17053: Durban on Business Travel to Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>

Under the theory that the more visitors Haiti can attract the
better, our company has been hosting Haiti Trade Missions off
and on for the last 7 years.  We aim for U.S. business people
interested in manufacturing their labor-intensive products
offshore, and our next such event is February 6-10, 2004.
Tickets are subsidized, and details, for those interested, are
available on our website:
        http://www.manutech.us/haiti_trade_mission.htm

As I witness countless plane loads of missionary groups arrive,
I must acknowledge some amazement.  We have found Haiti to be a
terribly hard sell to U.S. manufacturers, yet these missionary
groups keep on coming.  Obviously the motivations must be
different.  Regardless of why people come to Haiti, however, few
people can visit and not be moved.  This is one reason why
creating a national database of visitors would be so useful and
probably pay for itself over time.  To do it right, however, it
needs more than the efforts of a single individual or an
economically-motivated firm.  The former simply cannot hope to
cover the enormity of the job, and the latter lacks credibility.
 This is truly a job for some branch of the Haitian government,
yet unless someone jumps in and funds are made available, it is
just one more idea likely to remain stillborn.

Getting back to our own Haiti Trade Mission 2004, if any
Corbetters are interested in attending or helping us organize
the weekend, please contact me directly out of the group.

Lance Durban
E-mail:  Lpdurban@yahoo.com
Website:  www.manutech.us