07 / Feb / 2005  

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR HONDURAN TOURIST DESTINATIONS AT FITUR

At the 25th annual International Tourism Fair (FITUR) held recently in Madrid, Honduran Tourism Minister Thierry de Pierrefeu assumed the position of pro-tempore President of the Central American Tourism Council. FITUR is the largest trade fair of its kind and one of the top spots for travel agents, tour operators, private sector representatives and government officials from across Europe to meet, do business and share experiences.

At this year’s FITUR, Honduras’ Lenca Route was honors in the 10th Annual Contest for the Best Active Tourism Product. The contest features several categories, including adventure tours, nature travel and cultural packages. The contest was designed to encourage development and marketing in the tourism industry to create and promote better tourism products.

The award will be officially granted to Tourism Minister Thierry de Pierrefeu in June. As part of the prize, the Lenca Route will be advertised during a two and a half month period in Aire Libre magazine, which circulates in Spain and across Europe.

The Lenca Route’s victory was a timely one as it corresponds with this month’s exhibit in Madrid of Lenca pottery and other Works of art. The exhibit, which opens February 17, is called “The Land of Myths and Gods” and will be part of Madrid’s Sacred Arts Festival.

But the Lenca Route wasn’t the only winner in Central America. At Spain’s largest scuba diving trade fair, “Scuba Tour”, Pierrefeu was granted the Neptune Award honoring Central America as a world class dive destination. The Bay Islands now rank fifth among the world’s top dive sites.

Pierrefeu says this was the third time Central America has participated in an international fair as a united block and attributed the success of the union to the coordinating efforts of CATA, the Central American Tourism Promotion Agency.

FITUR participants enjoyed an additional treat from Central America: a concert by Honduran singer-songwriter Guillermo Anderson and the event’s Central American Night.