Haiti

Tourism

Haiti campaign targets tourism dollars

 

Known more for its political unrest and natural disasters, Haiti seeks to rebrand itself as a tourist destination.

ngreen@miamiherald.com

“Haiti is not a vacation for me, it’s more like giving back,” he said, adding, “Instead of building tourism, I think first we need to build an infrastructure. We need to build schools,” he said.

Marcellus said he vacations in Jamaica because “it’s vacation central. That’s what they do and they do it well.”

Jean Souffrant, a community organizer based in Miami, recently visited Haiti on a service trip with other young Haitian-Americans. The group did not rent hotel rooms, they shared a living space with a host family.

Souffrant said members of the Haitian community feel reluctant to spend money on leisure activities when family members and friends in Haiti can barely support themselves and struggle day-to-day.

“We have to take the reality of Haiti into consideration when you want someone to spend $200 a night on a hotel,” he said.

And even while Haitian officials say they want to target non-Haitians, it may not be an easy sell.

Modern travelers are accustomed to convenience. A click of a mouse can create a one-week vacation plan that includes hotel, flight and excursions. But many of Haiti’s hotels and tour operators are not even online. The few that are often have websites that simply direct visitors to call a long-distance landline.

“Once we have the online structure, it will become more accessible,” said Francois, who said the ministry of tourism is in the early stage of developing all- inclusive package for Haiti travelers

“We are pushing Haitian businesses to get into social media and online,” he said.

Business entrepreneurs investing in Haiti are optimistic.

The government recently asphalted a new 7,500 feet runway in the city of Cap-Haitien, which is part of a $500 million tourism vision for the northern region of the country. In Jacmel, the government has committed $40 million to a multi-million dollar tourism development plan that includes a new, expanded airport runway and additional hotel rooms. There are also plans to do a tourism free-trade zone in the island of Ile-a-vache off the southern coast.

The new runway in Cap-Haitien offers a chance for Haiti to make parts of the country other than Port-au-Prince accessible.

American Airlines, one of the leading carriers that provides flights to Haiti, said it may consider offering services to Cap-Haitian in the future. Past American Airline officials have maintained that half of their traffic to Haiti ventured outside of the capital.

“We believe that the development of the aviation infrastructure is a positive development for the country and its continued tourism and economic development,” wrote Martha Pantin, an American Airline spokesperson in an email.

Business owners on the ground in Haiti are hopeful, but worry about how the country will be marketed in the coming years.

The Bike Ayiti Project is working with Tour Haiti, a Haiti tour company that specializes in adventure and cultural tourism.

“All of the Caribbean have beaches but we have a history and a culture to sell,” said Lionel Pressoir, owner of Tour Haiti. “Haiti has to establish its vision to be successful.”

Read more Haiti stories from the Miami Herald

  •  

Demonstrators rip apart a poster of Haiti's President Michel Martelly during a protest against his government near the sight where Martelly is expected to deliver a speech marking his two years in office, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, May 14, 2013.

    Haiti president defends first 2 years in office

    Haitian President Michel Martelly defended his administration Tuesday as he marked two years in office, pointing to a national school-tuition program, social protection projects and the return of tourism as his leading achievements.

  •  

Haitian singer Emeline Michel performed at Big Night in LIttle Haiti April 20 at the Little Haiti Cultural Center. She is among the artists who are headling this year's Haitian Compas Festival at Bayfront Park in Miami. Michel recently released This is Michel’s third trip to South Florida in recent months. She recently her much-anticipated CD, Quintessence.

    Haiti

    Haitian music, culture take center stage at Compas Fest

    Celebrating its 15th year, music festival brings together Haitian fans and top entertainers to celebrate Haiti’s culture, and Flag Day.

  •  

In this April 24, 2013 photo, Darlin Lexima speaks on the phone as he walks through Camp Acra in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Lexima, 21, who lives in the camp for people displaced by the 2010 earthquake, was arrested by police early April 15 when he was walking home from a disco club as police were responding to residents protesting an earlier raid by an unidentified band of motorcyclist who set fire to their homes. In the few weeks since the mid-April confrontation, it has become an instant symbol for what many say is the growing use of threats and sometimes outright violence to clear out sprawling displaced person camps, where some 320,000 people still live.

    Eviction fears haunt Haiti camps after attacks

    Attorney Reynold Georges showed up with a judge and a police officer on a recent afternoon at Camp Acra, a cluster of tents and plywood shelters scattered across rocky hills dotted with trees in the heart of the Haitian capital.

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category