Haitian Government Expands Agreement with Royal CarribeanBy Bryan Schaaf on Monday, February 18, 2008.
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I was amazed the first time I saw a Royal Carribean cruise boat pull into the bay. Before long, the utterly quiet beach was full of tourists with jet skis, sun bathers, etc. There are of course merchants selling artwork and I understand that there is now an incredibly long zip line.
In the article, Craig Milan who heads Royal Celebrity Tours and arranges land based excursions, expresses his approval for the new deal. His hope is that the agreement will show the international community that this government is serious about reviving tourism and can work with large corporations in a constructive manner. Employment of the local community is significant - 300 are formally employed but many others earn a living informally by selling arts and crafts, etc.
Haiti Tourism Minister Patrick Delatour also expressed his support for the deal and notes that the government hopes to build a new airport for Cap Haitian and new roads that would connect the city to the Dominican Republic. We are big supporters of dveloping Haiti's secondary cities such as Cap Haitian, and an expanded airport would go a long way to that end, but may we suggest a good road fromo Port au Prince to Cap Haitian?
I should also note that Royal Carribean is supportive of different non governmental organizations operating in Haiti. They have a long track record of working with Project Medishare for example. My primary complaint concerning Royal Carribean is that they do not tell the tourists they are going to Haiti - they say that they will be visiting "a private beach on the lovely island of Hispaniola". While that is true, it is disingenous. Its not much of a partnership, if you cant even say to your clients who you are parterning with. Let's change that.
These resources will need to be managed better - drive up to the Citadel and you will see what I mean. Vehicles have a tendency to be mobbed by dozens of "guides." Issues such as this are easy enough to address with proper management. The road to Labadee is still rough - but it is not long, perhaps a mile, and could be fixed. It would be a good step.
Will Haiti ever be a major tourist country again? Probably not, but the potential for the sector to grow significantly - if not countrywide, than certainly in the North and perhaps in the South around the Jacmel area as well.
Welcome your thoughts.
Bryan |
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useful information about the Caribbean
it is a great information about the Caribbean and special about the Royal Caribbean ship so I'm looking forward to take such cruise on the Caribbean.
HOPE IS NEAR: Won't You Join Us?
A NEW ERA, A NEW FRONTIER:
The Humanity Of Our Hearts Is The Only Road To Peace And Change.
By Wilgeens Rosenberg
http://www.HispanolanoYoSoy.Skyrock.com/
I hope the Haitian youths abroad and in Haiti of today have in mind better solutions than of those of yesterday.
A new Era is approaching and accept, believe it or not, it is an era of peace for greater possibilities of hope and reconciliations. Such an Era has been long anticipated and overdue and we only have but in our hearts now to see "Just" in accomplish this goal. We have long been proud of our differences that divide us, however when will we be just as proud about the commonalities that relate us all as just for who and what we are - We are all humans. Thus, we should all ask ourselves where have all our humanities gone to and as to how have we come this far to be the way we are - our inhumanities.
Let us all hope there are better days ahead or shall we give in to the patterns of our History is still up to us all. Today, in this new era and frontier we face, peace is ours as well as change. Indeed, Yes today is not Yesterday; we say instead...
Yes today, both peace and change are ours.
PS: Let us ask for Agricultural Aide and Reform in Haiti so Haiti can have a chance at becoming self-sufficient.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZkexFZmspE
HOPE IS NEAR: Won't You Join Us?
A NEW ERA, A NEW FRONTIER:
The Humanity Of Our Hearts Is The Only Road To Peace And Change.
By Wilgeens Rosenberg
http://www.HispanolanoYoSoy.Skyrock.com/
I hope the Haitian youths abroad and in Haiti of today have in mind better solutions than of those of yesterday.
A new Era is approaching and accept, believe it or not, it is an era of peace for greater possibilities of hope and reconciliations. Such an Era has been long anticipated and overdue and we only have but in our hearts now to see "Just" in accomplish this goal. We have long been proud of our differences that divide us, however when will we be just as proud about the commonalities that relate us all as just for who and what we are - We are all humans. Thus, we should all ask ourselves where have all our humanities gone to and as to how have we come this far to be the way we are - our inhumanities.
Let us all hope there are better days ahead or shall we give in to the patterns of our History is still up to us all. Today, in this new era and frontier we face, peace is ours as well as change. Indeed, Yes today is not Yesterday; we say instead...
Yes today, both peace and change are ours.
PS: Let us ask for Agricultural Aide and Reform in Haiti so Haiti can have a chance at becoming self-sufficient.
labadee
Well, I agree with your comments and specifically referring to the misconception that Royal Carribean is exploiting Haiti. We can only wish that there are other investors like RC interested in investing in the country so that the natives can find a job, allowing them to put food on their table, which is something rare these days.
On another note, I went to Cap-Haitien recently and I have heard rumors about a road that will soon be contructed, connecting the Citadel and Labadee using Port-Francais as a relay near Baland or Baie de l'Acul. The benefits would be to attract a number of tourists form the Dominican Republic using a road that is safe. Can anyone confirm?
Social Responsibility
Your ideas are good! I think the first step would be to determine what they are doing right now and then to use that to determine what they could do. What percentage of profits is reinvested in the community? RC could then be engaged constructively emphasizing that social responsibility makes good business sense. They do have a clinic but perhaps they can partner with some of the organizations you have already mentioned. Lots of possibilities.
Brainstorming
Stuff I would love to see happen:
1) Support more local non-profits working in Cap (like AFASDA who works victims of domestic violence or SOIL who build composting toilets or Project Pierre Toussaint who work with street kids or AIDG (my NGO) who works on biogas and sanitation.) Give vacation goers the option of donating some of their dollars to x charity in y location or to a general RC fund the way British Airways or Virgin Atlantic support UNICEF,etc.
2) I understand that they helped build a one-room clinic in the village of Labadee (I haven't visited it so I can't confirm the state that it is currently in). Continue to make improvements to it, keep it stocked, etc.
3) Recycle/compost some of that trash that they leave at a dumping site down the road from Labadee. (The dumping site IS clean/not smelly. Everything is in closed plastic bags, but I reckon a lot of that stuff is recyclable.)
4) Fund micro-enterprise workshops (BYU Microfranchise program has some great materials) to help the folks who are making money by selling things to tourists grow/expand their small businesses.
5) A project or two or lots in Cap or events. Your typical community relations stuff.
6) This probably should be closer to the top. Since RC is all about the beauty of the islands, I think they could fund a project to clean some of the coastline in Cap which is horribly polluted with trash and sewage. That admittedly would be a non-trivial endeavor, but might fit more with their corporate mission. Plus they could employ local labor to work on clean-up activities, etc. etc.
Reccs
Cat, I hear you. But what concrete things do you think RC should do in order to be more socially responsible? What would you like to see happen?
Bryan, you misunderstand me.
Bryan, you misunderstand me. My beef is that if only 300 formal sector jobs are being created in the tourism sector from an operation that moves tens of 1,000s of people through a location a year, something is seriously amiss.
C'mon now. I'm not an idiot. I'm in no way saying that RC shouldn't be there. I know there are no jobs in Cap and the employees are probably paid reasonably well. I'm psyched that RC are there. I just think they get more credit than they deserve given the impact that they've had on the local community.
Also as a business operating in the climate where social responsibility is becoming more and more important, I think they are seriously failing to capitalize on an opportunity to do a LARGE amount of good.
Tourists in Haiti
Cat, it is easy to disparage 300 jobs when one is employed already and eating three meals a day. Find me one other business (not a government ministry that does the same.) The difficulty involved is a measure of how weak the private sector is in Haiti. I would love for more people to benefit from the tourist traffic - but you and I both know it would be chaos if people could come and go as they pleased. Have you been to the Citadel lately? I know people who've backed their cars up and left because dozens of people were banging on their windows wanting to be their guides. I can't blame them - Haitians like anyone else want to work. But at the end of the day, would Labadee be better served if RC didn't dock? I dont think it would be. My suggestions to readers are that if they agree with their corporate philosophy, let RC know. If you don't, let them know that as well. But do homework first.
I drove by the barbed wire
I drove by the barbed wire fences that keep the nice Americans in and the Haitians out of Labadee Beach the other day.
Yes, 300 people are formally employed which is a good thing, but a pittance considering the amount of wealth transfer that could be happening. From my understanding of the current situation. The money that is given to the Haitian government goes to the capital and none of it filters down to Cap-Haitien where it could improve public services for the residents.
Because the place is in lock-down, no other businesses or restaurants that could serve the gazillion tourists who come by each year can be started. The beach is owned by one family at worst or a group of families at best. And they are making a killing.
Local entrepreneurs can in no way get a foothold. So a few people get to sell trickets to rich Americans? Big frigging deal...
The business brought in by RC could do so much more for the local economy than it is currently doing. You're right. It is not necessarily RC's job to navigate that social justice minefield. However, informed consumers who want their vacation money to go to a socially responsible company can help make it RC's business.
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