Above: Cap-Haitien

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti’s Tourism Ministry is continuing its plan to change the way tourism establishments are classified in the country.

The latest endeavour is the launch of the “Hibiscus” initiative in Haiti’s North and Northeast departments.

The programme first launched in April in the South and Southeast departments. The system replaces the use of stars with a graded system of one to five hibiscuses.

The hibiscus is Haiti’s national flower and the face of its new tourism logo.

The first phase of the programme includes identification, inspection, information processing and the production of specifications, the Ministry said in a statement.

The launch day included a series of information meetings with hoteliers, restaurateurs and local authorities in the north.

The system will next debut in Haiti’s West department.