Voluntourism: Not What Haiti is looking for... Come have a good time!

QUESTION: How many time does Beyonce send out a press release saying: "HEY nosy media people... I am going on vacation!"


Stephanie Villedrouin - Haiti Minister of Tourism

Never... Neverrrrrrr...

But if she is traveling Haiti to touch the hand of a poor little child... OF COURSE the media needs to know that... They have to take a picture of good Beyonce with poor little Josephine... Or what's the point?

This called VolunTOURISM... People who travel to Haiti so they can get media attention... Good for them... BAD for Haiti...

If there is one thing that Stéphanie Villedrouin, Haiti Minister of tourism, understands it is the "VolunTOURISM" phenomenon in Haiti...

There is a lot of that going on in Haiti... Every time you hear about an Hollywood actor or Joe Superstar visiting Haiti, 99.9999 percent of the time it is for their own benefit not Haiti's.

While reading an article in the travel section of the New York Times, Haiti Tourism minister Stéphanie Villedrouin talked about this...

"I'm not pushing voluntourism," she said, "If an actor comes to Haiti to visit an NGO, it's good for their P.R., not for the country's P.R. Come to Haiti to have a good time. For leisure."

I like that... Good job Madame minister!

Let's offer Haiti as a stress relief a place to have a good time... and I do agree with you... Tourists do not send out press releases before traveling to the Caribbean to lay in the beach and have a good time!

QUESTION: How would you go about reducing voluntourism and promote LEISURE travel to Haiti?

Reply with your comments.

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All Comments (8)

Cozy Michaels says...

I am a white American who has a great love for Haiti and I would love to settle there one day. The problem is Haiti needs to have laws put into place.

People are frightened because of the kidnappings you have to worry because if they think you have any money your life is in danger.

The hotels are beautiful and the food in Haiti is delicious but as soon as you leave the hotel property you have to worry.

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Paul K says...

It's easy to get real tourists to come to Haiti.

The fact is that there are a lot of them who are actively looking for warm places to visit.

But first...

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Miejo says...

il faut eduquer la nation, eduquer les femmes, eduquer les hommes, eduquer les enfants...

controler les naissances.

nous devons savoir qui nous sommes, nous devons savoir notre histoire, nous devons decouvrir nos valeurs, nous devons surtout savoir que HAITI EST UN PAYS TRES RICHE, mais pour pouvoir jouir de son immence richesse, il faut le savoir faire.

donc l'Education est une obligation! cela veut dire qu nous devons nous cultiver serieusement afin d'etre fiers de

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Jacques L says...

I have been saying this since 2008. It's nice to go "help the poor Haitians" but what happens after you leave?

But go on vacation, have a nice time, spend some money, come back and tell your friends how wonderful it was, and you've created jobs, changed the image, and helped Haiti in bigger ways then if you had spent a month volunteering.

Kudos to our minister of

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Jeanette says...

The very first time I ever traveled to Haiti was in the summer of 2007. I booked a room at the Kinam and even took a few days to visit Kaliko Beach Hotel.

I stayed for two weeks and had the best time of my life. I meet a few nice people who have remained my friends up to today.

When I came back from Haiti, I met a Haitian minister in Washington, DC and I told him that I just came from his beautiful country.

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Rich says...

Good job! to the minister of tourism in my home land Haiti, the land of freedom, even when most of our people still in chain mentally.

But I pray/ed & will never stop praying that one day the Lord almighty will answer the first black independent country's long time prayers.

& I'm sure he will cause he can & I want that to happen while I'm alive so I can enjoy my prayer answers.

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Haitiansinhouston says...

It all goes back to the government, they have to set the rules.

A lot of times people come and leave a country without anyone noticing but for us we even adverise it because we don't believe that we are good enough to have so many powerful people interested in us.
I believe they do it for publicity and so do we. We love to say who came and who's coming.

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Sarah Cadet says...

That is very true, people are still exploiting Haiti, no matter how and no matter the cost. When is this going to

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