Above: a Sunrise Airways plane

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism and Haiti-based Sunrise Airways have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at working together to boost tourism arrivals to the country, the two sides announced Wednesday.

Under the agreement, the two sides will work to help bring journalists, travel agents, business development partners and other interested parties to come see Haiti.

“Tourism is already an important part of our improving economy, but the potential exists now more than ever for Haiti to stand up and be counted among the leading leisure travel destinations in the Caribbean,” said Philippe Bayard, president of Sunrise Airways, in a statement. “Haiti is most certainly open for tourism business. We at Sunrise Airways are excited to take an active role in proving just that to the world.”

While Haiti’s tourism industry is very much in a developing state, the country has seen significant improvement in tourism arrivals of late, along with a wave of new hotel construction.

“Just as we’ve built tremendous momentum in growing Haiti’s tourism sector in recent months, so too has Sunrise Airways made great strides in elevating our aviation sector, opening up new markets in neighbouring countries and earning raves with their professional service and staunch commitment to safety,” said Haiti Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin in a release. “We couldn’t be happier than to partner with them to continue moving Haiti forward.”

Sunrise Airways currently operates service between Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien within Haiti and internationally to Providenciales, Santo Domingo and Holguin, Cuba.