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| Read more on Royal Caribbean in Labadee at: royalcaribbean.com |
Keven Bissett of The Canadian Press reports and describes the situation in Labadee Haiti . . .
LABADEE, Haiti — More than two years after a powerful earthquake killed 230,000 people in Haiti and left many more homeless, the Caribbean country continues to battle despair — yet one tiny peninsula on the country’s north coast serves as a tropical oasis for travellers and an example of the tourism potential Haiti has to offer.
Labadee draws more than 600,000 visitors a year because of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
In 1985, the cruise line decided to lease the peninsula to give passengers a private beach destination as part of their western Caribbean cruises.
Since then, the company has added a large pier for their huge cruise ships, along with all the infrastructure and excursions to provide visitors with a day at the beach.
It’s a stark contrast to the tent cities and desperate conditions faced by hundreds of thousands of Haitians still trying to recover from the 2010 earthquake that devastated much of the country, particularly the capital of Port-au-Prince.
International aid agency Oxfam has blamed government indecision for keeping Haiti’s recovery on hold. Haiti has a population of more than 9.7 million people.
Continue to read this article at: thechronicleherald.ca
