A campaign launched in July to advertise Honduras as a vacation destination for Salvadoran travelers is beginning to bear its fruits as visitors from El Salvador flock to Honduras, taking advantage of their annual Fiestas Agostinas holiday.

Several weeks ago the Honduran Institute of Tourism met with representatives from the Salvadoran private sector to promote Honduras as a new option for vacationers from that country. A similar initiative launched last year brought 18,000 Salvadoran tourists to Honduras during the same period.

The campaign’s slogan - “Reserved just for you, Honduras: one small country… three wide worlds” - was broadcast on the air and printed in newspapers across El Salvador. Special ads were also strategically placed at sites such as bus stations and other busy spots.

Since the campaign was launched, hundreds of phone calls and e-mails from Salvadorans asking about tourist destinations in Honduras have been received via the Let’s Go Honduras web site (www.letsgohonduras.com) and also at the Honduran Embassy in El Salvador and the Honduran Institute of Tourism. Hotels in spots like Roatan and Copan Ruinas were 100% booked.

Last year alone more than 18,000 tourists visited Honduras during their Fiestas Agostinas holiday, most by car or bus. Of these, 9,105 entered the country at the El Amatillo border crossing, while 8,900 entered through El Poy. These numbers are expected rise in 2003 as more and more Salvadorans purchase Honduran tourism packages.

The campaign to promote Honduran tourism in El Salvador was sponsored by Sol Air Airlines and Credomatic Honduras, the country’s largest credit card company, which offers easy access to tourist packages that include hotel, air travel, car rental and other features.