Public Services.
Roatan Public Services mature and grow year over year. What follows is a brief overview of health services, Education, economic activity, and transportation services available on the islands. Thank you for visiting us.
Roatan
Public Services.
Health Centers and Private Clinics.
Health Clinics.
There are Health Centers and private clinics in all three of the Bay Islands. Roatán has several medical centers. There is one near each Municipality, and there is the Coxen Hole Hospital. Cemesa Hospital also recently opened and is not the main provider of health services in the Bay Islands. Guanaja has two main clinics, one in Bonacca Key and another on Savannah Bight. Utila has a center in Utila Town, and there are three private clinics, also in Los Cayitos.
Diseases.
Diseases such as malaria, dengue, diarrhea and bronchopulmonary diseases can be treated on the islands. But more serious complications are treated on the mainland of Honduras, usually in La Ceiba. There is a local medical clinic that offers traditional local medicine, based on medicinal plants and home remedies.
Education & Economic Activity.
Education by Island.
Utila Island has three pre-basic educational centers and two basic educational centers. According to the Ministry of Education of Honduras, Guanaja has two educational centers and six basic education centers and a middle school. Roatan has 35 pre-primary education centers, 18 basic education centers, and two middle education centers.
Economic Activity.
Among the main economic activities in the Bay Islands is tourism, fishing, and exploitation of marine resources such as shellfish. Also engaged in livestock activities such as livestock, extractive activities of the forest such as timber, and agricultural activities mainly sugar cane, tobacco, & ginger. Below we will describe in detail the two activities of greater importance in the Bay Islands, which are the fishing and tourism, as well as its implications in the social dynamic of its inhabitants and visitors.
Transportation Services.
Airports.
The Roatan Airport (RTB) is the main airport for all the Bay Islands. Utila and Guanaja have small airports able to handle local flights, but not able to accommodate international arrivals into Roatan.
Guanaja Transportation.
Locals prefer to move about the island of Guanaja via water taxi. The rustic roads are not maintained and are used less frequently. Overland transportation is seldom used. There is no nautical transport from and to the mainland to Guanaja. Ferry boats do exist, but there don't travel to Guanaja on a set schedule.
Roatan Transportation.
Ground transportation in Roatan comes by way of taxi services and car rentals. Taxi services are provided mainly by the local Ladino (mestizo). Reputable car rentals include Toyota Rent-A-Car and Avis Rent-A-Car. There are a few low-cost alternatives, but the business transaction is less formal.
Utila Transportation.
Utila's road situation is interesting on that road intended for vehicles are used almost exclusively by pedestrians. Village streets are narrow and for pedestrian use as streets do not have the proper width to withstand vehicular traffic on top of pedestrian traffic. There are several Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV's) on Utila, and they (along with four wheelers) are the preferred method of transportation.
Land Planning.
The Bay Islands have interest groups with competing for interest. Nowhere is that more evident than on the Roatan Island. Although the relationship between economic development and conservation objectives is a controversial topic on all three islands, Roatan is perhaps the most problematic.
Planned socio-economic development is a clear priority on Roatan. It is a priority in Guanaja and Utila as well, but Roatan is the largest island with the most development and the largest number of interest groups.
Nautical Transportation.
There are also daily connections to the mainland via the Galaxy Ferry. La Ceiba is an important connection to Roatan as it is the route by which much of Roatan's goods and services are obtained. Private enterprise handles Roatan water-taxi services.
Backpacker Travelers.
Backpackers to Utila and Roatan reach the island primarily via Ferry as this form of transportation is more economical. Maritime transport to Utila is carried out mainly by private enterprise. The Utila Dream Ferry is largely the largest carrier from La Ceiba to Utila.
