SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras – The III Ibero-American Tourism Forum officially opened with a high-level meeting bringing together ministers, deputy ministers, government officials, private-sector representatives and business leaders from 23 countries, positioning Honduras at the center of the regional tourism dialogue.

The event has attracted more than 1,000 participants and nearly 100 public, private, academic and multilateral institutions, establishing itself as one of the leading platforms for tourism cooperation, integration and strategic discussion across Ibero-America.

During the opening session, Honduras' Minister of Tourism, Andrés Ehrler, emphasized the importance of sharing successful experiences among countries to promote more sustainable tourism development with a positive impact on local communities.

“Good examples should be shared so they can be replicated in other territories. In Honduras, we have achieved significant progress through regenerative tourism, particularly with the recovery of the scarlet macaw, our national bird,” Ehrler said.

The minister explained that the species now flies freely in several regions of the country, including the Sacred Valley, the Cangrejal River Basin and the mountains of Lempira, becoming a symbol of environmental conservation linked to sustainable tourism development.

“These are mechanisms for multiplying best practices. This summit represents an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and learn from successful models that can generate social progress through tourism,” he added.

Ehrler also stressed that tourism not only generates economic activity but can also have a profound social impact when developed responsibly.

“Sometimes people do not fully understand how much social progress tourism can generate when done properly, but also how much setback it can create when developed without planning. That is why these spaces for reflection and learning are so important,” he said.

The forum’s agenda brings together some of the most influential international organizations linked to tourism and economic development, including UN Tourism, the OECD, SEGIB, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and CAF, along with tourism authorities from Europe and Latin America.

Leading business organizations are also participating, including the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations, the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise, the National Business Association of Colombia, COPARMEX and Mexico’s National Tourism Business Council.

Under the theme “Technology and Development: Intelligence that Empowers Territories,” the forum will address topics such as artificial intelligence, innovation, public-private governance, sustainability, investment and regional integration over three days, with the goal of building a shared vision for the future of tourism in Ibero-America.