Banana Coast, the newest cruise port in the western Caribbean located at Trujillo, Honduras, was named most improved destination by Cruise Insight magazine in its spring 2015 edition.

The port had a banner inaugural year with the arrival of 76,000 cruise guests and crew on 29 ship calls. Consumer reviews have been consistently positive and the call-by-call trend in approval rating is significantly upward.

“The port, the tour operator and the community worked extremely hard to show guests the real Trujillo and the authenticity of the area,” said Randy Jorgensen, general manager of Grande Trujillo Autoridad, which developed the port. “The ability to immerse themselves in the local culture, history and natural beauty of the area has been a hit with passengers and we’re grateful to Cruise Insight magazine for the recognition.”

Banana Coast was developed at the deepwater Bay of Trujillo and is the first cruise port on mainland Honduras. The port welcomed its first call Feb. 10, 2014. Its first mega-cruise ship, Norwegian Jewel, opened the 2014-15 cruise season with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by cruise guests, the community and government officials Oct. 15, 2014. Banana Coast Tours offers 19 excursions by land and water that include soft adventure, nature, cultural, historical and gastronomic tours.

Seven cruise lines have scheduled calls at Banana Coast for the 2015-16 Caribbean cruise season. Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Thomson Cruises will call between October 2015 and April 2016.

Banana Coast, www.bananacoast.com