Troubled paradise: Haiti's Port Salut

International tourists have a crucial role to play in helping the people of Haiti rebuild their shattered lives, former US President Bill Clinton has told business leaders.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Mr Clinton said the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti could mark a turning point for the impoverished nation.

An estimated 200,000 people were killed on 12 January when capital city Port-au-Prince was rocked by a devastating earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter Scale.

Even three weeks on, humanitarian workers are struggling to help the people most in need – hindered by the country’s faltering infrastructure and public services.

Up to 1.5 million Haitians have been left homeless in what had already been the poorest country in the Western hemisphere prior to the quake. And while the emphasis remains on providing immediate care for those worst affected, Mr Clinton urged the travel sector to be prepared.

“I believe that a country can rise from the ashes in a very short period of time,” he said, citing the speedy recovery of Indonesia’s Aceh province following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

The former US President added: “This is an opportunity to re-imagine the future.”

Just before last month’s earthquake, Haiti’s fledgling tourism sector had been showing signs of expanding beyond the restrictive cruise stop-overs for which it is best known.

Choice Hotels had announced plans to open two new hotels in the picturesque southern town of Jacmel, while Haitian authorities had secured a deal to build a new international airport in second city Cap-Haitien. It remains unclear whether either project will go ahead following the quake.

Writing in Time magazine last month, Mr Clinton urged: “All the development projects … the tourism, the airport that needs to be built … everything else should stay on schedule.”

© Cheapflights Ltd (Creative Commons image: M_Eriksson / Flickr)

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