Cap-Haitien, The City: New Tourists Destination
Haiti second largest city, Cap-Haitien is ready to put in motion a plan that attracts 1.5 million tourists by 2022. An initiative started by the CEO and Founder of Haiti Tourism Inc. Davidson Toussaint, a company dedicated to promoting a better investment environment, and innovation in the tourism sector that eases economy growth in Haiti and the rest of the Caribbean region. With a growing population of more than 300.000 people, mostly young people, the city needs a better approach when it comes to how local authorities and entrepreneurs create opportunities for the next generation of Capois. Many left the town because of lack of jobs, in the last 30 years no significant investments have been made in the city, and there’s no plan in place to facilitate them either. However, with all the tourism features, many believe that the city can become the next tourist destination in the Caribbean. But where do we start? How will we measure the impact? And who will be the target market?
Where do we start? The first step of the plan is to rebrand the city as a tourist destination and a place that inspires people to invest. An executive team is being put in place, and a selection of young businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and professionals from the city are being contacted for a first Online campaign (Cap-Haitien, The City) targeting young local professionals and young Haitians in the Diaspora. In November 2018, HTI in partnership with Haiti-Benelux Chamber of Commerce and the Minister of Tourism is launching one of the most significant Tourism Innovation events. The city will receive the most important actors in the industry from all over the world, including several Ministers of tourism, Investors, Entrepreneurs, companies and presses such CNN Travel, BBC Travel, Caribbean Journal, etc. During this event
By 2019, the plan is to work with several tourism organizations in the city; the chamber of commerce and the City Hall to form direct tourism and leadership development partnership with other cities around the world. The list of countries Includes Puerto Plata, Santiago, Miami, Tampa, and Paris, while we will continue to work with Haitian Professional and students associations inside and outside of the country to encourage them to be more involved. Developing new tourism products is a crucial part of the process, this is why HTI efforts will not be limited to The Tourism Innovation Events, it will also work with hotels, tour operators, the city to foster profound change in the industry.
Davidson, the Leading founding partner, and his team understand it will not be an easy task, but he is determined to work with every single actor in the industry in the city to grow the number of tourists that visit Cap-Haitien, and the northern department. Haiti tourism Inc have designed several successful campaign in the past including Educating The World about Haiti, that took place in Countries like Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, France. The team has been committed to this great cause for the last seven years, and they believe the development of Haiti tourism industry will start a city at a time, and Cap-Haitien will be the case study and a prototype for the rest of the country.
