>
> From:nozier@tradewind.net
>
> Published Monday, April 26, 1999, in the Miami Herald
> Haiti appeals to adventurous types
> LARRY LUXNER Special to The Herald
>
> PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- A growing number of Germans and other
> Europeans are viewing Haiti as an exotic vacation destination whose
> original art, unspoiled beaches, impressive fortresses and vibrant
> culture put Haiti in a class by itself among Caribbean tourist
> destinations.Ernest V. Bellande, special advisor to the country's
> Ministry of Tourism in Port-au-Prince, says about 2,000 Germans a week
> are now crossing the border by bus from the Dominican Republic. The
> European influx and capital from the Organization of American States has
> the tourism industry buzzing with excitement and optimism over master
> plans and other efforts aimed at making the country more attractive to
> visitors.According to the government's enthusiastic projections, Haiti
> could have 5,000 hotel rooms by 2004, and as many as 20,000 over the
> long term -- generating 30,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect jobs in
> construction, services, transportation and the like.Although the trend
> is encouraging, Bellande says that's not enough to bring back Haiti's
> tourist industry, which in the 1950s and 1960s was one of the
> strongest in the Caribbean. What's really needed, officials say, is more
> investment capital to upgrade infrastructure in the hemisphere's poorest
> nation.The master plan, launched with $100,000 from the Organization of
> American States, seeks additional funding from private companies and
> foundations.Dominique F. Carvonis, general manger of the Moulin Sur Mer
> beach resort and president of the Hotel and Tourism Association of
> Haiti, complains that political bickering and indifference have cost
> Haiti years worth of tourism development.``If we really had a government
> that believed in tourism, we'd have a very different country,'' Carvonis
> said.Today, following years of political violence and miserable economic
> conditions, only 150,000 tourists a year come to Haiti, including
> Haitians on family trips. That compares to the millions of Americans,
> Canadians and Europeans visiting Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic,
> Jamaica, the Bahamas and other Caribbean islands.
> ``We have very few Americans visiting because of the very bad press,''
> said Pierre Chauvet Fils, president of Agency Citadelle, one of Haiti's
> biggest travel agencies. ``The country suffered a lot because of
> one-sided reporting. So now we need a little positive news.''
> On the political front, there is virtually nothing positive to say,
> given the current stalemate between President Rene Preval and his
> enemies over the appointment of a prime minister to run the government.
> Meanwhile, Haiti's per-capita income continues to drop, falling from
> $345 in 1988 to $214 last year, according to the Inter-American
> Development Bank.
>
> Not ready for prime time
>
> ``Haiti is not ready for traditional tourists and won't be for a long
> time,''concedes Horace Hord, director of marketing for
> Atlantic-Caribbean at American Airlines in Miami. ``But Haiti is ready
> for visitors, both from the [black] diaspora and sophisticated
> travelers, who are not seeking today's Caribbean vacation experience.''
> Hord, speaking at a recent panel discussion on Haiti's tourism
> potential, said the country ``must be prepared to compete aggressively
> for the investment capital needed to provide a better product, but at
> the same time develop and maintain a unique product, and pursue and
> attract a unique consumer.''American Airlines, Hord said, is providing
> Haiti one-third of the government's tourist promotion effort, by
> ``offsetting the cost of public relations and promotional pieces that
> would be able to generate a positive image for the destination'' and
> also by supporting art shows, concerts and other cultural
> events.
>
> Few hotel choices
>
> Joel Thebaud, general manager of the 102-room Hotel Montana, which is in
> the somewhat upscale Port-au-Prince suburb of Petionville, agrees. ``The
> country is not ready for new investment as long as the appropriate
> public services are not available, such as electricity and water,'' he
> said. ``At the same time, we are ready for a limited number of cultural
> and adventure tourists, mainly Germans, [though] we're definitely not
> ready for American tourists.''While it's true that visitors don't have a
> wide range of choices when it comes to hotels in Port-au-Prince, there
> is much to occupy a visitor in Haiti, ranging from mountain climbing to
> sunbathing to touring the country's No. 1 tourist attraction: La
> Citadelle.The giant structure, whose 20-foot-thick walls are armed with
> 400 cannons and took 20,000 men 13 years to build, overlooks the ruins
> of Sans Souci --an ornate palace completed in 1813 by Haiti's first
> king, Henri Christophe.
>
> Restoration project
>
> The $12 million restoration of the complex -- funded mainly by Unesco
> and the United Nations Development Program -- was completed in 1995.
> ``Originally, the project was the National Historic Park,'' Bellande
> said. ``But then something had to be done because, in order to go from
> the port to the Citadelle and back, you have to pass through the city of
> Cap-Haitien and it looked so lousy.''To rectify that, The Action
> Coalition, a Washington, D.C., design firm, came up with a comprehensive
> plan earlier this year to beautify the port at Labadie and separate
> industrial from cruise-ship activity.Bellande says Royal Caribbean
> Cruises has pledged to spend $4 million to upgrade Labadie to
> accommodate its Eagle-class ships, which weigh 100,000
> tons each and can carry 3,600 passengers and 1,500 crew members.
> ``This project was solely dependent on them bringing in that ship once a
> week,'' he said. ``They'd also be willing to accommodate 300 to 500
> passengers to see Cap-Haitien. What we have in mind is to shuttle
> passengers by tenders from Labadie to Cap-Haitien. Once we fill the
> conditions set by Royal Caribbean, we can use the facilities to
> accommodate any cruise line.We've spoken to practically the whole FCAA
> [Florida Caribbean Cruise Association].''
>
> A place for adventure
>
> In 1998, according to government figures, 246,221 cruise ship passengers
> stopped in Labadie -- up 22 percent over the 238,429 visitors in 1997,
> but still lower than the 250,373 passengers who visited Labadie the year
> before.``Haiti is a product for the adventure tourist,'' said Suzanne
> Seitz, a consultant for the Ministry of Tourism. ``However, the master
> plan is aimed at making it a little easier for anyone to get around. It
> just needs more infrastructure in place.''
> Other areas the government wants to promote include Fort Libertie, Cote
> d'Arcadin, Jacmel, Aquin Saint-Louis du Sud and the island of La Tortue,
> located off Haiti's northwestern coast.``The opportunities through
> tourism are tremendous, and you don't need that much investment,''
> Carvonis said. ``Little by little, you will have investors
> coming. That's what we're fighting for.''
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