Tourism Keys Haiti’s Hopes for the Future

In 2012 Caribbean hotelier Josef Forstmayr, at the time president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) coined a phrase when he described the Caribbean as world’s “most travel and tourism-intensive region.”

In fact despite challenges ranging from a fragmented and at times inconsistent air network to struggling economies, the region remains a prime global tourism destination, said Forstmayr.

A growing array of contemporary resorts, new engagement opportunities focused on indigenous culture, cuisine and history - and the stunning natural beauty that’s attracted visitors for centuries - have driven the region’s steady arrivals increase in the past several years.

Those words hold the ring of opportunity in Haiti, the struggling yet beautiful Caribbean island nation. Possessing virtually every characteristic Forstmayr described, Haiti is pinning its future on tourism, eyeing a long-awaited economic resurgence.

To say Haiti lags behind other Caribbean destinations in terms of tourism reveals only a fraction of the story. At one time an international tourist haven, Haiti has endured a difficult transition - from the 30-year reign of the brutal, corrupt Duvaliers in the late 1950s to the 1980s, to its halting democratic revival of the 1990 presidencies of Jean-Bertrand Aristede to Michael Martelly's present-day government. A former popular musician, Haiti’s new leader has promoted several initiatives over the past year to re-build the country’s tourism infrastructure.

In 2013 Haiti welcomed 419,736 overnight tourists and 643,634 cruise ship visitors according to Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) data. The figures represent respective year-over-year increases of 20 percent and 5.5 percent, but place Haiti squarely the rear-view mirror compared with other regional destinations. Haiti ranks 12^th among CTO-tracked countries in terms of land stays and 11^th in cruise ship visitors.

Of course Haiti is also continuing a painfully slow recovery from the catastrophic 2010 magnitude 7.0 earthquake that crippled the already impoverished nation.

The government estimates the quake collapsed or severely damaged 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building and the Port-au-Prince Cathedral. The headquarters of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the capital of Port au Prince was also destroyed, killing many including Hédi Annabi, the mission’s chief.

Martelly, the first opposition party member in Haiti’s history to peacefully assume power from an incumbent president, has unveiled plans for thousands of hotel rooms, cruise ship berths and infrastructure for the present-day the fishing village of Cotes-de-Fer, where the government plans a 5,680-acre development that would include 20,000 rooms spread across four hotels plus an 18-hole golf course, a beach club and a small nearby airport. The project is projected to cost $266 million.

Tourism development is also planned for the southern Haitian island of Ile-a-Vache, where the government has launched work on development that will feature 2,500 rooms and an international airport. Dredging to accommodate supply ships is nearly complete while work at the future airport site is also underway.

Haiti officials are clearly hoping for a success on the scale of Punta Cana on the eastern end of Hispaniola, the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana also emerged from humble beginnings as a sleepy fishing village to become a major resort town following its launch by Dominican businessman and hotelier Frank Rainieri and New York labor lawyer Theodore Kheel.

Their company, Grupo PuntaCana, has reportedly assisted Haiti with its tourism development plans. Punta Cana is the driving force behind the 4.7 million visitors the Dominican Republic hosted in 2013.

In August Haiti officials inked a memorandum of understanding with cruise operator Carnival Corp. to build a $70 million pier and facility on Haiti’s Tortuga Island.

The 100-acre facility will include two piers plus other small piers for tender vessels. Also planned are an airstrip for cargo and area for restaurants and arts and crafts vendors. Tortuga’s history as a haven for colonial-era pirates will serve as inspiration for a theme park at the site, and local tours of historic sites will also be offered.

The project will fast-forward the country’s status an emerging Caribbean leisure destination according to Stephanie Villedrouin, Haiti’s tourism minister. “It has a huge potential not only for the amazing beaches, but also it has three fortresses on the island,” Villedrouin said when I interviewed her earlier this year.  

“The potential for attractions and excursions is very, very high,” she said. “We have agreed to work with the minister of culture to restore the fortresses just as we have the Citadelle in the north of the country. We’re talking about 10,000 visitors coming on site in one day.”

“We are working together with the Haitian people and government to build Tortuga into popular and economically sustainable Caribbean destination,” said David Candib, vice president of development and operations for Carnival’s global port and destination development group.

Haiti has been in the cruise business for several years now. In 2008 the country partnered with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to create Labadee, a private port of call on Haiti’s northern coast. While successful, the port is largely separated from other areas of the country. Royal Caribbean and the government are only now creating tours for guests who want to travel beyond the port’s boundaries.

“One of the conversations the government had with Carnival was to make sure a lot of excursions can be offered across [Tortuga],” said Villedrouin. “The island is a beautiful island to visit and tours can focus on agro-tourism, historical tourism or horseback riding. So there is a lot of potential to go outside of the site that Carnival is building and visit the island.”

Elsewhere in Haiti a handful of new hotels now accommodate increasing number of leisure guests interested in culturally driven travel. These include the 128-room Occidental Royal Oasis in Petion-Ville; the $15 million, 106-room Best Western Premiere opened in the same city in 2013.

Canadian tour operator G Adventures will offer five Haiti departures beginning in February, said Jeff Russill, the company’s vice president of innovation. The company has worked with the destination since 2013, when the Inter-American Development Bank queried company officials for an assessment of Haiti’s tourism potential.  

“We weren’t sure what we would find when we arrived, but what we discovered was a country full of friendly people looking to move on, world-class art and culture, real-time history, and stunning nature and beaches,” Russill said.

“We’re looking forward to bringing our travelers here to experience this strong culture, to spend locally and help Haiti fully recover,” he added.

I’ll be traveling to Haiti in December with a group of media. While I’ve visited the Dominican Republic more than a dozen times, this will be my first visit to Haiti and naturally I’m excited to experience the historic country first-hand and see things from an American’s perspective. Tourism officials are clearly hoping a generation of travelers will follow.

“Tourism will change the image of a whole island and showcase it differently worldwide,” said Villedrouin. “It will change the lives of the inhabitants of the island and it will give us the opportunity to attract international investors.”