Will Royal Caribbean expand its offerings in Haiti?

Will Royal Caribbean expand its offerings in Haiti?


Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Adam Goldstein waxes poetic on his blog about a Haitian historic site that may be worth cruise passengers' exploration: the Citadelle, the largest fort in the Americas, which he calls "extraordinary."

Goldstein and Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain saw the site in Haiti on Friday, on an unpublicized visit – their first time in the country since the devastating earthquake in January.

The executives also met with the local management team at Labadee, the private beach resort in northern Haiti that Royal Caribbean operates for its passengers. The last time the executives visited was in October, when they toured new facilities built to handle the world's largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas (accompanied at the time by former President Bill Clinton, U.N. special envoy to Haiti).

After the earthquake, the cruise line, which has operated the Labadee resort for 30 years, received a great deal of flak for returning its ships to Haiti within days, offering a party atmosphere for cruise passengers while the death toll mounted in Port-au-Prince, some 85 miles away.

At the time, Haitian officials applauded Royal Caribbean's support, especially in keeping locals employed. The cruise line also made a $1 million donation to help in the recovery effort.

Joining the executives on last week's tour was Haiti's Minister of Tourism Patrick Delatour, who was personally involved in the restoration of the Citadelle in 1972. The fort, which was built in the early 19th century after Haiti declared independence from France, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.

Goldstein describes the Citadelle as sitting on top of a 3,000-foot mountain, but he does not discuss the challenges of getting cruise passengers to the site.

"I've been talking about the Citadelle for a long time so it made sense to actually go see it myself. It's extraordinary." He adds, "How people in the early 1800s got the rocks and munitions up that big hill is mind boggling."
As for Labadee, Goldstein reports the resort "looked great and was in full stride with Independence of the Seas at the beautiful new pier."
The executives, Goldstein says, also discussed the possibility of building a new school for locals.

Update, 10:30 a.m.: A Royal Caribbean spokesman confirmed that an excursion to Haiti's Citadelle is in development. The fort site, he said, is "not far" from Labadee.
--By Fran Golden