Honduras at the (FITCE) 2024
Honduras made a strategic appearance at the 9th Annual Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo (FITCE), held on October 23-24, 2024, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale | Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With a spotlight on the key sectors of manufacturing and tourism, FITCE 2024 served as a valuable platform for Honduras to showcase its rich tourism offerings and diverse economic potential to an international audience.
Notably, the expo attracted over 2,000 attendees, including high-level government representatives, international trade experts, and businesses from more than 70 countries, providing a unique space for Honduras to foster foreign direct investment and establish trade partnerships. Represented by the Honduran Institute of Tourism and other trade authorities, Honduras leveraged this event to present its exportable goods, promote its manufacturing capabilities, and strengthen its tourism appeal, especially for destinations like Roatan in the Bay Islands.
Key Conference Sessions
Honduras participated in several key conference sessions, including:
Doing Business with the World – Part I: Latin America: An international panel with government officials, consulates, trade commissioners, and binational chambers discussing export and import opportunities and how to establish business relations with their countries.
Speed Matchmaking with Country Representatives & Trade Resources: This session allowed Honduran entrepreneurs to engage in 15-minute one-on-one meetings with international country representatives, providing a quick and efficient networking platform to explore trade collaborations.
World Cultures and Tourism Impact on Eco-Sustainable Trade: This discussion highlighted how cultural exchanges and tourism can support eco-sustainable trade, offering Honduras a platform to present its tourism sector as a key economic driver with sustainable potential.
Roatan´s Presence in FITCE 2024
One of the most impactful aspects of Honduras’s participation was the island of Roatan’s presence, represented by Vice Mayor Trudy Hilton. Roatan, renowned for its vibrant Caribbean allure, used this platform to strengthen its economic and cultural ties with global partners. The FITCE expo facilitated various interactive sessions for Honduras, such as "Doing Business with the World," which allowed Honduran representatives to discuss export and import opportunities with numerous country representatives and consular officials.
For Roatan, a major Caribbean destination, FITCE presented an opportunity to gain visibility in the North American market, which is its primary tourism source. Such events pave the way for greater exposure, promising an increase in cruise and air passengers, which, as Tourism Minister Yadira Gómez highlighted, is expected to reach 1.7 million in 2024.
Strengthening Roatan’s Tourism Appeal
Participation in FITCE 2024 was strategically valuable for both Honduras and Roatan, as it not only showcased Honduras's capabilities in manufacturing and agriculture but also positioned Roatan as a leading tourist destination. Honduras’s tourism sector, with the United States as its largest contributor, has seen an 8.5% growth in arrivals from the U.S., totaling around 400,000 visitors in 2023. This growth, coupled with a projected increase in cruise passengers, is a promising indicator for Roatan’s tourism industry. The expo provided an avenue for Roatan to highlight its unique attractions to a global audience and appeal to potential investors interested in its growing tourism infrastructure. By fostering ties with Florida-based companies and multinational corporations, Roatan aims to further boost its economic and tourism sectors, creating more jobs and bolstering local businesses across areas like crafts, hospitality, and eco-tourism.
The participation in FITCE was also pivotal for educating Honduran business owners in international trade, providing insights into market dynamics, and reinforcing the nation’s presence in the North American market. As part of the expo, Honduras showcased its strong trade relationship with Miami, underscored by 78,000 tons of cargo worth over $10.5 billion in trade transactions in 2023. For Roatan, this translates to greater connectivity and resources to further its tourism goals. In alignment with Honduras’s overall trade strategy, FITCE 2024 stands as a critical step in building a resilient and economically prosperous future for Roatan, enhancing its status as a world-class Caribbean destination poised for sustainable growth.
