In order to focus international attention on the tourism potential of Haiti, the local administration has announced the launch of a tourism week.
The nation launched its tourism week on Sunday, aimed at helping the nation synchronise its activities as part of a series of activities to mark the World Tourism Organization’s (WTO) World Tourism Day on September 27. The state said that the celebration would run for a week under the theme, ‘Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Propelling Sustainable Development.’ The message is similar to the WTO’s global theme for this year.
The tourism department in Haiti has said that it has arranged for a slew of activities to invite tourists to the nation. Tourism activities have not caught up recently, especially after a recent earthquake that gave a severe hit to the economy.
During the week-long celebration, Haiti would be focusing this week on its natural heritage sites such as the waterfall at Saut d’Eau. On Thursday, the tourism minister for the state, Stephanie Villedrouin, is to visit and plant trees and plants to launch afforestation activities in the area. The tourism celebration opened with a grand celebration in Jacmel, which is a city that is popular with tourists. The local administration is also promoting its beaches, and a beach redevelopment project is underway at Gelee Beach. The administration also said that it was training taxi operators to help them deal with tourists in an amiable manner.
The tourism ministry had already launched a ‘tourism caravan’ to promote tourism, and the caravan is expected to continue a trip across tourism sites in the country. The caravan would highlight the nation’s golden years as a tourism hub in the eighties.
World Tourism Day will be officially marked in Port-au-Prince on Thursday. United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said, ‘One of the world’s largest economic sectors, tourism is especially well-placed to promote environmental sustainability, green growth and our struggle against climate change through its relationship with energy. Sustainable energy will allow tourism to continue to expand while mitigating its impact on the environment.’
