For decades, Haiti has been described as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Yet anyone who truly knows Haiti understands that the country is not poor in beauty, natural resources, culture, or opportunity. Haiti is poor in leadership, vision, and long-term national planning.
I am 51 years old, and since my childhood I have witnessed tourists arriving in Haiti through the famous cruise destination of Labadee, operated by Royal Caribbean International. Year after year, thousands of visitors came to enjoy Haiti’s beaches, mountains, and sunshine. Yet in 2026, after all these years of tourism activity, the surrounding region of Labadee still lacks many basic necessities of life.
Many local communities continue to struggle without reliable access to clean drinking water, hospitals, stable electricity, and proper schools or learning centers. This reality raises an important question: how can a region welcome international tourism for decades while the nearby population remains abandoned and underdeveloped?
Tourism should never function as an isolated business that benefits only foreign corporations while local communities remain trapped in poverty. True tourism development must improve the lives of the people living around these destinations. Roads should be built. Hospitals should open. Young people should receive education and professional training. Families should gain access to electricity and clean water. Economic growth should be visible not only inside resort walls, but throughout the entire region.
In 2019, I traveled to Jérémie and discovered the incredible beauty of Les Îles Cayemites. What I saw convinced me that Haiti possesses another hidden treasure waiting to be developed responsibly. The islands are a gold mine for tourism in the Great South of Haiti. With proper leadership, vision, and security, this region could attract major international cruise companies such as Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, and many others searching for unique Caribbean destinations.
The development of the Great South would not only create jobs for local communities, but it would also increase activity at Antoine-Simon Airport. Increased international traffic would generate new business opportunities, attract investment, improve infrastructure, and create new sources of income for the Haitian economy.
Haiti has everything necessary to become one of the Caribbean’s greatest tourism destinations: breathtaking beaches, mountains, waterfalls, islands, culture, history, music, and one of the most resilient populations in the world. What Haiti lacks is a serious national vision.
Too many leaders have governed Haiti without understanding how nations are built. Instead of creating long-term economic projects, developing infrastructure, and investing in strategic sectors like tourism, agriculture, transportation, and education, the country has suffered from political instability, corruption, and short-sighted leadership.
The Great South of Haiti represents an opportunity for transformation. Developing regions like Les Îles Cayemites could become a breakthrough not only for Jérémie and Les Cayes, but for the entire country. Tourism development in these regions could stimulate airport expansion, road construction, hotel investments, maritime transportation, local entrepreneurship, and employment for thousands of Haitian families.
Haiti does not need pity. Haiti needs builders. Haiti needs leaders capable of transforming opportunities into national progress.
The tragedy is not that Haiti lacks resources. The tragedy is that for generations, those resources have remained undeveloped while the population continues to suffer. But the future can still change if visionary leadership finally emerges, leadership willing to invest in the country’s potential and create sustainable development for future generations.
Haiti remains a sleeping giant in the Caribbean. The question is no longer whether the country has potential. The question is whether Haiti will finally find leaders capable of awakening it.
Garry Muzeau
Toursinhaiti.com
1.829.548.2386