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Haiti Bills Itself As The Next Caribbean Vacation Hotspot
The Caribbean nation of Haiti is launching an ambitious campaign to market the country as a vacation hotspot. Unlike other islands in the region, which draw huge numbers of leisure travelers seeking sun and surf, Haiti is largely overlooked by tourists.
The country is one of the poorest in the Western hemisphere with around 80 percent of its people living in extreme poverty. It was thrown under the spotlight three years ago when an earthquake measuring 7.0 shook the country to its core. The event was a devastating blow to a country already rife with political problems, corruption and natural disasters.
Haiti's minister of tourism, Stephanie Villedrouin, told NPR that tourism could help locals rebuild their lives and boost the country's economy.
"These revenues for our economy will help us eradicate poverty, and take out people [earthquake victims] from the tents. That's the message. Don't just send money through a wire or through an NGO for us. Come and experience Haiti because we have so much to showcase."
Some of the attraction on offer for visitors are a National Museum, a rum distillery, traditional art, voodoo ceremonies and, of course, miles of Caribbean beach.
Despite that, the country faces a lot of challenges when it comes to marketing itself as a vacation destination. Streets are overflowing with trash and sewage, medical facilities are few and far between, and travelers face a high risk of crime. The US State Department has even issued a travel warning for the country.
As a result, few tourists to Haiti ever leave the fenced-off beach resort built by a cruise company on the island's north. Getting travelers to step out of the bubble and into the rest of the country will require a massive expansion of the country's tourism infrastructure. The government hopes to do that by investing in new hotels, airports and a school to train workers in the hospitality industry.
Listen to the full story here:
[Photo credit: Flickr user MichelleWalz]
Some of the attraction on offer for visitors are a National Museum, a rum distillery, traditional art, voodoo ceremonies and, of course, miles of Caribbean beach.
Despite that, the country faces a lot of challenges when it comes to marketing itself as a vacation destination. Streets are overflowing with trash and sewage, medical facilities are few and far between, and travelers face a high risk of crime. The US State Department has even issued a travel warning for the country.
As a result, few tourists to Haiti ever leave the fenced-off beach resort built by a cruise company on the island's north. Getting travelers to step out of the bubble and into the rest of the country will require a massive expansion of the country's tourism infrastructure. The government hopes to do that by investing in new hotels, airports and a school to train workers in the hospitality industry.
Listen to the full story here:
[Photo credit: Flickr user MichelleWalz]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Garbart Rincher Feb 7th 2013 11:32AM
The only thing we, haitian people, would like western countries to do is converting the NGO's funds to investment funds in Haiti. By doing so we'll call it REAL INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION.