Tourism in Haiti?

A few weeks ago I had a chance to visit Haiti. As their government has somewhat stabilized, the Ministry of Tourism is able to think about attracting tourists again. Following are some somewhat random observations about being a tourist in Haiti.

I can say without hesitation that Haiti is a beautiful country, and art is literally everywhere (more on that later!), but one has to be prepared to look past some of the kinds of things we see on the news in order to find the beauty. The Haitian people are incredibly warm and friendly. The tourist highlights are art, history, culture and soft adventure. Haiti's hotel product is quite nice.

While there I never once felt unsafe, but I would recommend that any foreign visitor should arrange an English-speaking guide and driver. This made all the difference for me. I can highly recommend Voyages Lumiere. Jacquie LeBrom the owner/operator is delightful. Totally well informed and connected. My visit was very brief and so a whirlwind with not a lot of time in any one location, but we saw beautiful art (a top priority for me!) and got a taste of Haiti's rich and inspiring history. I didn't have a chance to see the beaches, except from the air, but hope to do so on my next visit. Oh yes, I will return.

Thanks to the Ministry of Tourism for arranging my visit and planning to show me so many aspects of Haiti in such a short time.

Above is a photo of me rubbing the toes of the statue of the unknown slave in Port au Prince. It said to be good luck.