Cruise Line Stops In Haiti Draws Controversy

This post was written by admin on January 22, 2010
Posted Under: Opinion

Much controversy is brewing these days over a decision by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines to continue scheduled service to it’s private port in Haiti.

People Snorkel at Royal Caribbean port Labadee in Haiti

This is just one of those questions that everyone will have to make their own decision on. There are valid points on each side of the argument, but I wanted to point out a few things that I feel are very important to remember.

Here are a few comments made by CNN readers according to an article entitled “Haiti cruise stops draw ire, support”

“Royal Caribbean is performing a sickening act to me by taking tourists to Haiti,” wrote one poster on CNN’s Connect the World blog.

“Having a beach party while people are dead, dying and suffering minutes away hardly makes me want to cruise that particular line,” wrote another.

Haiti is a very impoverished country, mostly due to their own government’s lack of responsibility. As I mentioned in previous posts the literacy rate in Haiti is just over 50%, and their excessive poverty is said to be the worst in the western hemisphere. Other Caribbean nations have turned to banking, tourism and other exports to vastly improve the quality of living, while the government of Haiti chooses to keep their people in poverty indefinitely.

Of course there are those who would say that capitalism is wrong, and that tourism has a negative impact on the general population. The fact of the matter is however, that if you compare the living conditions in Haiti to those of it’s neighboring country the Dominican Republic a clear line can be drawn. I don’t know about you, but I have not heard any stories lately of refugees from the Dominican Republic flocking to the US or Haiti.

What Haiti desperately needs right now, even more than our financial support, is for it’s government to wake up and start making a positive impact on the lives of it’s people. Eventually Haiti will recover from this disaster, but once the Red Cross and United nations pull out their support teams, Haiti will be doomed to repeat the same fate over and over again unless positive change takes place.

Those people that somehow believe that Royal Caribbean should pull out of Haiti are completely ignorant of the situation. As I write this desperately needed supplies are being delivered to Haiti via Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships. In addition the company has pledged to offer at least $1 million in humanitarian relief to Haiti in response to the unprecedented disaster caused by last weeks earth quake.

Here is an excerpt from a press release made by Royal Caribbean International, January 15th, 2010.

Leslie Voltaire, Special Envoy of the government of Haiti to the United Nations said, “Given the terrible economic and social challenges we now face in Haiti, we welcome the continuation of the positive economic benefits that the cruise ship calls to Labadee contribute to our country.”

The benefits start with Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas’ call today to Labadee, Haiti, which includes much needed supplies for the country.

The supplies were loaded on the ship during its call in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and include items such as rice, dried beans, powdered milk, water and canned goods. In addition, 100 percent of the company’s net revenue from the destination will be contributed to the relief effort.

In the next two weeks, the following ships are scheduled to call on Labadee with additional supplies: Navigator of the Seas on Monday, January 18; Liberty of the Seas on Tuesday, January 19; and Celebrity Solstice on Friday, January 22. When the supplies arrive in Labadee, they will be transported to an offsite location to be distributed by Food for the Poor, a long time partner of Royal Caribbean in Haiti.

Click Here to read the full press release.

Personally if I had booked a cruise, with scheduled stops in Haiti, I would be very happy knowing that in some way I was contributing to the ongoing relief efforts. Again I guess this is a personal decision, but everyone I have spoken to is trying to do everything possible to help. Canceling your cruise will only hurt the situation. Better yet visit the island, talk to the people there, get to know them, and most importantly spread the word that Haiti needs our help! Not just during this crisis, but for years to come.