Haiti receives US$45 million World Bank grant for tourism development

The World Bank says nearly 35,000 residents from localities in the north of Haiti will benefit from new infrastructure, economic opportunities and support to cultural events as a result of a US$45 million grant for tourism development.  The Washington-based financial institution said that the project aims at improving access, conservation and management of the World Heritage Site of the National Historic Park and the historic center of Cap Haitien, as well as establishing new destinations for travelers.

The bank said northern Haiti has strong potential for regional development through tourism with its World Heritage sites and natural assets, stating that the National Historic Park has attracted more than 30,000 visitors in 2013.  It noted the tourist stopover of Labadie, where the ships of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line are anchoring off the same coast where Christopher Columbus’ ship landed in 1492.

The bank said this “represents a real potential for further tourism development in the region” and ongoing government initiatives to renovate the Cap-Haitien International Airport and rehabilitate the highway from the capital Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitien will allow better access of potential local and international visitors to the area.

“There is a growing demand to develop tourism in Haiti, and the government is working effectively to promote the destination,” said Mary Barton- Dock, World Bank Special Envoy to Haiti.  She also added,  “This is the opportunity to develop the tourism industry, which is labor intensive and will attract the private sector.”

The World Bank said concrete results to be achieved by the Cultural heritage preservation and tourism sector support project are conservation of the Citadelle Henry, the Palace of Sans Souci, the Chapel of Sans Souci and Ramiers site in order to improve their resilience to seismic risk and tourism development.

It said other goals include urban renewal of the historical center of Cap-Haitien, targeting certain monuments and streets; attracting more than 16 000 visitors in the National Historical Park; and supporting the creation of 370 small and medium entities providing cultural services and tourism.

Stephanie Villedrouin, Haiti’s Minister of Tourism, stated, “Developing the north as a tourism destination in a sustainable way is part of the vision of the Ministry of Tourism.”  Villedrouin went on to say, “Improving the conservation of our natural and cultural heritage is essential to achieve this objective. I would like to highlight that one of the strengths of the project is that it involves the communities to preserve their heritage and benefit from the economic returns of tourism.”

The World Bank said the six-year project was developed with the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which will provide technical assistance to the Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN) for park management and the rehabilitation of buildings.

Source: Caribbean360