G Adventures has launched five departures to Haiti starting in February 2015.
Tourism is returning to the destination following?a devastating earthquake that shook the world?s largest creole country five years ago.
p>G Adventures has launched five departures to Haiti starting in February 2015.Tourism is returning to the destination following?a devastating earthquake that shook the world?s largest creole country five years ago.
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In 2013,?G Adventures?was approached by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to assess and report on Haiti?s tourism potential. The IDB has an existing relationship with G Adventures? non-profit organisation, Planeterra, developing community-based projects to support local economies in Central and South America.
Jeff Russill, VP of innovation at G Adventures, travelled to Haiti to help assess its readiness for travellers.
?We weren?t sure what we would find when we arrived, but what we discovered was a country full of friendly people looking to move on, world-class art and culture, real-time history, and stunning nature and beaches.
?We?re looking forward to bringing our travellers here to experience this strong culture, to spend locally and help Haiti fully recover. G Adventures uses local suppliers, which means travellers? money stays in the country. We firmly believe tourism can be a force for good,? says Russill.
The return is timely, as Haiti has just opened its first tourism office and appointed a consultant to Europe, Jean-Marc Flambert, to help rebuild the country?s reputation as an attractive tourist destination.
?I believe the UK market will launch the fastest. We?re concentrating on escorted groups initially, so I?m thrilled G Adventures is launching trips there. Their ethical approach fits so well with how we want to help rebuild, through tourism and word-of-mouth,? says Flambert.
?There?s a real curiosity around travelling to Haiti; it's a place to be explored and adventure travel is the perfect way to see it. While travellers will visit the beach, Haiti is not a fly-and-flop destination.?
G Adventures? 10-day Highlights of Haiti trip is available to book now and is priced from ?1,599pp, excluding flights.
Highlights include Cap-Ha?tien and its famous Citadelle Laferri?re, a UNESCO-designated mountaintop fortress, learning all about rum at a local distillery, making the local kasav flat bread, meeting a voodoo priest and shopping for voodoo artefacts at the Iron Market. Travellers will also visit a local grassroots project, the Art Creation Foundation for Children, which helps at-risk youth learn artistic skills, and see local artist communities make famous mosaics. Nature-lovers will enjoy visiting the turquoise Bassin-Bleu pools to cliff-dive and swim, and the Marie-Jeanne cave to discover underground landscapes and massive caverns.
For more information or to book, please call 0844 272 2040 or visit www.gadventures.co.uk
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