Honduras: Easter Holy Week March 25 to April 1 /update 1

Event

Christian Holy Week will take place this year between Sunday, March 25 (Palm Sunday), and Sunday, April 1 (Easter Sunday). Honduran officials expect around 3 million tourists in total during Holy Week, with the beach town of Tela expected to receive up to 1 million. As crime rates tend to rise during holiday periods, heightened security measures are to be anticipated throughout the country. More than 500 checkpoints will be installed on the roads and 124 specialized care centers prepared to provide medical attention. The National Police will be patrolling the CA-5 highway (which traverses the country south to north from Jícaro Galán to Puerto Cortés) as well as the CA-13 highway (which runs along the north).

Increased congestion at travel hubs, demand for hotels (and higher prices), and car traffic (due to closed roads and an influx of revelers) is to be anticipated, along with business, store, and government office closures during the week.

Advice

Those present in Honduras during the Holy Week period are advised to exercise an increased level of vigilance regarding crime (e.g. carry only small amounts of cash, leave copies of passports/credit cards in a safe location, etc.) and to allow for additional time to reach their destinations.