GEO Haiti 2010

State of the Environment Report 2010
voodoo, a set of beliefs and rituals which were
practiced by the Black slaves who came from Africa,
is still very important in Haiti. The word “voodoo”
comes from the Fon language of Dahomey, and
in Haiti these practices incorporate elements of
African religions with the worship of saints of the
Catholic religion, a common feature everywhere
in America, where there is a juxtaposition of local
beliefs with those of the Catholic religion.
Historically, voodoo played a key role in organizing
the revolt against the French colonists, and the
Bois-Caiman ceremony, which took place on the
night of August 21, 1791, marked the beginning of
the slave insurrection in Santo Domingo 28 . Many
tourist destinations are linked to voodoo activities,
among which are the activities at Saut-d’Eau
Falls and Plaine-du-Nord Pond or at the Zaberth
Source. These touristic sites are strongly associated
to voodoo, while others are also visited for their
Catholic religious festivities.
• Touristic events in Haiti
In Haiti, the major annual festivals are occasions
that bring together many tourists from different
parts of the country and also from elsewhere in
the region. The Haitian diaspora plays a significant
role in the volume of regular tourists to Haiti. The
major tourist season is during the Haitian Carnival,
at Easter, and during the period of countryside
festivals. Most of the current projects 29 , projected
or already underway, aim the redevelopment or
restructuring of some sites, such as at the city of
Jacmel, the restoration of the natural and touristic
patrimony of Cap-Haïtien, and development of
the Arcadins coast.
4.1.6 Services
The tertiary sector in Haiti has been very dynamic
in recent decades. Trade, finance, catering, hotels,
transport and communications have experienced
a resurgence of activity because investments have
been largely channeled towards this sector.
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Credit has been geared primarily towards the
tertiary sector. For example, in 2006, over 50%
of bank loans were granted to this sector (BRH,
2007). On the other hand, commercial activities,
international aid, remittances from Haitians from
the diaspora and government spending are all factors
that have contributed to the vitality of the banking,
communication and transportation sectors.
In 2007, the volume of market services increased
by 2.3%, while caterer and hotel services rose by
1%. The transport and communication sectors,
considered to be very dynamic these past ten years
because of the vitality of the mobile telephone
sub-sector, grew by 4.4%. Other non-marketable
services have experienced little growth, such as
financial services with a mere 1% (IHSI, 2008).
The trend towards economic recovery,
accompanied by the introduction of more rigorous
financial and economic policies and a climate of
political stability, was severely hampered following
the series of hurricanes that ravaged the country
during the summer of 2008.
• Computers and Internet
According to a study by NOEL in 2002, the rate of
the access to computers by the urban population
reached 57%, with 61.95% of users in the
metropolitan area. Barely 14% of Internet users,
representing 8.5% of the total population, had
a computer. In 2006, 19.2% of households were
equipped with at least one computer, an increase
of 126% compared to 2002. In terms of penetration,
there is a better positioning of other cities over the
metropolitan area, the city of Les Cayes first on the
list with 29.8% of households, followed by Delmas
(29%) and Pétion Ville (23.7%).
Internet-cafes are very busy and first main access
to computers and Internet in Haiti, followed by
homes (in second place), and even surpassing
other areas of access, such as schools and
workplaces. Nowadays, almost all provinces are
connected to this technology.
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