The momentum of northern Haiti tourism

Tourism momentum in Haiti
The ships are arriving every day.  Northern Haiti is similar to the Bahamas where tourism has gotten momentum.  More staff members are needed to facilitate the task.  The tourism season is at its peak.

Tourism means growth

Tourism is the source of development.  As a result, the US dollar will be in circulation and the inflation rate of the currency exchange will be lessened. Tourism does a lot of good things.  People are either working or doing business with the tourism industry.  It brings development.

Bringing tourism to northern Haiti contributes in large part to the growth of the area.  This tourism project creates jobs.  People now can afford things that in the past were a mere dream.  Taxi drivers, hotels, merchants of various items in the open tourism market benefit from it.

Luring ships and tourists to Haiti
The government and the port authority of Cap-Haitien must work together to find ways to keep the tourism industry flourishing.  This can be accomplished by luring more ships and people to northern Haiti.  This time, the tourism business is better organized and more promising than in the past.  Serious measures have been taken for that purpose.

Besides increasing business in the area, the safety of the tourists and making their trip to Haiti memorable and fun are primary goals to achieve.  Haiti is politically unstable despite the new democracy instituted in the country.  With added expenditures for security and the well-being of the people of northern Haiti, tourism can be once again like under the Duvalier era or like the Bahamas or any stable countries

Northern Haiti is open for business

Now that all the preparation work is completed, northern Haiti is open for tourism.  The city of Cap-Haitien, the main city in the area, becomes once again the host of a multitude of tourists.  The atmosphere is festive and hopeful.  Staff members, facilities and the entire process of operations are in place to kick off the tourism industry for good.

The tourism project is finally operational.  After a few years of preparations, the first ship, Carnaval Conquest, has set sail for Cap-Haitien.  It is due to dock at 5:30 AM.  The start is kind of slow, but several cruise lines have signed up with the local tourism industry to do business in northern city of Cap-Haitien.

The port of Cap-Haitien has the capability of receiving ships of huge sizes.  In case the port cannot accommodate several ships at once, some of them will be sent to Labadee, which is right around the hill of Picolet.

Tourism is the source of income and development for any developed and third-world countries.  The mood in the people of northern Haiti reflects hope, work and change.  I wish everyone and every area of Haiti had this positive attitude about oneself and in everything in general.

Tourism arrangement is not different from the United States or Europe.  Service is the key; customer satisfaction must be guaranteed; security service is provided based on the marsek level of the day. 

Full security is maintained with the presence of national coast guard, local police and a number of security guards in designated areas of the terminals patrolling the dock and surrounding areas.  The goal is that someone who takes a cruise to Haiti wants to come back for more of northern Haiti.

Getting the port ready for business

 Local government and port authority join forces
One major development is the local government working with port authority in Cap-Haitien about future cruise liners bringing tourists to the city. 

The port has to be ready to receive thousands of people and number of huge vessels.  The accommodation of people and ships is costly.  Arrangement between those two separate entities is needed to get the tourism industry off the ground.

 What it takes to get the port ready for business
First, the port authority needs to improve or renovate the port facility.  They need new offices and the recruitment of more experienced people to handle the flow of arrivals of tourists and ships.  The use of sophisticated equipments and technology, however costly, should be acquired to communicate with the outside world and to facilitate the task.

Tourism funds providers
This entire tourism endeavor costs money.  But who will provide the funds?  Local and federal governments will take the lion share of the cost; the port authority will make up the difference.  All three branches of government work jointly to make this northern Haiti tourism project a success.

The port authority of Cap-Haitien will receive the first installment of cash to start the renovation process.  With good money management and steady work being done, the contractors promise to complete the project on or ahead of schedule.

To meet their goal, contractors hire experienced laborers or known professionals to do the job.  The incentive that those contractors offer to their employees improves their work performance and quality.  That’s what it takes for employees to be at their best.

Equipments acquisition

Equipments needed for the tourism project
The management office of tourism in northern Haiti is in the process of buying computers, computer equipments, satellite dishes and communication gears.  A storehouse is full of various equipments and stuffs to be used everywhere for the tourism project.

Cost of the project

A large sum of money has been spent in preparation for the tourism project.  All the equipments cost a total of $70,000 US dollars.  Each piece of equipment is an investment to fulfill the goal of reviving the tourism industry in and around Cap-Haitien.

Another investment the management is making is in people.  A group of young men with some rudimentary skills in computer or technology as a whole are chosen to receive training to operate the newly acquired machines when the tourism industry becomes operational.

Employment requirements

The board of tourism is making sure that those individuals who are hired for specific positions are well prepared to handle them.  Those without a college degree or experiences in customer service are sent to a special center of formation to acquire the necessary skills to make a good representation of the industry.

Employees who are hired to do maintenance and security are being scrutinized at the recruitment site for a full evaluation.  As a matter of principle, everyone who is offered a position in the tourism industry needs to have either some background in the field.    Otherwise, training is provided to those particular individuals.

Tourism in northern Haiti is about to be a success, something that can be implemented in the rest of the country or elsewhere.  Management is great.  All the necessary equipments are in place.  Tourism is about to boom in northern Haiti.

Tourism advertisement

The northern
Tourism advertisement
Haiti tourism management is advertising in the United States.  They are also advertising for jobs throughout the country, and conduct interviews in earnest.  Criteria are based on previous tourism experiences or skills in customer service, English, Spanish and French.  Employment for menial positions is reserved for those who are willing to showcase their talents.

Even though it is a project for the northern part of Haiti, the tourism board is advertising in major television and radio stations in the country.  The reason for this is that they are trying to attract the best applicants for the jobs.

Tourism advertisements in US cities

To lure back tourists as in the 70s, the board of directors is about to undertake a costly advertising venture in major US cities.  This will be something worth doing if it is affordable.  I, personally, doubt that the board can afford this expensive endeavor. It would benefit the northern Haiti tourism project, but at the same time, it will drain their resources.

Employees vested interests in the tourism project

The best resources for this project, I was told, are the people who will be hired for various positions.  Their key requirements are commitment, experiences and having a vested interest in making this tourism project a role model for the rest of the country and elsewhere.

Applicants having degrees in business, hospitality and customer service are being given priority in the hiring process.  One board member told me that experienced people who work in the tourism anywhere are in great demand.  The goal is to make this tourism project something that works and whose success other countries could emulate.

Tourism project status

Tourism project completion status

The interesting thing about tourism in northern Haiti is where we are into completing preparation work to get the tourism industry back on track.  The entire area has been under renovation.

They built or repaired new roads leading to museum or to tourist attraction sites;  they also built new office buildings with parking lots; they renovated existing buildings as well; and they put up various signs everywhere.  There is a new atmosphere in the area, which shows the prelude of something big. 

Hilary Clinton's hotel construction

Besides all the preparation activities that are underway, Hilary Clinton is building a new 5-star hotel in the hill of Picolet leading to the famous Labadee and overlooking the city of Cap-Haitien and most of the area.

While I was in Haiti two weeks ago, I had the chance to visit the hotel construction site and the road construction leading to it.  It is a big project that will complement the tourism project that is underway right now.

Tourism project free of corruption

What's impressive about the whole thing is the fast step in which the tourism project in northern Haiti is moving.  Someone told me also that every penny dedicated for the project is accounted for.  Corruption, as it is often the case in anything to do with Haiti, is not an issue in this project. 

I had contacted two tourism board members while I was in Haiti.  As a student journalist, I did some investigative work.  I questioned them about the project completion time and funds management.  They both gave me similar responses.  The project will be completed ahead of the original scheduled time.  As far as funds accountability is concerned, they were very transparent in their details of things.

The administration of the tourism project

 Tourism project board members
 A committee composed of 16 various local authorities and non-governmental personalities constituted the board of directors of the tourism project.  These individuals have the right to vote on funds to be spent and how to spend it for what part of the project.

Those powerful board members require a majority of 14 out of 16 votes to pass a regulation or to vote for a specific part of the project.  Most of the time they deliberate just like a regular courtroom. 

How to vote for a budget

They may, for instance, want to have a budget of this or that amount for a specific period of time.  In the absence of a majority of votes, it is up to the members to negotiate a compromise.  In case a compromise cannot be reached, the board has to appear before a government-sponsored panel of former judges for a decision on a particular issue.

Despite the corruption that exists in the country, the money collected as donation and from some sports event activities is well managed.  By the way, I had a good time in northern Haiti.

The right of the general manager in case of money shortage

In case of money shortage, the general manager has the right to contact the office of the

mayor for assistance.  Once the request is submitted, it takes three to seven
business days to make the funds available to the responsible members of the whole
project.  Of all the members that are responsible for the administration of the
tourism project, Jean Francois is the president; Celia Joseph, the secretary; Oricene
Ruben, former tourism secretary, to name a few.