guatemalan border at El Florido, untouched by the storm, is currently being paved and a beltway is being constructed that will bypass traffic around Copan Ruinas.

At the archeological site, no damage from flooding was reported. In terms of new developments at the ruins, there is good and bad news. First the bad news. The Mayan Sculpture Museum is temporarily closed due to structural problems that had nothing to do with the storm. On the plus side, two subterranean tunnels -- the Rosalila and Jaguar tunnels -- were recently opened to visitors. The tunnels provide a spectacular opportunity to view the Rosalila Temple and other Maya structures hidden for thousands of years.

In terms of other post-storm developments in Copan, a new Central Park is being constructed and estimated completion is January 2000. The old high school located on the north side of the Central Park has recently undergone a major renovation. The historic building currently houses a number of municipal offices as well as the headquarters of the new cultural group Copan Pinta, which offers art classes, art and cultural exhibitions.

In ecotourism news, a new mountain lodge is slated to open before the end of the year. Hacienda San Lucas is a 100-year-old hacienda located at the Los Sapos archeological site a few kilometers outside of Copan Ruinas. The farmhouse is currently being renovated and walking trails are being constructed.

Called by locals the "Sultan of Western Honduras," Santa Rosa de Copan is the gateway to the Honduran highlands and a major pilgrimage stop for cigar aficionados. The Flor de Copan cigar factory is well known as the purveyor of the world famous Davidoff cigar line. Tours of the ancient-looking factory are fascinating, even for non-cigar smokers.

Santa Rosa de Copan was not affected by the storm and the La Entrada-Santa Rosa de Copan road is in good shape.

Gracias is located in the heart of the Honduran highlands. Gracias maintains the air of a forgotten colonial town. Towering above Gracias in the distance is Mt. Celaque, the second largest peak in the country and home to a wonderful national park that is perfect for day or overnight hikes.

Nearby to Gracias is a invigorating hot springs as well as the Lenca Indian village of La Campa, which is famous for its simple yet elegant pottery.

Gracias suffered no damage from the storm and the road is open.

San Pedro Sula is the nation's industrial, manufacturing and commercial center. It is also Honduras' gateway for the vast majority of incoming and outgoing tourism.

Low lying areas in and around San Pedro Sula such as the low-income neighborhood of Chamelecon and the banana fields near La Lima were hard hit by rising flood waters during the storm. The banana fields have been replanted and flooded neighborhoods have cleaned up. The recently constructed international airport near La Lima was under six feet of water after the storm. Today, tourists would be hard pressed to see any signs of damage.

The passing of Hurricane Mitch did not detain San Pedro Sula's burgeoning tourism sector development. A number of new business class hotels have opened since the storm: Hotel Princess, Microtel as well as the soon to open downtown Holiday Inn. The Gran Hotel Sula is completing a major refurbishing of their facilities as well.

All roads in and out of San Pedro Sula are open as usual.

Omoa has long been known as a weekend getaway destination for hot and sweaty Sampedranos, as residents of San Pedro Sula are known. It is situated on a pleasant bay, fringed by the mountains of the Merendon mountain range.

Omoa suffered little damage from the hurricane and is open as normal. There is a new Canadian-owned seaside restaurant that has opened since the storm.

The road to Omoa is not paved, but transit is no problem.

Tela is an beach lovers delight, miles and miles of white sand beaches, pleasant laid back Garifuna villages and well-prepared seafood dishes that are as hearty as they are inexpensive. Tela is also an ecotourism gem, with Punta Sal National Park, Punto Izopo, Laguna de Los Micos and the Lancetilla Botanical Gardens.

The town of Tela is a funky, laid back ex-banana town with a wonderful mix of ethnic and racial groups. Tela fared well after the storm. There is no evidence in Tela or its environs that a hurricane hit nearby.

In tourism sector developments, a newly invigorated Tela Chamber of Tourism has ambitious plans to promote and improve tourism. And there is a newly inaugurated Canadian/Honduran mixed-use development with ambitious plans to develop the area near San Juan. Garifuna Tours, one of the strongest proponents of Tela tourism, has been a major force in getting the word out that Tela was unaffected by the hurricane.

Roads in and out of Tela are open.

La Ceiba is considered by many to be Honduras' most pleasant city -- not too big, not too small. Lots of great ecotourism possibilities are just minutes away: Pico Bonito National Park, Cuero y Salado Manatee Reserve, Cangrejal River and lots of great beach. It is also the gateway to the Bay Islands, with frequent flights and ferry service.

Although low-lying areas of La Ceiba were affected by the storm, as well as homes bordering rivers, the majority of La Ceiba fared well. The airport and newly built ferry terminal are all functioning normally.

In new developments, a new ecotourism lodge will open in early 2000 near Pico Bonito National Park. The lodge promises to be the first true eco-lodge in the country. A new enclosed shopping mall is currently going up near the main Tela-La Ceiba highway. Moreover, downtown La Ceiba has seen a bevy of commercial construction as the port consolidates its position as the commercial hub for the North Coast.

All roads in and out of La Ceiba are open.

If you are looking for ecotourism in its purest, most essential form, then La Mosquitia is your destination. It has no roads, lots of jungle, beach, pine forest, mangrove, navigable rivers, an indigenous Miskito population of some 50,000 -- all in an area the size of the entire country of El Salvador.

La Mosquitia was hard hit by the hurricane, primarily in the form of its myriad of rivers that flooded their banks, washing away homes, schools, churches and agricultural fields. Due to the fact that the Miskito Indians are subsistence farmers and the zone so isolated, and the fact that the majority of the crops were destroyed, this led to a serious emergency situation that required the airlifting and shipping in by river of thousands of tons of food and provisions for a period of some six months. Cuban medical brigades worked in the zone some 10 months, tending to the health needs of La Mosquitia residents.

In the interim, fields have been replanted, houses rebuilt and a sense of normalcy has reappeared. La Mosquitia is once again accessible for ecotourists, the main destination being the Rio Platano Biosphere which is fully open and accessible.

Simply put in the jargon of today's younger folks, "Roatan rocks." Roatan is the premier example of the Bay Islands: white sand beaches, incredible diving and close in snorkeling, great seafood, a wide range of hotels and resorts to fit any budget, excellent infrastructure and friendly islanders who go all out to ensure guests have a great time.

Through a stroke of good luck (and a bit of divine intervention no doubt), Roatan weathered the nearby hurricane in great shape. Some of the biggest damage to tourism-related infrastructure was at Anthony's Key Resort, which lost a number of cabanas to the storm. The cabanas were quickly rebuilt and the resort was up and running in short order.

On a visit to Roatan back in December, I was hard pressed to see any storm damage at all. The impression around the world that the Bay Islands were leveled to the ground was obviously exaggerated. Since the storm, docks were repaired and a number of new hotels have opened. A new Italian resort on West Bay Beach is now receiving one charter flight per week from Milan. In addition, an increasing number of cruise ships are now including Roatan as a port of call.

Also as a result of the storm, the Bay Islands Tourism Association was established to help to promote tourism in the post-Mitch period.

All transport in and out of Roatan is open.

Utila is a backpackers' Mecca. Lots of inexpensive hotels and eateries, as well as the cheapest diving and instruction in the Caribbean have made Utila the place to "chill and dive" in the western Caribbean.

As in the case of Roatan, Utila was truly blessed, the hurricane scarcely brushed Utila and damage was relatively light. Today, Utila is fully open and back on track as a "must do stop on the Central America gringo trail." The Utila airstrip is currently under bid for renovation.

Transport in and out of Utila is open and no problem at this time.

I had the pleasure of visiting Guanaja, staying at the lovely Posada del Sol Resort just a few weeks prior to the hurricane. I came away impressed with the beauty of the island and its vast potential as an ecotourism destination. The island has no roads, all transport being via boat -- perfect for that laid back getaway.

Unfortunately for Guanaja, the hurricane laid some its worst damage on the island. For approximately two days, the category 5 storm hovered over the island, unleashing winds and rains of punishing force. Most homes, church's, hotels, resorts as well as basic infrastructure were hard hit and suffered major damage.

Cleanup and reconstruction began immediately after the storm, but the job is massive. As of this writing, I believe most of the major resorts are at least partially open and receiving guests. Reports received by this writer indicate that the reef (the major tourist draw) was not damaged.

Transport in and out of Guanaja is open.

Prior to the hurricane Trujillo was a rather sleepy tourist town at the end of the road where Euro and American backpackers mixed with weekend Honduran visitors. The town has a lot of tourism potential: nearby forest and jungle, a vibrant Garifuna culture, miles and miles of great beach and laid-back Caribbean atmosphere.

Mitch hit this part of Honduras fairly hard. I have not personally visited Trujillo since the hurricane, so I cannot give you a first-hand assessment, but from reports I have received Trujillo is open for business with hotels and restaurants running.

Roads in and out of town are open as well as the air strip. One thing that is missing, though, are tourists who seem to have been scared away by dire press reports of total destruction.

Located in central Honduras just off the main San Pedro Sula-Tegucigalpa road, El Lago, as it is locally known, is open and receiving visitors. The highlight of any trip to the lake is a fried bass lunch served up with a heaping pile of fried bananas, pickled cabbage and a frosty beer.

Teguz, as the capital is popularly known, as well as the rest of southern Honduras, was one of the hardest hit areas by the tropical storm. As in many places, the problem was not so much the winds but rather the huge quantity of rain that turned normally placid creeks and streams into raging rivers that dragged away everything in their path. Tegucigalpa and the rest of the zone was hard hit by flood waters.

In terms of its effect on tourism, Tegucigalpa and southern Honduras are way off the main international tourist route. Tourism in southern Honduras is for the most part internal, Hondurans going to the beach for a weekend or a day-trip to Valle de Angeles for example.

Tegucigalpa and southern Honduras continues to rebuild the damage wrought by Mitch. The good news is that all roads are open, as well as the airport in Tegucigalpa.

In terms of new developments related to tourism, the Hotel Princess was recently opened in Tegucigalpa as well as the capital's first enclosed mall-type shopping complex.

For additional information on Honduran tourism, check out these web pages:

• http://www.hondurastips.honduras.com

• http://www.bitahn.com

• http://www2.planeta.com/mader/ecotravel
  /resources/centamdex.html

More information can also be obtained at these E-mail addresses:

• garifuna@hondutel.hn

• ron@greenbuilder.com

• ecotourism.guide@about.com

By HOWARD ROSENZWEIG

Catch the Honduras Cigar Adventure! This tour is for cigar aficionados and anyone else interested in the fabrication of classic, high-quality, hand rolled cigars. Sponsored by the Honduran Ministry of Tourism, Caribe Imported Cigars and the Hotel Honduras Maya, this all-inclusive Cigar Adventure shows you the best of Honduran cigar country.

The three-day/two-night, Friday-Sunday tour offers fine lodging at the Hotel Honduras Maya in Tegucigalpa and dining in some of Tegucigalpa's best restaurants. Tour members will visit a tobacco plantation and cigar factory in the Jamastran Valley in Danli, Honduras' main production area. Guests will receive 50 complimentary cigars, hand rolled to individual tastes. Upon return to Tegucigalpa, guests will receive a $50 matchplay coupon at the Casino Royale located next to the Honduras Maya. A fourth day has recently been added to the tour that will give visitors the opportunity to explore some of the lovely mountain villages near Tegucigalpa. Rates for the Honduran Cigar Adventure are $330 single occupancy and $230 double occupancy, plus taxes. Prices are valid for groups of 10 or more. Additional nights at the Honduras Maya can be booked at the corporate rate of $120 single and $132 double, rates include complimentary breakfast buffet. A brochure on the tour is available. For further information, contact e-mail: reserve@hondurasmaya.hn or visit their web site at <http://www.hondurasmaya.hn>, or fax (504) 220-6000.

Bad news on the privatization of Honduras' airports! According to press reports, it appears that seven international companies have pulled out of the bidding on the concession to run Honduras' four international airports. The reason is that the government privatization committee is demanding a minimum investment by the winning company of $125 million. In addition, the Honduran Civil Aeronautics Law, otherwise known as the Open Skies Law, has still not been approved by the Honduran Congress. Another potential roadblock to privatization is the debt incurred by the San Pedro Sula airport. As of yet it is not clear who will be responsible for the debt.

More bad news, this time from La Ceiba. The Cuero y Salado Wildlife Reserve is being contaminated by the African palm oil extraction factories located upriver from the reserve. The Cuero y Salado Reserve is located in the municipality of La Union, a few kilometers from La Ceiba. Cuero y Salado has recorded 198 different species of birds, which represent 28 percent of the total number of species found in Honduras. The reserve is also home to Honduras' largest remaining manatee population that live in the parks' dense mangrove swamps.

Parlez vous, one of the top three world languages? With 332 million speakers in the world, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. Chinese comes in number one with 1.1 billion speakers, while English weighs in third with 322 million.