Travel and Tourism

The frequent protests that have been taking place recently did not go unnoticed by the international community. The French Government has advised their citizens traveling to Haiti to take extremely extreme precaution in light of recent violence in Haiti. Specifically, the French government has noticed an upsurge of armed attacks when the travelers leave the Airport to their destination. In addition, they advised the travelers to stay away from demonstrations that have been taking take place frequently at various neighborhoods in the Haitian Capital

Kreyol Pale, Kreyol Kompran:

Mezanmi, Haiti retounin kom yon payi danjere pou le monde. France voye yon kominike pou li di Francais ki ginyin pou vini an Ayiti, pou yo pran anpil prekosyo, Otorite Francais yo remake ke anpil moun victim lè ke yo soti nan Airport-la pou yo ale lakay yo. Et pi, yo di pou Citwayin yo pa paticipe nan manifestasyon kape deroule

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Prime Minster Laurent Lamothe, also head of Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation (MPEC), held a meeting to get updates on infrastructure projects in South Department, as well as other projects on Haiti. In attendance were Minister of Tourism, Stephanie Villedrouin; Secretary of State for Planning, Michel Presume; Secretary of State for Tax Reform, Ronald Decembre; Secretary of State for Public Works, Philippe Cinéas, and MPCE General Director, Giovanni Dorelien.

High on the agenda of projects discussed was the International Airport of Les Cayes (IALC), being built by Estrella Construction. Dorelien reported 282 million gourdes had been released to pay Estrella. Once finished the project will have cost $29 million-plus USD. The investment is expected to have a significant return on investment within the next decade.

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After conducting preliminary reviews of several spots on Haiti, the Ministry of Tourism and the government of Haiti (GOH) have selected areas they have determined to possess the greatest potential for development of Haiti's tourist industry. One of the selected locales is the resort isle of Ile a Vache.

A complete overhaul of Ile a Vache's infrastructure has steadily been taking place. The Ministry of Communication announced not long ago the completion, or near completion of a half a dozen projects is readying the town for a future major influx of tourism. Projects include dredging of the land for new resort structures, a newly-built courthouse, renovated police station, new school, and placement of 250 street lights. To demonstrate the seriousness of its efforts to attract more tourist dollars, the GOH has also constructed an airstrip outside the city limits, and is in the process of erecting an airport terminal and hangars. Preliminary planning for 1,000 premium hotel units, an archaeology museum, night life infrastructure, cultural destinations, and retail establishments are also being readied.

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Aeroports de Montreal (ADM) is working with the Republic of Haiti's Autorite Aeroportuaire (ANN), with funding provided by the Canadian Embassy in Haiti, to donate airport inventory, used at the former Mirabel terminal, to Cap Haitien International Airport (CHIA). The inventory includes 100 ticket counters, baggage scales, 2,000 luggage vehicles, and 500-plus lounge seats, all retrieved by ADM when Mirabel terminal closed. Now the equipment is being shipped to Miami and then back to Haiti to be installed at CHIA.

ADM CEO James Cherry says this first shipment of inventory to CHIA will start a process of eventually supplying all major airports in Haiti with adequate furnishings and equipment to make them more operable and tourist-friendly.

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Plans to enlarge Jacmel Airport (JA) were discussed at a meeting at which Director General of the National Agency of Civil Aviation (OFNAC), Leopold Roumer, presided. Also present was Southeast Director of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries, Joan Raton, and IBIDAA Delegate, Christine Stephenson. They discussed how to technically augment the existing terminal, with the National Authority and OFNAC consulting on the matter. Plans to move the terminal to another site was considered so more air traffic could be handled, but finally it was decided to leave the terminal at its current location and make upgrades to it there.

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A new kind of vacation format is becoming popular the world over, volunteer vacations. These vacations are spent on service projects in all parts of the globe, and on a wide spectrum of service activities. No matter your age or marital status, a volunteer opportunity exists just right for your interests and abilities.

Some examples of volunteer vacations include helping park rangers on national parks projects; volunteering at an orphanage, or for children with special needs; teaching English as a second language; a museum conservation project; administering to injured animals at a zoo.

Experience is not as important as enthusiasm, a cooperative spirit, and a sense of adventure. And the most satisfying experiences will come from projects aligning with your interests, skills, and endurance level. You can opt to choose a project in a metropolitan area, or a more rural setting in an emerging nation.

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The island of Haiti backed out of promoting itself as a tourist destination for several decades. But 2010's earthquake changed all that. Ever since there has been a concerted effort on the government of Haiti's (GOH) part to promote Haiti as a player in the international tourism industry.

Big changes have taken place in Haiti's tourism sector. The GOH has doubled the tourism budget to $4 million; a new division, Creative Industries, has been added to the Ministry of Tourism; and a boom in hotel construction has been occurring in such places as Port-au-Prince and Petion-Ville.

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The Dominican Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC) and the National Office of Civil Aviation of Haiti (OFNAC) proudly announced the graduation of 10 Haitian students at the air traffic controllers in the Dominican Academy of Sciences Aerospace - "Academia Superior de Ciencas Aeronaúticas" (ASCA).

The graduation is the first palpable result of the cooperation agreement between the IDAC and the OFNAC. The student's specialization in air traffic control and in procedure for aerial approach control is one of the highest. Air traffic controllers are in charge of maintaining the orderly flow of air traffic. The position requires highly specialized knowledge, in order to keep aircraft at a safe distance from each other.

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Second Promotion of customs officers is starting a new class, Customs Legislation and Safety Checks. The ceremony marking the beginning of classes was held at the National School of Financial Administration. In attendance were Haitian Prime Minister Lamothe, Secretary of State, Decembre, and General Director of General Administration of Customs (AGD), Jean-Baptiste.

The government goal is to bolster the AGD's abilities to monitor drug trafficking and smuggling, and reverse the trend of revenue loss to revenue gain. An increased tax base will lead to more job opportunities and small business growth.

Jean-Baptiste expects Second Promotion will follow through on the commitment the Haitian government has made ". . . to achieve greater efficiency in the fight against tax evasion . . ." allowing it to implement more reconstruction projects for people.

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A bright light in the Haitian sky. Carnival Corporation just signed a memorandum of understanding with the Haitian Government to develop Tortuga Island, also known as Ile de La Tortue. The island is located off the northern coast of Haiti.

You need to know, when a big company such as Carnival Corporation made this kind of commitment to the country of Haiti, it's not something small at all. This actually can mark a turning point for the island.

Carnival operates 10 cruise lines. With this investment to build a $70 million cruise facility on Tortuga island, it plans to remain a leader in providing exciting cruise vacation packages to its clients. Guess what. The new Haitian destination in Tortuga Island is part of the company's strategies to help to do just that.

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