G Adventures Hopes to Lead a Return to Haiti Tourism

Five years after a magnitude 7 earthquake devastated Haiti in January 2010, the country’s tourism officials want to once again attract leisure travelers.
 
Haiti is initially focusing on escorted groups, according to Jean-Marc Flambert, a tourism marketing consultant for the destination. While the country has plenty of beaches, it’s not a “fly-and-flop” destination, he said.
 
Enter G Adventures, which until now, has not offered tours anywhere in the Caribbean, said Jeff Russill, the tour operator’s vice president of innovation.

The small-group adventure tour company is offering five departures of its ten-day “Highlights of Haiti” program starting on Feb. 15.

Although G Adventures was involved in post-earthquake relief efforts, “it had nothing to do with our product or brand,” Russill told Travel Market Report.
 
A new beginning
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which has partnered with G Adventures to offer tours in Latin America, asked Russill to participate in a 2013 research trip to Haiti to assess the country’s tourism potential.
 
Russill was skeptical but agreed to go. He spent a week touring the south side of the country.

“Halfway through, I thought, not only is there potential for tourism, but we’re going to run a tour here,” he said.
 
He submitted a report on what the destination needs in terms of infrastructure, but found much of what was needed already in place.

Public perception
Contrary to popular belief, Russill said the country has already developed its infrastructure in many ways that can support tourism.

The basic tourism infrastructure is in place from non-governmental organizations like the United Nations and World Health Organization.

“It’s just not being used for tourism,” Russill said.
 
Although no major hotel brands currently operate in Haiti, the Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel is scheduled to open in February 2015 with 170 rooms and five suites.
 
What Haiti does need are English-speaking guides, interpretive centers for sites, signage, and regulations to control and protect important historic and cultural sites, according to Russill.

Tapping into experiential travel
“The Haitian government plans to attract more experiential travelers who want to see all of Haiti,” he said.

The country has “a unique culture that no one else has,” he added, referring to its voodoo and Creole traditions. “The art scene was one I’ve never seen any [island] in the Caribbean come close to.”

While Haiti has beaches, it shares an island with the Dominican Republic, which is the Caribbean’s largest beach destination. “That’s hard to compete with,” Russill said.
 
Sustainable tourism
Russill said G Adventures’ Haiti tours, like its tours to any destination, are designed to help the local economy.

“Tourism can be a wealth distribution tool that no other business can be,” he said. “That’s the sustainable way to rebuild.”
 
G Adventures’ first Haiti tour departure was nearly full at press time, Russill said, noting that G Adventures’ tours feature a maximum of 16 clients.
 
Tour highlights include a visit to Cap-Haïtien and its Citadelle Laferrière, a UNESCO-designated mountaintop fortress; swimming and cliff-diving at the Bassin-Bleu pools, and an excursion to the Grotte Marie-Jeanne cave system.

Tour participants will learn how to make rum and kasav flat bread and meet a voodoo priest.

They will also visit the Art Creation Foundation for Children, a grassroots project that helps at-risk youth learn artistic skills, and see local artist communities make mosaics.