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Honduras president presides at Banana Coast groundbreaking
Date: 21 March 2011
Nearly a thousand residents from local communities joined dozens of politicians and business leaders in Trujillo, Honduras, for the groundbreaking ceremony for Banana Coast, set to become the country’s first major mainland cruise port.
President Porfirio Lobo Sosa symbolically laid the first brick to mark the start of construction on the 50,000sq ft commercial center that will include dozens of boutiques, restaurants and tour excursion offices. ‘This project has a lot of significance for the region,’ Lobo said. ‘The cruise port will be crucial for the development of Trujillo and its surrounding neighborhoods.’
The $20m project, led by Grande Trujillo Autoridad, a partnership between the Municipality of Trujillo, local landowners led by Life Vision Properties and Miami-based Global Destinations Development, is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs. Other officials attending included Santa Fe Mayor Noel Ruiz, SERNA Deputy Minister Marco Lainez, National Congress President Juan Hernandez and Trujillo Mayor Jose Lainez.
In the past year the town has been making significant capital improvements in anticipation of the cruise port construction, according to Michael Greve, president of Global Destinations Development. Building facades are being repaired, streets are being recobbled and sidewalks installed near where the cruise ships will dock.
The facilities are expected to be completed and ready to accept cruise passengers in 2012.