Haiti's Tourism

Haiti’s’ Tourism industry has evolve throughout the 20th century. Similar to other Caribbean countries and or islands tourism during the turn of the 19th century in Haiti began with a series of popularized folk stories told by the natives. Many of these folk narratives were themselves the result of the "opening up" of Haiti during the US Occupation (1915-1934) and Western capitalist expansion across the greater Caribbean. (Yarrington, Landon. 2009) Authors invariably wrote on topics concerning racism and "The Negro Question" (i.e. whether Haiti and blacks in general were capable of civilization and self-rule), Haitian Revolutionary Intrigue, and Voodoo Mystique. The sights which these texts reported became the foundation for the country's more celebrated attractions following World War II. (Yarrington, Landon. 2009)

Since the second half of the 20th century, tourism in Haiti has suffered from the country’s political upheaval. Inadequate infrastructure also has limited visitors to the island. In the 1970s and 1980s, however, tourism was an important industry, drawing an average of 150,000 visitors annually. Following the 1991 coup, tourism has recovered slowly. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) has joined the Haitian government in efforts to restore the island’s image as a tourist destination. In 2001, 141,000 foreigners visited Haiti. Most came from the United States. Further improvements in hotels, restaurants, and other infrastructure still are needed to make tourism a major industry for Haiti.

Due to recent political instability, tourism - once a significant industry - has suffered in Haiti, with the exception of Labadee, a port located on the country's northern coast. Labadee is a resort leased long term by Royal Caribbean International. Although sometimes described in advertisements as an island in its own right, it is actually contiguous with the rest of Hispaniola. Labadee is fenced off from the surrounding area. The cruise ships anchor...