The Value of Social Tourism in Honduras

There is a tendency in Honduras to look at "social tourists" as do-gooders who are nice to have around. Somebody's got to help the poor, and these cheerful foreigners in their colorful T-shirts are clearly good at what they do. But the fact is that these visitors contribute a substantial amount of hard currency to the country as well.

By Marco Cáceres
I have been tracking volunteer mission teams traveling to Honduras since 1998. I estimate that there are more than 1,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that sponsor these type of teams each year or every few years. These NGOs are mostly medical brigade groups, churches, universities, high schools, hospitals, clinics, civic clubs (such as Rotary), and individual missionaries. I estimate that an average of 7 to 10 mission teams enter Honduras daily aboard airline flights –- mainly from Miami, Atlanta, and Houston. Teams vary in size from 1 to 5 individuals to as many as 100. Most of the teams consist of 15-25 members. Based on these figures, I estimate that 2,500 to 3,600 teams travel to Honduras annually. This represents 50,000 to 72,000 individual volunteers (mainly from the United States and Canada) who visit Honduras each year.

The length of each mission trip varies between 7 to 14 days. The per-member cost of a 7-day trip is about US$1,200 to US$1,400; a 10-day trip, US$1,500 to US$1,600; and a 14-day trip, $2,000 to US$2,200. This means that, if you exclude the price of the airline ticket (about US$500 to $US800), volunteers who visit Honduras spend about US$700 to US$1,500 on food, lodging, ground transportation, souvenirs, fees, and tips. Essentially then, mission volunteers account for US$55 million to US$80 million in in-country revenue for Honduras. If you include the value of the airline tickets, the figure jumps to US$80 million to US$115 million.

It is extremely important to keep in mind that the above revenue figures represent only part of the total revenue that enters Honduras byway of mission teams. Most teams that visit Honduras also leave behind cash donations to help fund the projects (purchase materials and supplies) they’re working on and help pay the salaries of their Honduran partners. I estimate each team that visits Honduras donates $1,000 to $5,000 during their trip. If you factor in this money, mission teams leave behind at least an additional US$6 million to US$9 million in donations each year.

Thus, if you include in-country spending, the cost of the airline tickets, and cash donations, the dollar value of mission teams to Honduras is approximately US$85 million to US$125 million annually.

Note that it is impossible to place an accurate value on the equipment, supplies, and medicines donated by mission teams each year, but it would certainly be in the millions of dollars. It is also impossible to reliably gauge the value of the time, expertise, and talents contributed by mission teams, but it would certainly be in the tens of millions of dollars.

There is a tendency in Honduras to look at "social tourists" as do-gooders who are nice to have around. Somebody's got to help the poor, and these cheerful foreigners in their colorful T-shirts are clearly good at what they do. But the fact is that these visitors contribute a substantial amount of hard currency to the country as well. Do not take them for granted. They're worth a lot more than the average tourist. (12/21/11) (photo courtesy Students Helping Honduras)

Note: The author is the editor and cofounder of Honduras Weekly. He is also the cofounder of projecthonduras.com, an international network of volunteers involved in humanitarian development projects aimed at empowering the people of Honduras. He directs the annual Conference on Honduras in the town of Copán Ruinas in northwestern Honduras. He was born in Tegucigalpa.