Doing business & staying in touch
Doing business in Honduras
It is customary to address a professional person by his or her title, particularly on first meeting or during early acquaintance. Businesspeople are generally expected to dress smartly and some dining rooms require men to wear a jacket. There are very few local interpreter or translation services available. Though many businesspeople throughout the country also speak English, correspondence should be in Spanish.
Office hours:
Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1400-1700, Sat 0800-1100.
Government offices: Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1300-1630.
Economy:
The economy of Honduras, which is one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere, relies on agriculture and timber. Light industries produce a variety of consumer goods and there is a small mining industry. The economy draws heavily on various forms of US-sponsored aid. Inflation is 7.7% (2004) and annual growth 5.5% (2006). Growth is dependent on the US economy, the continued export of non-traditional products such as melons and shrimp, and the reduction of the high crime rate.
Honduras suffers from massive unemployment and extremely uneven distribution of wealth. Export earnings have been badly hit in recent years by low world prices and slack demand within the Central American Common Market, of which Honduras is a member. To compound its difficulties further, Honduras is still feeling the consequences of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which caused an estimated US$3 billion worth of damage.
GDP:
US$9.3 billion (2006).
Main exports:
Coffee, bananas, shrimp, lobster, meat, zinc and timber.
Main imports:
Fabric, machinery, chemicals, petroleum and plastic and paper articles.
Keeping in Touch in Honduras
Mobile phone:
Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. Coverage is generally good along the coasts and around major towns.
Internet:
Internet cafes exist in major towns.
Post:
Airmail to Western Europe takes between four and seven days.
Post office hours:
Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1400-1800.
Media:
The media is restricted by punitive defamation laws, which, in certain cases, require journalists to reveal their sources. Journalists tend to exercise self-censorship in order to avoid offending the political or economic interests of the media bigwigs, and cases of journalists accepting bribes from officials who wish to influence coverage are not unknown.
Press:
• Daily newspapers are in Spanish and privately owned.
• They include El Heraldo, La Prensa, El Tiempo and La Tribuna.
• The weekly Honduras This Week is published in English.
Television:
• Televicentro operates Telesistema Hondureno, Canal 5 El Lider and Telecadena 7 y 4.
• Other networks are: CBC Canal 6, Vica TV and SOTEL Canal 11.
Radio:
• Radio America and Radio HRN are both privately-owned national stations.