appear to be an upstairs full-service restaurant, which inexplicably is reserved only for clients of American Airlines. Downstairs, there are mysterious lines, mismatched chairs and a general, pervasive sense of "what on earth is going on here?" An extensive renovation of the departures area of the airport is underway and was slated to be completed in 2015, but this welcome development has not yet occurred. Currently, the airport serves as an odd coda for any trip to Haiti, reminding the traveler that despite the amazing experiences compiled during a trip to Haiti, the country still has a ways to go.
Which brings us back to the question of whether or not Haiti is ready for tourism. The answer, at the risk of sounding like a complete cop-out, is a mixture of yes and no. Even the most incredible stay in Haiti will invariably include a hefty slice of frustration at the unnecessary delays and potholes and traffic (have I mentioned the traffic?). However, perhaps the better question is not whether tourists need Haiti, but whether Haiti needs tourists. The answer, unsurprisingly, is an unmitigated yes. Realizing the economic impact that tourism can make on the country's recovering economy, the Tourism Ministry embarked on an ambitious program to double the number of hotel rooms on the island and attract further foreign investment. Since 2011, government revenue from tourism has quintupled, and the number of visitors only continues to rise as airlines establish new direct flights to the United States and international hotel chains open new outposts on the island. Since each new hotel room creates two direct jobs and four indirect jobs, the investments have helped that many more Haitians enter the formal economy and bolster their incomes. You don't have to be the Mother Teresa of international tourism to realize that the decisions you make about travel destinations can make a huge impact on the people in developing countries- and that maybe it's time to direct your tourism dollars towards our scrappy underdog of a neighbor located just a 90-minute flight to our south. While Haiti's needs are vast and humanitarians try their best, what Haiti actually needs now is a constant flow of tourists who will stay in hotels, buy handicrafts, eat in restaurants and post their amazing photos on social media to show their friends and family that Haiti is gorgeous and difficult and fascinating in equal parts.
As our JetBlue flight made its way home to the U.S., the flight attendants came through the cabin with the required customs forms. Without a second thought, I reached into my bag, pulled out a spare pen. As I handed it to the Haitian man seated beside me, he smiled and took it without a word- and when he was finished he gave it to the third man in our row. And then I realized that you don't have to speak the local language on every international trip, or make life-long friends or change the world or help orphans or build houses- you can effect positive change in whatever small way you're able. And in return you'll discover that countries like Haiti will charm you and teach you things and maybe change you in the smallest of ways in return.
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