The number of cruise passengers and cruise ships in 2016 sharply increased compare to 2015 and the increase is expected to continue in 2017 according to new cruise ship arrivals to Honduran ports.
Per official port statistics, 1,052,738 cruise passengers docked in Honduras in 2016, a 14.7 percent increase over the previous year's figure of 917,938. Approximately 85 percent of these passengers disembarked on Honduran shores to enjoy some of the country's natural beauty. Per the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT) a 3 percent increase in cruises is expected during 2017.
In total, 341 cruise ships called at Honduran ports during 2016, 6.6 percent more than the 320 ships that docked in the country in 2015. The largest of these cruise ships carried 6,882 passengers. Per-passenger average cruise spend reached US$80 in 2016.
New vessels calling at Honduran ports this season included Azamara Cruises' Azamara Quest, with a visitor capacity of 690 people, Swan Hellenic Cruises' Minerva welcoming 350 tourists per ship, and Tui Cruises' Mein Schiff 4, with a total capacity of more than 2500 passengers.
With the recent addition of these three lines, 18 different cruise ship companies now stop in Honduran ports of call, including: Carnival Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland American Line, Thomson Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Tui Cruises, MSC Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, P&O Cruises, Silver Sea, Noble Caledonia, Swan Hellenic Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Sea Cloud Cruises.
Cruise passengers wishing to visit Honduras can now choose departure locations from Miami, Tampa, Port Everglades (near Fort Lauderdale), New Orleans and Galveston (near Houston).
