GEO Haiti 2010

State of the Environment Report 2010
Eolian energy has always been used in
navigation, and some eolian pumps were set
up, without success, in the main plains of the
country, including in 1991, a 150 KW eolian park
in the region of Port de Paix (Northwest), within
the framework of the Federal German Republic
Cooperation and EDH framework. However,
it didn’t last due a lack of maintenance (BME,
2009).
An investigation was carried out by Winergy
(2006) on three sites (Cap Haïtien, Port de Paix
and Fort Liberté) which led to recommendations,
among which, a study on eolian potential in
regard to the investors’ expectations.
Figure 23: Recent evolution of tourism in Haiti
4.1.5 Tourism
Tourism is one of the Haitian government’s
priority areas, explicitly emphasized in its national
strategy for economic growth and poverty
reduction. Tourists include two broad categories:
those who stay more than 24 hours in the country,
and vacationers or cruise-ship passengers who
spend less than 24 hours in the country. From
2002 to 2007, the number of vacationers staying
for longer periods had increased from 108,000 to
over 386,000, and that of cruise ship passengers,
from 342,000 to over 482,000 23 .
The following graph (Figure 23) outlines the flow
of tourists between 1990 and 2006. It indicates an
increased number of visitors since 1995, reaching
its highest level in 2003.
73
1500 Indicator
Travel expenses, including transport (U.S. $ million)
Travel expenses without transport (million U.S. $)
Average length of stay of visitors (days)
Visitor arrivals (thousands)
Nights of tourists (thousands)
1000
500
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Year
(Source: Dupond, 2009)
Significant investments are now being made in the
area of tourism, with more than $319 million by the
private sector. With respect to State investment, it
concentrates on four targeted areas as indicated
in the Tourism Action Plan: the West, the North,
the South and the Southeast regions, respectively
receiving 13, 12, 3 and 4 billion gourds, according
to the number of projects carried out in each region.
The main attractions first include the country’s
natural patrimony: beaches, mountains, caves,
waterfalls and other sites of particular natural
features, ranging from landscapes to specific flora
and fauna, followed by Haiti’s cultural heritage:
fortresses, castles, plazas, colonial buildings,
cathedrals and finally, by its artistic and folklore
manifestations, cuisine, etc.
23
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