13547: Craig: Article-Haiti sells tourism in Miami (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Dan Craig <dgcraig@att.net>

Posted on Sun, Nov. 03, 2002
Haiti sells tourism in Miami
It's answer to nation's woes, officials say
BY CAROLYN SALAZAR
csalazar@herald.com

About 235 Haitians crammed into a rickety boat last week in a desperate
and risky attempt to flee their beleaguered homeland, an event witnessed
throughout the world and deplored by Haitian-rights activists. Days
later, another boat with 58 migrants was spotted trying to escape their
troubled country.

But on Saturday, a group of Haitians arrived on another sort of boat: a
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship, which set sail last week with
Haitians seeking to find ways to promote their country's tourism industry.

Yes, that's right. Haiti as a tourist destination.

Their message: Haiti is an undiscovered tropical paradise -- a country
rich in culture and filled with beautiful, unspoiled beaches and
remarkable fortresses.

The Tourism Association of Haiti led a seven-day conference -- its first
in more than five years -- in which 44 promoters traveled to Jamaica,
Mexico and Grand Cayman talking up their country.

Their last port of call: Miami, which had captured the world's attention
as a boatload of Haitian migrants frantically tried to elude U.S.
authorities.

`ROOMS FOR TOMORROW'

The title of the cruising conference: ``Haiti: 40,000 Hotel Rooms for
Tomorrow.''

''No, it's not ironic -- I think it's timely, and it's needed,'' said
Leonie Hermantin, a director of the Haitian Neighborhood Center in
Miami. ``When we talk about the problems in Haiti, we also need to talk
about the solutions. And tourism is the solution. People are leaving
because the economy in Haiti is collapsing, and tourism is the only way
to stabilize the economy.''

Political turmoil, escalating violence and miserable economic conditions
have made Haiti a destination that tourists tend to avoid. Instead of
vacationing in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, many opt
for popular getaways a stone's throw away.

The result: Tourism helps carry the economies of Haiti's neighbors,
flushing millions of dollars a year into the Dominican Republican,
Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, while Haiti's economy is left to wallow in
deep despair.

HINGES ON TOURISM

According to the Tourism Association of Haiti, a promising future for
Haiti hinges on tourism dollars that could stimulate the frail economy
and create thousands of much-needed jobs for Haiti's poor. To accomplish
that, they said, the country needs to reach out to international
investors to build hotels and lure tourists.

''It's time to think about the future master plan of tourism for Haiti.
People need to realize that we have a lot to offer,'' said Elisabeth
Silvera Ducasse, president of the association, made up of Haitian
business owners and tourism officials.

Last week's Haitian landing off Key Biscayne, captured on videotape as
hundreds of women, children and men leapt out of a boat and ran ashore
to elude law enforcement officials, brought to light what lengths
Haitians will go to so they do not have to endure their country's misery.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/4432177.htm