Solstice Eastern Caribbean NOT stopping at Labadee?!

[micmacmissy]

Why do you say Labadee does not help Haiti? 300 local people are employed. A couple hundred more sell merchandise there. A fee is paid to Haiti for every passenger. Labadee is a large source of revenue for Haiti. You think it would be better not to do Labadee and to make the island poorer?

 

I agree...a X employee on the tender told us they pay Haiti $7 per passenger per day (on the ship, not who get off the ship) to use the island...and RCI also pays all the expenses of the upkeep of the island. So you figure, Haiti is making something like $10,000 every day that a cruise ship is there. Not to mention all natives who work and are tipped there.

 

It is a touchy situation...but tourism dollars can only help.

[Schplinky]

Like others, I am torn on the whole approach to Haiti. That said, I think NOT going there because they are poor is just backward thinking. If you truly despair for them, why not make a contribution to a Haitian charity at the time of your visit? Why not walk into the straw market and pay the opening price for something, not because you need the item but because you want to support the artist and you want Haitians to know that North Americans do more than simply consume?

 

Not going there will not help Haitians. Also, we have been to other ports that seemed very poor, also (Dominica comes to mind) and one of the other positive aspects of it was that we were shown the school that our government's foreign aid money built. They seemed truly grateful.

[Wineguys]

Like others, I am torn on the whole approach to Haiti. That said, I think NOT going there because they are poor is just backward thinking. If you truly despair for them, why not make a contribution to a Haitian charity at the time of your visit? Why not walk into the straw market and pay the opening price for something, not because you need the item but because you want to support the artist and you want Haitians to know that North Americans do more than simply consume?

 

Not going there will not help Haitians. Also, we have been to other ports that seemed very poor, also (Dominica comes to mind) and one of the other positive aspects of it was that we were shown the school that our government's foreign aid money built. They seemed truly grateful.

 

 

Oh puhleez. I say this because I work extensively with Haitian charity organizations and worked in country for a year in the 80s. Dominica may look poor, but it certainly is nothing like Haiti and you are naive to think that OUR foreign aid built anything in Dominica (a small school someone said, ok possibly, hooray for America! dog bless us!). All the infrastructure in many of these poor islands is all the Chinese, particularly Dominica. Grenada too! But Haiti is a very complicated place and helping the 300 people live well is doing nothing but causing more displacement and ecomomic/political instablility elsewhere in the country, but I am done preaching to you and your ilk. Enjoy your excursion. Oh wait, you stay on the boat and have facials.:p

 

LABADEE is a big source of revenue for RCI!

[Schplinky]

... you are naive to think that OUR foreign aid built anything in Dominica (a small school someone said, ok possibly, hooray for America! dog bless us!). ..

 

 

Sure, except you and I are from different countries and I'm not sure what your experience 20 years ago has to do with today.