The Recent History of Roatan, Honduras:

Developing Paradise

Welcome to Roatan!

On the Honduran island of Roatán, a rapidly growing tourism industry has instigated the widespread conversion of land from forests, mangroves, and grazing land to resorts, vacation houses, and housing for people hoping to take advantage of the thriving economy. Roatán’s extensive fringing coral reefs have made the island a premier SCUBA diving destination. As a result of the reef’s attraction, Roatán has experienced a dramatic growth in the number of visitors, rising from 900 in 1969 to approximately 40,000 in 1994. Tourism has dramatically changed the island’s land use patterns. New roads, houses, resorts, and a modern airport have been built to accommodate both the increased number of tourists and the booming local population.

When you first step out of the airport on Roatan, you are greeted with a wall of signs which suggest that perhaps the island is not the remote tropical paradise that you had imagined. While some of these signs are advertisements for dive resorts such as Fantasy Island, Ben's Dive Resort, or Paya Bay, a substantial number publicize real estate agencies or development companies.

A closer look suggests the kind of development envisioned for the future of the island. The conversion of land has been fueled by speculation on land by several real estate companies. The land is being sold primarily to Europeans and North Americans buyers for the purposes of constructing retirement and/or vacation homes.

While few homes have been built, much land has been sold and construction is beginning. Following are a few examples of the more extravagant homes going in:

Development is not limited to the construction of private homes. Large resorts and condo complexes are also rapidly being built and, judging from the signs, even more are in the planning stages.

The Mayan Princess is one of many resorts now under construction in West Bay.

Development on Roatan has brought changes in the infrastructure on the island. While as recently as ten years ago if you wanted to get to the main town of Coxen Hole from one of the many smaller coastal towns, it was necessary to take a boat (usually a canoe) to the nearest location near to a dirt road and then to traverse the island. Today, a paved road runs from West End all of the way to the Oak Ridge and well groomed (though often very steep!) dirt roads provide access to nearly every town on the island. In the late 1980s, electrical power was available only to those with access to a generator, but today RICO provides services throughout the island. The links between Roatan and other parts of Honduras and the Americas have also been strengthened and it is no longer an isolated island. MV Tropical ferries approximately 100 passengers from nearby La Ceiba on the mainland to the port in Coxen Hole every day. The airport was reconstructed and the runway lengthened in 1989 to allow the arrival of jet service. At present, there are three direct flights from the United States to Roatan weekly. The cultural, social, and economic landscape of Roatan is changing. In the next page, we discuss the impact of this development on the natural landscape of the island.