The Honduras government has rescinded its requirement for Caymanians and British nationals living in the Cayman Islands to have travel visas to enter its country.
The decision was announced in a statement by Honduran Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Reina, who said one of the reasons behind the U-turn was that the direct flights between Cayman and Honduras have boosted tourism numbers and revenue.
Cayman Airways operates direct weekly flights, on Fridays, to and from La Ceiba in Honduras.
The airline issued a statement Thursday night, confirming the rescinding of the visa requirement, saying it had been contacted about the issue by the government of Honduras that day.
Passengers who qualify for the exemption will be required to show proof that they are domiciled in the Cayman Islands when travelling to Honduras, Cayman Airways said.
The Honduras Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the large population of Hondurans living in the Cayman Islands also “justifies eliminating the visa to strengthen integration and contribute to mutual development”.
It cited as another factor in the exemption that Honduras is a prominent destination on the Caribbean cruise circuit, which boosts the country’s economic growth.
The Honduran government’s initial decision to implement the visa requirement was in retaliation for the British government imposing a visa regime on Honduran citizens last year.
The UK introduced the requirement in July 2023 in response to an increasing number of Hondurans applying for asylum in Britain after entering the country visa-free on short trips.
Getting a Honduran travel visa would have proved difficult in the Cayman Islands, as Honduras has no embassy or consulate here, so anyone applying for such a visa would have had to obtain one from an overseas office.
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