El turismo como palanca del desarrollo local en el Departamento de Valle (Honduras)

Resumo

The Valle Department situated on the Pacific coast of Honduras is one of the country’s 18 Departments. The Department covers 1,665 km2 and is thinly populated. It includes nine municipalities of which the capital Nacaome is located on the Gulf of Fonseca. The borders are respectively with El Salvador in the West and the Departments of La Paz, Francisco Morazán y Choluteca in the North and East. Valle’s socioeconomic and demographic characteristics are sometimes referred as the ‘deep Honduras’ because of its backwardness and of being a part of the Honduran South of the South. The traditional subsistence economy based on agriculture and fishing has not been able to retain young people in the area. Many youngsters have migrated in order to escape from poverty, inequality and food insecurity. The Department has a potential to overcome its disadvantages by strengthening the traditional economy and using the environmental resources for tourism. However, natural disasters and unsustainable economic programs are hampering projects of tourism development.