Honduras has become the key location for export-driven manufacturing and logistics activities in Central America. Honduras’ extensive industrial parks, combined with its business-friendly policies and CAFTA-DR market access, make it a prime location for multinational companies pursuing nearshoring options. ZIP San José International Free Zone, along with Green Valley Industrial Park, ZIP Choloma, and Altia Business Park, distinguish themselves through top-notch infrastructure, strategic placement, and extensive support services. This analysis investigates industrial Parks in Honduras by evaluating market access, supplier logistics, labor conditions, infrastructure quality, regulatory advantages, and cost structures.
Key Industrial Parks in Honduras
Green Valley Industrial Park offers advanced facilities for textile and apparel production, along with advanced manufacturing, and is situated near Villanueva and San Pedro Sula. The park achieves worldwide compliance and sustainability standards through its internal customs office, powerful internal electrical grid, and integrated water treatment systems.
The International Free Zone in San Pedro Sula stands as one of Honduras’ oldest and top-performing industrial parks. Grupo ZIP developed an industrial park that covers 1 million square meters and accommodates global clients from the textile, electronics, and automotive component industries. This industrial park in Honduras provides access to Puerto Cortés deep-water port along with high-speed fiber optic connections and energy facilities that include backup power generation.
ZIP Choloma hosts numerous textile, consumer goods, and light manufacturing companies and stands near the northern industrial belt. The facility hosts Hanesbrands and Gildan as part of its tenant base, and achieves cluster efficiencies within apparel manufacturing.
Altia Business Park serves business process outsourcing (BPO) and call centers, along with technology companies, by combining advanced office spaces with dependable telecommunications and access to a bilingual workforce of younger people.
The country’s export-driven manufacturing industry depends on industrial parks in Honduras as they create thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities.
Access to Markets, Labor Pools, and Suppliers
The strategic location of Honduras, close to North American markets, provides significant logistics benefits. Most industrial parks exist in the northern corridor near San Pedro Sula, where they have convenient access to Puerto Cortés, which stands as Central America’s only deep-water port with U.S. Container Security Initiative certification. The location operates as a primary export route for products to the U.S., Canada and European markets.
The Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport provides air cargo services, while expanding road networks enable connections between parks and border regions with Guatemala and El Salvador. Textiles and plastics suppliers operate within a few hours’ travel distance, which facilitates just-in-time delivery services.
Industrial parks in Honduras gain an advantage because they can tap into a workforce of 4.8 million people who are of working age and possess relevant manufacturing and services skills. San Pedro Sula, along with La Ceiba and Tegucigalpa, provides strong labor markets with young workers who are trainable and can be hired at affordable rates.
Labor Availability, Costs, and Regulations
Labor Availability and Costs: Honduras maintains a steady flow of industrial workers from its youthful population. The average monthly manufacturing wage in the region spans $350 to $450 as of 2025 and varies according to worker skill level, which results in highly competitive labor costs. Standard benefits packages offer workers transportation services alongside meal subsidies and mandatory social security contributions.
Labor Laws and Union Activity: Honduran labor regulations require companies to provide an 8-hour workday, together with a 44-hour maximum weekly limit, alongside overtime compensation. Employees receive both the 13th and 14th-month bonuses along with vacation time as part of their benefits. The presence of union activity in public and big manufacturing sectors does not disrupt industrial parks, which follow clear operational guidelines and maintain stable labor relations. Special regulatory regimes operate free zones by promoting harmonious labor negotiation processes.
Training and Human Capital: Honduras’ industrial park companies receive support through their collaboration with technical institutes, including INFOP (National Institute for Professional Formation), Zamorano University, and private training centers. Support for BPO and technical industries is available through bilingual training and IT courses.
Tax Incentives and Regulatory Environment
Free Zone Benefits: The majority of Honduras’ industrial parks function according to the Free Zone Law or ZOLI (Zona Libre) regime, which offers:
- Businesses can receive total income tax exemption for a period of up to two decades.
- Import taxes and VAT exemptions apply to machinery as well as raw materials and intermediate goods.
- Simplified customs procedures and expedited on-site inspections
- Exemption from municipal taxes
The National Investment Council (CNI) regulates these zones while registration and compliance procedures remain centralized and streamlined.
Ease of Doing Business: Honduras has made progress toward streamlining business creation processes while also enhancing electricity access and cross-border trade operations. Foreign investment receives government support, while bilateral investment treaties exist with multiple countries. While bureaucratic processes and security challenges continue to exist. industrial parks offer private sector-led support to address these problems.
Environmental Regulations: National environmental laws require industrial parks in Honduras to establish proper water usage systems and waste management processes. Green Valley park maintains ISO-certified water treatment and waste management systems, which fulfill international guidelines for environmental protection and corporate responsibility.
Lease, Construction, and Operating Costs
Lease Costs: Industrial parks in Honduras charge an average monthly lease rate between $3.80 and $6.00 per square meter, based on various factors such as location and building features. High ceilings and fire protection systems in Class A facilities generate premium pricing.
Construction Costs: The cost to construct industrial facilities in Honduras ranges from $400 to $600 per square meter based on the materials used and the energy and design complexity requirements. Industrial parks provide built-to-suit facilities alongside expedited construction schedules.
Operating Costs: Basic operating costs include:
- Energy: Honduras industrial parks receive special electricity rates while gaining access to grid power, as well as privately produced renewable energy. The cost of energy ranges between $0.14 and $0.18 per kWh, which varies according to the amount of energy used and the time of usage.
- Water and Waste: Advanced water treatment facilities, such as Green Valley’s, incorporate waste management costs into their common area maintenance (CAM) fees. The average monthly CAM fees span from $0.35 to $0.75 per square meter.
- Security: Standard on-site security comes as part of CAM charges. Parks maintain secure environments with continuous surveillance operations, biometric entry systems, and secure perimeter fencing.
Logistics and Freight Costs
Honduras delivers cost-effective logistics solutions, because of its geographic location and infrastructure development. Key considerations include:
Domestic Transport: Transporting a 20-foot container from San Pedro Sula to Puerto Cortés (approximately 60 km away) costs between $200 and $400.
Port Freight: Freight export costs from Puerto Cortés to U.S. Gulf Coast ports range from $1,200 to $1,800 per 40-foot container based on destination and shipping carrier.
Air Freight: The San Pedro Sula airport serves as an export channel for light goods and urgent shipments. Sending goods by air to Miami costs around $2.50 to $3.00 per kilogram.
Industrial parks in Honduras operate with high cost-efficiency due to their competitive logistics expenses.
Tenant Mix, Clusters, and Track Record
Various industries receive support from industrial parks in Honduras.
Apparel and Textiles: The apparel and textile market in the northern corridor of Honduras is dominated by Gildan alongside Hanesbrands, Fruit of the Loom, and Delta Apparel.
Automotive Components: Automotive component manufacturers Lear Corporation, Aptiv, and Yazaki, gain advantages from the region’s free trade policies and efficient labor practices.
Medical Devices and Electronics: The medical device and electronics sectors are expanding in smaller clusters throughout San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, where companies like Medtronic conduct assembly subcontracting.
The clusters deliver benefits for supply chains while minimizing lead times and allowing companies to share knowledge. The industrial parks provide co-location advantages through shared service providers and recruitment centers alongside logistics hubs, which lead to increased efficiencies.
International businesses operating in this country experience stable workforce levels, together with consistent operational expenses. Green Valley and ZIP San José parks provide over twenty years of expertise in assisting global supply chains for North American brands.
Conclusion
Foreign investment in manufacturing and logistics sectors finds a strong opportunity within industrial parks in Honduras. The nation provides scalable and budget-friendly solutions within its favorable regulatory setting, through the mature infrastructure of the International Free Zone and advanced facilities at Green Valley and Altia Business Park. Honduras stands as one of Central America’s leading industrial site selection destinations, because of its skilled workforce, alongside competitive pricing and close access to major markets supported by extensive incentive programs. The industrial parks in Honduras provide essential groundwork for sustainable operations through sector-specific clusters, export benefits, and tailored facility development.