Haiti hopes to overcome hellish history to become tourist heaven

The history of Haiti reads like a nightmare: Tsunamis kill hundreds. Earthquake destroys Port-au-Prince. Tropical Storm Jeanne kills 1,900. But with all that, could it become the next hot Caribbean vacation getaway?

Haiti became the world’s first black-led republic and the first independent Caribbean state when it threw off French colonial control in a series of wars in the early 19th century.

“However, decades of poverty, environmental degradation, violence, instability and dictatorship have left it as the poorest nation in the Americas,” says BBC News.

Two years ago, another earthquake devastated vast areas of Haiti. But its president is saying tourism is a way to break the country’s long standing dependence on foreign aid, reports AFP.

Even before the January 2010 disaster killed about 225,000 and devastated much of its capital city of Port au Prince, “Haiti's image was more intertwined with poverty and corruption than sunny delights and cultural riches,” writes USA Today.

But "we have a very rich and diversified culture, we have beautiful sights, a historical past. We have the most beautiful coast," President Michel Martelly told AFP.

Martelly obviously thinks investors will realize the island’s potential as a tourist spot.

His thinking got a boost recently when Marriott announced plans to build the largest hotel in Haiti, the first international property to open on the island. The first 173-room Port-au-Prince Hotel is expected to open in mid-2014. It will be the largest on the island.

Former US president Bill Clinton, who brokered the deal between Marriott and investor Digicel, said that the "new hotel project will stand as a symbol of Haiti’s recovery, providing much needed jobs to the Haitian people and encouraging foreigners to visit, invest and work in Port-au-Prince."

Over half of the island nation’s hotel rooms were destroyed during the last earthquake.

“Inspired by what is being seen as Haiti's most stable moment in a generation….the government is planning various incentives to entice tourists to the poorest nation in the Americas and the largest cruise ship in the world is amongst the attractions,” writes EMAILWIRE.com

Boosting the number of visitors would have a huge impact on the economy, so a
bold plan has been put in place to lure tourists to northern Haiti, far from the dilapidated capital Port-au-Prince and its rash of slums, adds the site.
 

This month, the largest cruise ship in the world, the Oasis of the Seas, will be doing a stopover at the beach resort of Labadee.
 

“Although, it has yet to be seen, the country is showing encouraging signs of revitalization and does have a great deal to offer the traveler seeking adventure, culture and history,” says  www.wheretostay.com/haiti-guide. The site adds:

“There are also several beachfront resorts on Haiti which have reopened, many of which offer amenities and activities enjoyed at competing resorts throughout the Caribbean.”

The Government hopes to lure in four million visitors a year, putting Haiti on a par with the Dominican Republic, which attracted 4.2 million tourists last year.
 

Haiti became famous as a “Hellhole” during the brutal dictatorships of the voodoo physician Francois “Papa Doc'' Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude, or “Baby Doc''.
 

Tens of thousands of people were killed under their 29-year rule.
 

Haiti is still plagued by violent confrontations between rival gangs and political groups and the UN has described the human rights situation as “catastrophic,” reports AFP.
 

Predicts AFP: “Once a world pariah, Haiti is going to need all the international goodwill it can muster to get through this latest calamity.”

The Haitian experience isn't for everyone but for now, it is one of the more affordable Caribbean destinations offering a taste of days gone by coupled with the things to come, writes wheretostay.

By David Wilkening