Carnival poised to appoint duty-free operator at Roatan cruise terminal

Tina Milton

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Duty Free Americas and Dufry Americas are the frontrunners to secure 10,000sq ft (930sq m) of space at a new cruise terminal in Roatan in Honduras operated by Carnival Corporation

Carnival Corporation is poised to appoint a duty-free operator to run a 10,000sq ft (930sq m) outlet at its new cruise terminal in Roatan, Honduras.

Dufry Americas and Duty Free Americas were the only two companies invited to bid for the space. Dufry already operates the 10,000sq ft store at Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands and was also the exclusive duty-free retail tenant at Puerta Maya pier in the Mexican resort of Cozumel before it was destroyed by a hurricane.

The duty-free outlet will be part of a 35,000sq ft (3,252sq ft) Welcome Centre at Roatan, including retail shops and restaurants and bars, a 60ft lighthouse, a lagoon with cascading waterfalls and a nature trail.

Carnival Corporation vice-president of strategic planning Giora Israel told RavenFox.com: "The store will incorporate certain elements used in the Puerta Maya and Grand Turk stores. We are close to finalising which company will operate the 10,000sq m shop."

Carnival signed the agreement to build and operate the cruise terminal in Roatan in March. The development of the Mahogany Bay – Roatan facility is expected to start in September 2007 and will be completed by summer 2009 at a cost of $50m.

Partnering with Carnival on the project is Jerry Hynds, a local businessman and a member of the Honduran Congress. He is also the owner of Coral Cay, a resort property located adjacent to the planned port development.

The cruise facility will be situated on a 20-acre site on the Roatan waterfront and will consist of a two-berth cruise terminal able to accommodate up to 7,000 passengers a day. Within five years of operation the terminal is expected to host 225 cruiseship calls and 500,000 passengers annually.