09 February 2010

Earthquake-ravaged Haiti could face brighter tourism future

Haiti’s deadly January earthquake could have a positive side: the country may emerge as an attractive tourist destination.

Tourism can be one of the vehicles which can help Haiti to not go back to where they were because they were not in very good shape, but to go to a much better condition than the one they had before," said Carlos Vogeler, a tourism official of the UN.

He said offers have been pouring in from major entities willing to fund the recovery of the tourism sector in that country. Offers are coming from stakeholders in the private sector, governments worldwide and international corporation agencies.

The UN is undertaking a study to determine how best to aid the stricken country.

Officials are hoping that Haiti can capitalize on its sunny weather and tropical scenery to attract tourists.

New hotels, new attention from international investors and buzz among travelers who have visited in recent years seem to signal a renewed interest in Haiti as a destination, said the Jamaica Observer.

Just two hours away by plane from Miami, the country had one of the strongest tourist industries in the Caribbean in the 1950s and '60s, according to Americas, the magazine of the Organization of American States. But that changed in recent years with the decline of the political climate.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic, Haiti's neighbor on the island of Hispaniola, welcomed almost four million people in 2008, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Other international reports put visitors to Haiti at approximately 900,000, with most arriving on cruise ships for a brief excursion and spending very little time in resorts and restaurants.

But glimmers of hope had returned to Haiti's fledgling tourism industry with a hotel chain announcing prior to the earthquake that it would open two hotels in Jacmel.

The news agency Reuters also reported last year that Haiti had signed a deal with Venezuela to build a second international airport in Cap-Haitien, the country's second largest city.
Vogeler said that with the country having lost a lot of its infrastructure, there is the opportunity to rebuild from scratch in many areas.

By David Wilkening