HAITI TOURISM IS A BUSTLING INDUSTRY

 The untamed scenery and exotic locale were legendary, attracting movie stars and business moguls from all over the world. Notoriety came in the form of Haiti's national religion of voodoo, but it was soon replaced by a different, more ominous marking – dictatorships, drug trafficking, widespread poverty and violence, all of which seriously wounded Haiti tourism. And despite the return of democracy to the island in the 21st century, the island is still in the process of recovery.



But that is neither here nor there, as the island still has enormous beauty to offer. Factor in that the government and people of Haiti are trying their best to restore the island into a tourist haven, and you have all the makings for a sublime trip to an island rediscovering itself. The palm trees and gingerbread houses of Jacmel make the city one of the most beautiful locations in all of the Caribbean. The fading white of the buildings and voodoo artwork give the city an exoticism that reminds one of why this used to be one of the top tourist spots in the entire Caribbean.

RICH CULTURE

The vibrant Haiti culture is most alive in its religion, music and food. Though the official religion of the country is Catholicism, a throwback to when the French ran the island, it is their continuing practice of voodoo that gives the culture of Haiti its exotic appeal. Though the French tried in vain to keep control of the island, Haiti became the second nation in the Americas (after the United States) to achieve independence. The most prominent remainder from French culture is the food, which borrows equally from creole, traditional African dishes and the spices of Latin America. The music of Haiti is significantly different from the rest of the Caribbean – kampa and zouk are the most popular forms here, and have more in common with jazz than the island beats found in places such as Cuba and Trinidad.

Despite the messy history of Haiti, the country is indeed becoming more tourist-friendly. Fear mongering and trumped-up State Department warnings are the only reminders of what Haiti used to be. Luckily, the people of Haiti are more concerned with what the island is turning into: one of the best kept secrets and one of the great examples of political and economic renewal in all of the world.