Tourism Management in the Caribbean: The case of Haiti

Haiti has been described as a PCCD nation, facing numerous challenges arising from the interlinked legacies of colonialism, conflict and disaster. One result of this is the difficulty in establishing tourism on the island due to the social and economic conditions that prevail. The enclave model has facilitated tourism on the island, effectively screening tourism and tourists from the intense hardship that dominates Haiti. As such, it has proved, in its way, sustainable. Yet its enclave status is also its weakness. The lack of linkages has long been recognised as a limiting feature of enclave tourism. It is in this context that the paper considers the potential in the idea of ambidextrous management. This concept encourages a pragmatic focus on current strengths accompanied by an innovative focus on the development of linkages between the enclave and the Haitian business and cultural community.