haiti
75
watching, debuts in March. AITO Chairman Derek Moore, who was on the same trip, believes the infrastructure of Port-au- Prince and beach city Cap Haitien are good enough for mainstream touring companies like Kuoni. “It’s not perfect looking but it’s buzzing with
infl uenced art and music much apparent. G Adventures reports strong uptake for its
fi rst Haiti departure. Director of Sales Uday Sodha praises the country’s “abundance of art and culture, and beautiful natural landscapes”. Haiti is “a piece of West Africa that just happens to be located in the Caribbean,” says Aled Evans, Head of Business Development for trade-friendly Undiscovered Destinations, which has been selling Haiti for 10 years. “I’m glad to say [Haiti’s] image is slowly changing and the future is certainly positive. The security situation has improved dramatically and is now comparable to many popular destinations.” Exodus Product Manager Marta Marinelli
adds: “We all know nowadays authenticity in tourism is hard to fi nd and the fact Haiti has been left off the tourism map for so long is a shame but at the same time a super advantage.” While Haiti is featured mainly by
adventure-style companies, Flambert hopes twin-centres may entice others. An educational last autumn took interested operators fi rst to the Dominican Republic, with which Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola, concentrating on its cultural and natural side. “Hispaniola is a sexy name and an unknown.
Punta Cana has a reputation for all-inclusives but the Dominican Republic has got great natural assets, which people are not hearing about. “Meanwhile, people are curious about Haiti and them realising there’s a more established country to the side works well.” Flambert’s long-term goal is to encourage British Airways to fl y onwards from Dom Rep to Port-Au-Prince, creating a triangular route. He has also met with Panama and Cuba to discuss further twin-centres. Wild Frontiers Operations Manager Craig Venes, who joined the Dom Rep-Haiti educational, says: “We went from quite Hispanic Caribbean, to Haiti and it was like a West African country: there were many more people on the streets, lots of markets.” The operator’s own standalone Haiti tour, which includes hikes and whale-
life and you have sights from 50 years ago mixing with mobiles and leather jackets. “There’s a real positivity about it, and the earthquake mainly affected a small part of Port-au-Prince”. To understand the country’s complex but fascinating history Moore recommends itineraries start with the capital’s excellent museum. With his own operator The Tailor-Made Groups Company, he’s planning a music tour, seeing the famous resident band at the capital’s ‘gingerbread-style’ Oloffson hotel, and a Dominican Republic golf tour with a Haiti extension, on a white label basis. He also plans to convert others: “I’ll be talking to several AITO members and saying ‘don’t write Haiti off.’”
“The ideal Haiti visitor loves Caribbean/Latin American culture, appreciates local arts and traditions, enjoys adventurous journeys, has a pioneering spirit and likes to discover new and unusual destinations first”
ALED EVANS, HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, UNDISCOVERED DESTINATIONS
What’s new � Air: Haiti gained its second international
airport last October with the commencement of American Airlines (
americanairines.co.uk) fl ights into Cap Haitien; the nearest gateway to Unesco- listed Citadelle Henry. Meanwhile, the Punta Cana Group is behind international airport plans for south-westerly Les Cayes, with an
expected 2015 start and 2016 opening. Cruise: Carnival Cruise Lines (
carnival.co.uk) is investing US$70m to develop a port at Haiti’s Totuga island. Royal Caribbean (
royalcaribbean.co.uk) already operates the private beach of Labadee. A forthcoming new road should make day trips to
the Citadelle more feasible from both. Hotels: A 175-room Marriott (
marriott.co.uk), funded by Irish-owned telecom company Digicel, is slated to open in Port-au-Prince in February 2015. A Hilton Garden Inn (
Hilton.com), the fi rst of this brand in the Caribbean, should open in the capital in 2016. Apple Leisure, which includes AM Resorts (
amrsorts.com), has said it’s looking to manage
sellingtravel.co.uk
resort properties in Haiti and bring other players together to create a ‘destination within a destination’. It’s been looking at the Cotes de Fer, which has 23kms of beaches.
Tourism talk “The fi rst phase is now slowing down in terms of getting the tour operators. The next move is to give agents
the confi dence to sell. We’re working on our online training, are starting to get out to train and will be joining established roadshows and planning a few fams this year. “We have seven fi xed group tours, now we need more FITs to sell to niche markets. We attended the Birmingham Dive Show last October. We also want to develop other niches, like bird-watching, a little bit more. We have some great kite-surfi ng and walking tours too, it’s just about creating awareness. For more information, see
experiencehaiti.org” Jean-Marc Flambert, Haiti Ministry of Tourism, Europe
Where to book it EXODUS – 0845 527 9429
The operator has an 11-night Haiti Revealed package priced from £2,399pp. It covers Port- au-Prince, Cap Haitien, Citadelle Henry and Sans-Souci Palace, the Kenscoff mountains, Jacmel, Bassin Bleu and beaches at Ouanga Bay and Les Arcadins islands. Highlights include visiting an ecological reserve, staying at heritage Hotel Oloffson and witnessing a Vodou ceremony.
exodus.co.uk G ADVENTURES – 0344 272 2040 Highlights of the Haiti 10-day tour includes Cap Haitien, Citadelle Henry, an art-focused tour of Jacmel, Bassin Bleu, the Grotte Marie-Jeanne caves, Port Salut’s beaches and Port-Au-Prince. Activities include visiting a children’s art project, meeting a vodou priest and seeing rum made. It costs £1,599 excluding fl ights.
gadventures.co.uk
Previous page, clockwise from top: A ‘maison’ in Jacmel; the crystal-clear waters of Anse-Blanche; Haiti Tourism’s Jean- Marc Flambert, with tour operators on a fam. This page: The group on the steps of the Haiti Oloffson Hotel, Port-au-Prince; Sans-Souci Palace, a nineteenth century royal residence
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