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2/10/2010
MAHOGANY BAY CRUISE CENTER IN ROATAN CELEBRATES WITH OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY
ROATAN (February 10, 2010) - The new $62 million Mahogany Bay Cruise Center in Roatan officially opened today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the new President of Honduras, Mr. Porfirio Lobo Sosa; the President of Congress, Mr. Juan Orlando Hernandez; various former presidents of Honduras; the Mayor of Roatan, Mr. Julio Galindo; Congressman of the Bay Islands, Mr. Romeo Silvestri; the Governor of the Bay Islands, many of the Honduran Ministers and other important local authorities along with Carnival Corporation and Mahogany Bay Cruise Center executives.
Held in the facility’s expansive open air plaza, the ceremony served to kick off the 2010 cruise season which will see more than 200 ship visits and some 500,000 cruise passengers in the coming year.
More than five years in development, and two years under construction, Mahogany Bay Cruise Center is a joint project between Carnival Corporation & plc and local businessman Jerry Hynds. The facility encompasses 20 acres of waterfront property and includes a two-berth cruise terminal which can accommodate up to 8,000 passengers daily.
Ships calling at Mahogany Bay include Carnival Cruise Lines, the Yachts of Seabourn, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Costa Cruises, and P&O Cruises from Carnival Corporation & plc. Several Carnival Corporation brands call at the new facility, as well.
One of the largest projects ever undertaken in Roatan, the Mahogany Bay Cruise Center employs 75 local residents who work directly for the facility. On peak days, close to 1,000 people are employed directly or indirectly at the facility’s shops, bars and restaurants, as well as through various transportation and business services.
“This project has already begun to transform the island of Roatan,” said new elected President of Honduras Porfirio Lobo Sosa. “Mahogany Bay Cruise Center is critical to the revitalization of the island and the realization of our shared values that focus on the wellbeing and dignity of the human person. Tourism exists in our country for the people. As an investor in our country and creator of employment opportunities we expect Mahogany Cruise Center to exercise corporate responsibility to ensure that our partnership is mutually beneficial.”
He further commented, “We celebrate the Grand Opening of Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, and we feel grateful that through this center Roatan and Honduras now have the opportunity of sharing its beauty, wildlife, and unspoiled landscapes with more citizen of the world.”
Additionally, several engineering, architectural, legal and environmental firms were used during the construction phase of the project.
Unique to Mahogany Bay is a new chair lift system that takes cruise ship guests from the welcome center to beautiful Mahogany Beach, a 10-acre private island featuring an 825-foot-long white-sand beach with a beach volleyball court and myriad watersports opportunities. Eight exclusive cabanas are also available for rent.
“The Mahogany Bay Cruise Center not only serves as a gateway to one of the Caribbean’s most beautiful islands but is also a destination unto itself, with a magnificent white-sand beach and a wide range of shops, restaurants and shore excursion opportunities,” said Giora Israel, senior vice president of port and destination development for Carnival Corporation & plc.
For more information on the new Mahogany Bay Cruise Center, visit www.mahoganybaycc.com.
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