travel news review

23 December '98
Thousands of teddy bears and stuffed animals have been given to homeless children in Honduras and Nicaragua. 'Operation Bear Lift' aims to restore hope to the victims of Hurricane Mitch, which killed around 11,000 Central Americans, crippled their economies and left 85,000 Honduran children under five homeless.

12 November '98
In Honduras, the bad news keeps coming. In the town of Choluma, local officials again issued an evacuation notice after four straight days of rain caused flooding, and increased the danger of mudslides in the area. Other residents in towns on the Caribbean coast are already flooded out and more may have to evacuate if the rain continues to fall.

The good news is that this year's hurricane season officially ended 30 November. Counting up the death toll and the destruction by both Georges and Mitch, this was the strongest and most dangerous hurricane season in the past 200 years. Meteorologists are predicting that 1999, with the hurricane season beginning in early June, will bring more of the same, so make your travel plans accordingly.

12 November '98
International aid and relief workers pour into Central America to help with the recovery from the devastation left by Hurricane Mitch. The two hardest hit countries are Nicaragua and Honduras and the US Department of State recommends that travellers check with local authorities regarding the status of transportation and the availability of facilities. Because of the destruction of many of the roads, towns and villages throughout the region are isolated and delivery of supplies is slow and difficult. Many areas are without adequate food, water and medical supplies and health officials are warning that a cholera epidemic is possible. In Nicaragua the northern mountain and Pacific coastal regions are completely cut off from the rest of the country.

Honduras was the hardest hit by Mitch's rampage. The three days of rain that followed Mitch caused landslides and floods that buried towns and destroyed over 100 bridges throughout the country. When the Rio Choluteca flooded, it devastated Tegucigalpa, the capital, sweeping things down river and leaving behind an ocean of mud. Transportation is extremely sporadic and unpredictable and the government has instituted a country-wide curfew, from 8 pm to 6 am, to control looting.

4 November '98
As Georges did last month in its romp through the islands of the Caribbean, Mitch trampled the Atlantic coast of Central America last week, leaving disaster in its wake. The hurricane, a class 5 at its prime, swept over Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama, causing mudslides and flooding, washing out roads and destroying bridges throughout the region. In Nicaragua last weekend, heavy rains following in the wake of the storm kicked off a mudslide at Volcan Casita that buried several villages. At current count around 10,000 people have died as a result of the hurricane, one of the strongest and nastiest this century.

21 October '98
Indians have taken over Copan Ruinas, the Mayan archeological site that is the most popular tourist attraction in the region, forcing officials to turn tourists away. The Indians, descendants of the Mayans, are demanding a fair share of the proceeds earned from tourists and plan to continue to occupy the ruins until their demands are met. Several local hotels and restaurants have temporarily closed because of the decline in business, and officials estimate that the region is losing approximately US$100,000 a day.

22 July '98
The Meso-American Caribbean Reef, the fourth largest reef system in the world and home to a broad range of marine life, is soon to receive an extra measure of protection. The governments of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico will sign a pact committing them to protecting the reef, which stretches from Yucatan Peninsula to the Bay Islands of Honduras. In the pact, the governments have all agreed to develop eco-tourism along their coasts, improve environmental controls and promote research and awareness of the reef and its marine life.

15 July '98
Rail riders rejoice - Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras are planning a railroad system that will link these three Central American countries with Mexico. With a rising interest in travel to Central America, local governments are cooperating to present the entire region as a desirable destination. The new railroad will improve transportation within and between the countries, with future plans to extend it down to Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.

8 July '98
Hondutel, the national phone company, has changed Honduras telephone numbers from six to seven digits to expand the amount of available numbers. For Tegucigalpa numbers add a 2 at the beginning, San Pedro Sula a 5 and La Ceiba and the Bay Islands a 4.

15 June '98
In Honduras, the Garifunas, descendants of West Africans and Carib Indians and with strong cultural and community ties, are opposing a proposal for tourism development along the Northeastern coast. Currently less accessible, the government wants to invite foreign investment to expand the tourism infrastructure so that Honduras can take a larger piece of the booming tourism industry in Central America. The Garifuna fear over-development will destroy their communities and way of life and the natural beauty of the . They are making a counter-proposal that would emphasis locally-owned and sustainable tourism options.

27 May '98
Utila is one of the top destinations for divers, but the large numbers of visitors the island receives are damaging the coral reefs that attract them. In response, the local residents have created a new diving site by sinking an old freighter just outside the harbor. Underwater, the freighter becomes an artificial reef that attracts local marine life and a wreck site that attracts divers.

25 March '98
Anthropologists have found ruins of a pre-Columbian city in southern Honduras. The scientists havenÆt yet worked out whether this was a Mayan city or belonged to another ethnic group, and are tight-lipped about its exact location, hoping to thwart looters. The remains of Copán, a Mayan city that dates from 1200 BC and is one of the earliest examples of civilisation in Honduras, have been drawing travellers to the country for over a century.

18 March '98
The new Tropical Butterfly Farm and Gardens near La Ceiba opened on Sunday, 15 March. The park is 50 acres (20ha) of rainforest, offering plenty of opportunities to not only learn about butterflies but also to explore and enjoy the diverse and fascinating local ecosystem. The park offers wonderful birdwatching possibilities, great jungle tours and the opportunity to simply relax in a beautiful tropical environment.