Honduras Blasts Bill-Padding of Foreign Tourists

The Honduras Tourism Chamber (CANATUR) asked the National Congress to override the enforcement of the Foreign Act that mandates a $3 fee charged to all foreign travelers on the basis of immigration service monies when they leave the country.

CANATUR Chairman Ricardo Martinez pointed out the removal of such an illegal and discriminatory duty takes an overhaul of the Foreign Act Regulations published in the nation’s Official Gazette.

Mr. Martinez indicated the first complaints were uttered a couple of weeks ago by foreigners who visited the Islands of the Bay, even though similar whining has now been heard at the Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula airports.

That fee is doing nothing but hindering the inflow of foreign tourists and becoming a blatant constitutional violation, Chairman Martinez explained.

The Honduran Constitution stipulates that foreigners living temporarily or permanently in the country are entitled to the same rights the local population has. “That lays bare,” he added, “the discriminatory and illegal character of a law that affects visitors hailing from overseas.”

The $3 extra charge –called Immigration Service Fee- raises to $30 the price that every foreigner should pay before leaving Honduras.