2 August/ 2004

A special mission from the World Bank will be visiting Honduras from August 2-6 to evaluate the progress of two key tourism projects here: the Sustainable Coastal Tourism Project and the Copan Valley Regional Development Project. Mission delegates will include: Maria Valeria Peña, World Bank Project Manager; Barbara Brakartz, and Rebeca Santos of the World Bank office in Honduras.

“This is an important visit because it Hill allow us to identify any problems and delays while at the same time demonstrating the efforts that the Ministry [of Tourism] has made to move forward with each project’s investments,” says Miriam Leiva, coordinator of both projects at the Honduran Tourism Ministry.

During the last trimester several advances have been made in both areas, says Leiva, including the implementation of the Prosperity Fund as part of the Sustainable Coastal Development Project and the development of a regional tourism strategy.

So far 31 micro-businesses have enjoyed the benefits of the Sustainable Coastal Tourism Project. Most of these businesses are joint ventures that involve an average of 10 families each, meaning that more than 300 people have benefited from the program so far. A similar Prosperity Fund will soon be set up as part of the Copan Valley Regional Development Project. Both funds provide seed capital to small companies setting up business in the tourism sector.