The Mayan ruins of Copán, in Honduras, became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980. Tourism increased radically, while the population's needs remained unsatisfied, with analphabetism and other basic problems affecting local households. The World Bank helped to develop sustainable cultural tourism in the archaeological sites and the surrounding municipalities through the Regional Development Project of the Copán Valley since 2003. The aim was to achieve sustainable development in tourism based on the cultural and natural heritage of the Copán Valley and other nearby areas.