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This study applied an integrative approach to understanding the connection between tourism development and poverty, with the mediating roles of human development and economic growth. The investigation introduced a framework termed Tourism-Poverty Interdependence Diamond that conceptualizes the relationships between tourism development, economic growth, human development, and poverty, which conventionally have been studied in a fragmented way. The framework was tested for several key tourism markets of Honduras, a Central American country where about half of the population lives in poverty. Using time-series data, the methodology involved unit root and cointegration testing and three-stage regression application. The results were tourism market-specific (contextual), suggesting that Honduras's tourism-poverty connection is mostly direct. The study advances our understanding of the complexities between tourism development and poverty and provides a blueprint to policymakers and destination managers on creating a better synthesis between tourism development and poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]