Two years after an earthquake flattened Haiti, its President Michel Martelly said ramping up the impoverished country's long-neglected tourist sector is the key to its economic future.
“We no longer want handouts, we want to promote Haiti,” Martelly told AFP in an interview at the weekend.
Martelly, who said Haiti must no longer be associated only with “poverty and misery,” declared that he intends to promote the Caribbean island nation as a vacation destination.
“We want to show the other part of Haiti that has never been shown to the world,” said the president, who was in Caracas for the inaugural meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, a bloc that excludes the United States and Canada.
The Haitian leader, who took office some seven months ago, said once prospective investors are made aware of the country's potential, they will feel comfortable enough to “come to Haiti and rebuild Haiti.”
And he added that holiday makers - who flock to Haiti's neighbour the Dominican Republic which shares Hispaniola island - could provide just the boost the country needs to lift itself out of dire need.
“Tourism is a sector that can bring a lot of money, and we have lots of things to show to the world,” he said, speaking in English.
“We have a very rich and diversified culture, we have beautiful sights, a historical past. We have the most beautiful coast,” he said.
Martelly added that this new thrust on tourism in his view is the best way to ensure Haiti breaks its dependency on foreign aid.
“I am the leader of a country who has been neglected for the last 200 years,” he said.
“It is my responsibility to bring development to Haiti,” said Martelly, who said he also hopes to advance the country's struggling agriculture sector.
Martelly said he regrets that much of the aid that Haiti received in the aftermath of the January 2010 disaster focused only on short term aid to the earthquake victims, at the cost of longer term development and reconstruction.
“The money was not well invested because instead of bringing water and food to the people we could have started the reconstruction of Haiti,” he said.
“Provide jobs and the same people could have been able to buy their (own) food and their water,” he said.
The impoverished nation of nine million people was the poorest country in the Americas even before the massive quake, which killed some 225,000 people and levelled much of the capital city Port-au-Prince.
In the aftermath of the last year's earthquake, Haiti - which has always been dependent on foreign aid - remains more economically depressed than ever.
Martelly, however, said his plan provide a longterm solution for lifting his country out of privation.
In addition to promoting tourism, Martelly said he would like to invest between $3 billion to $4 billion in projects - including the development of downtown Port-au-Prince - that would “really lift the economy and allow Haiti to take off.” - Sapa-AFP