Travel and Tourism

This can not be good for Haiti. Even worst, this will likely stay with he country for years to come. Royal Caribbean cruise line ship canceled its scheduled visit for Tuesday January 19, 2016 at Labadee after some Haitian protesters in small boats staged a protest. Royal Caribbean was obligated to find an alternative for its 3,634 passenger of its Freedom of the Seas that were headed to Haiti. Although the protest by the Haitians was peaceful; however this is not what the company wants to offer to their precious clients and visitors in Haiti.

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In the list of 10 worst airports of 2015 prepared by CNN, Haiti ranks sixth. Nigerian 'Port Harcourt International Airport' comes on the top of the list, followed by, (ii) King Abdulaziz International Airport (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), (iii) Tribhuvan International Airport (Kathmandu, Nepal), (iv) Tashkent International Airport (Uzbekistan), (v) Simon Bolivar International Airport (Caracas, Venezuela), (vi) Toussaint Louverture International Airport (Port au Prince, Haiti), (vii) Hamid Karzai International Airport (Kabul, Afghanistan), (viii) Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam), (ix) Benazir Bhutto International Airport (Islamabad, Pakistan) and (x) Beauvais-Tille International Airport (Paris).

The excellence of an airport depends mainly on 4C's: comfort, conveniences, cleanliness and customer service. Some of the voters participated in the poll had suggested that the Nigerian airport could also win the title of most corrupt airport in the world. Saudi airport is well known for its long queues, chaotic, grimy ambiance, particularly within the Hajj terminal. Voters revealed their poor experience with the Nepalese airport. With its pothole runways and irregular flight schedules, it resembles nothing more than a bus station. Lack of upgrades and renovation has put Tashkent and Kabul airports at number four and seven. The voters have reported Venezuelan airport as uncomfortable, chaotic, dull and lacks passenger amenities. They consider Port au Prince Toussaint Louverture International Airport is uncomfortably hot, bathrooms are dirty, absence of chairs makes the floor space as the only resting option and don't expect any good quality of food here. The ranking of Vietnamese airport has come down recently because of its corrupted staff. The Pakistani airport has to work hard to improve its quality of facilities and service offered. The French airport has received grievances from voters because of absence of proper seating facilities, sufficient toilets, hygienic standards and kind staff.

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Habitation Jouissant in Cap-Haitian will be transformed to become Marriott International second Hotel in Haiti. Autograph Collection is the managing entity who will be responsible to run this new Marriott Hotel. Habitation Jouissant which will be opened in 2017 as the new Marriott will soon undergo an overhaul that will include 100 rooms. In addition, the new hotel will have a new presidential suites, two restaurants, two pools, a fitness center and meeting rooms.

Richard Kessler , once an independent hotelier and the present managing partner of Marriott, selects and builds Autograph Collection hotels considering themes based on local culture and arts, each with an individual identity with strong aroma of the local environment. Today, Autograph Collection has built over 100 hotels in world's most desirable destinations based on such themes and the management is very optimistic that "Habitation Jouissant" will add a unique culture rich perspective to their portfolio.

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Chef Jose Andres believes that Haitian cuisine has enough potential to pull more tourists to the country. Its exquisiteness can inspire more travelers to visit the country. For a one-hour film special called "Undiscovered Haiti with Jose Andres" on the PBS station he had to spend time with local chefs and markets and taste the island's specialties. José Andrés or José Ramón Andrés Puerta is a Spanish American chef who has association and ownership with several restaurants; he is an author and recipient of many prestigious awards. He believes that Haiti is a wonderful country; the adventurous travelers can find here " the best of the Caribbean, the best of Africa, the best of America ... all here," They can visit a hilltop fortress, or hunt for crabs on the sea beach or attend a voodoo ceremony and taste the delicacy of Haitian culinary art... all in one trip in Haiti only!!!

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Haiti's dramatic countryside of mountains, its caves, waterfalls, local beauty, culture and art make it a candidate for the 2015 10 Best Reader's Choice travel award for the Caribbean.

Traveling to Haiti in itself is considered as an adventure to the traveling world. Haiti has been distinguished for tthings such a rocky horseback climb to the towering Citadelle Laferriere fortress, a stepping stone river crossing to the surreal turquoise pools and gushing waterfalls of Bassin Bleu.

What do you think?

Have you been able to enjoy all these assets in Haiti that earn it a place at the 10 Best Reader's Choice travel award for the Caribbean?

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Mega travel company, Expedia, has been increasing its presence in Haiti in support of the efforts to develop the tourism infrastructure of the county. Haiti has not been recognized as a well-known travel destination in the Caribbean, but is acquiring a higher profile due to several hotel and resort openings, and more to come very soon.

In 2014 Expedia established 40 new partnerships with hoteliers according to Expedia Director, Demetrius Canton, of Lodging Partner Services in the Caribbean. Expedia true to its word has deployed a marketing manager for the exclusive purpose of partnership building and active engagement with hoteliers. It has proved successful, and traveler demand for Haiti has shot up almost 500% in the past year.

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Did you know that there is a plan for China to build a cable car line linking Labadee with Citadelle Laferriere? We just learned that China is getting more involved in Haiti. It is already estimated that this Cable car line project will greatly improve tourism in Haiti. Once this project is accomplished, Royal Caribbean will be able to offer its passengers more than a breathtaking scenery, incredible thrills and spectacular water activities at their private beach destination in Labadee. They will be able to offer them tours to the historic Haiti site of Citadelle Laferriere in very safe conditions.

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Believe it or not, despite our political problems, our poverty, environmental issues, corruption, Haiti still has something going for it. It seems to me no matter how much we abuse this little island, it find a way to keep its beauty. According to a new global insights report from Sojern just released, Haiti is fast capturing the interest of the world as a tourist destination

The report found that since summer of 2014, Haiti has moved up to 19th position, a gain of 34 points. Haiti is leading the pack, followed by Iceland that moved up to 11 spots.

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Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin, the Haitian Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries visited Boston and Brockton on Wednesday, June 3 on a national tour, accompanying a team of tourism officials and hoteliers. The main purpose of her visit was to boost the tourism trade in Haiti from the United States. Mrs. Villedrouin made a presentation to an audience of Haitian American activists at the Thorny Lea Country Club in Brockton on Wednesday evening. She has pointed out the significant increase in the number of visitors to Haiti in the last two years. The 2013-14 has shown an increase by 11% in the visitor number. Her trip was luckily coincided with the milestone launch of JetBlue's first ever direct flights between Boston and Port-au-Prince on June 17.

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Haiti's Sunrise Airways permitted to fly scheduled service from Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo

The Institute of Civil Aviation, located in the Dominican Republic, issued the Haitian regional air carrier, Sunrise Airways (SA), an operating permit, Part 129. This permit will let SA start scheduling routine flights between Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince, both capitals sharing the island of Hispaniola. Right now SA offers a timetable of trips from Port-au-Prince to Santiago de Cuba; and domestically from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien.

Sunrise President, Phillippe Bayard, says ". . . we're looking at acquiring larger aircraft to better connect the Caribbean." Currently the SA fleet, 32 EP Jetstreams, seats 19 passengers. In particular, SA is meeting rising demand for domestic flights between and Port-au-Prince and Cap Haitien.

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