Tourism in HaitiFifties & Sixties Style

with David Barge

The Duality of Haiti Tourism (50s)- Advertisements for Haitian tourism often contrasted native symbols

and “traditional” touristic images with foreign intellectualism and architecture

- Because Port-Au-Prince did not have a beach scene, tourism relied on historical landmarks from French colonialism, and a burgeoning hotel industry

- “Trianon”, the name of the hotel in “The Comedians” means “a small elegant villa; especially : one in the grounds of a larger establishment” according to Merriam-Webster. It originated from one of the villas in the royal park at Verseilles, France (Merriam-Webster)

Graham Greene’s Visit- Like the “Lost Generation” of artists who flocked to

Paris in the 1920s, artists such as Graham Greene were frequent tourists of Haiti

- This helped enhance Haiti’s intellectual appeal, and was written about in the Haiti Sun.

- From the December 2, 1956 Haiti Sun: “Mr. Greene who has been acclaimed by many of his contemporaries in England as the finest of his generation enjoys this country for a number of good reasons. His latest reason was the discovery of the ten cent taxi. Like a typical Englishman of today, suffering from a shortage of dollars this was a very important discovery” (“Graham Greene at El Rancho”, 3)

“The Comedians”- Greene provides a description of pre-Duvalier hotel tourism with

Hotel Trianon, based on the Hotel Olaffson where he stayed often- “A centre of Haitian intellectual life. A luxury-hotel which caters

equally for the connoisseur of good food and the lover of local customs. Try the special drinks made from the finest Haitian rum, bathe in the luxurious swimming-pool, listen to the music of the Haitian drum and watch the Haitian dancers. Mingle with the elite of Haaitian intellectual life, the musicians, the poets, the painters who find at the Hotel Trianon a social centre…” (Greene 48-9)

- Again shows the duality of Haitian tourism in the fifties; local culture mixed with intellectualism and extravagance

Changing of the Guards: Papa Doc

- Francois Duvalier came into power by garnering support with the large lower-class black population, ran on black nationalism and populism

- Overthrew the “Elite-Mulatto” ruling class, and kept power by growing the black middle-class while murdering and/or arresting political and economic opposition and seizing assets

- Tourist industry had been run by this “Elite-Mulatto” upper class, so the industry suffered as a result

- The atrocities committed under Duvalier’s reign unsurprisingly hurt Haiti’s image and discouraged tourists from visiting

Reverse-Tourism- Advertising from companies like Pan-Am catered to wealthy people

trying to leave Haiti, like the protagonist of “The Comedians”- From the February 16, 1958 edition of the Haiti Sun

American Reaction- Although America lost a tourist destination, Duvalier was firmly anti-

Communist, which kept the US government happy given the situation with Russia and Cuba

- Still, capitalistic thinking dictated criticism of lost tourist revenues and “unfilled potential”

- “Before the rise of President Duvalier's tightly controlled regime in 1957, Port-au-Prince was a major tourist port of call in the Caribbean. Today its handful of first-class hotels are almost all pathetically empty” (“Papa Doc’s Haiti – A Lost Paradise,” Clark)

“Rugged” Tourism- “Haiti is for a hardier breed of tourist… it is characteristic of Haiti, the

land of unrealized opportunities, that its scenic wonders are only to be reached by a system (if it may be called that) of washed-out, pot-holed roads that even Jeeps and powerful buses can scarcely traverse” (“Papa Doc’s Haiti – A Lost Paradise,” Clark)

- Tourism infrastructure was not invested in by Duvalier’s regime, making it hard to get to Haitian wonders such as the Citadelle (the same one from “Henry & Henrietta”)

Conclusion- Haitian tourism in the 1950s combined traditional Haitian symbols

and tropes with European extravagance and influence, also shown with Parisian architecture and cooking

- Election of Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier caused a sharp decline in tourism during the 1960s, as the ruling class that operated tourist businesses was thrown out or fled the country

- Duvalier’s brutal regime garnered a reputation that discouraged tourists from visiting. Furthermore, the regime did not invest in necessary tourism infrastructure like good roads

- Graham Greene’s “The Comedians” provides us with a viewpoint of the tourism industry as it was before and during Duvalier’s reign

Works CitedClark, George P. "Papa Doc's Haiti -- A Paradise Lost." Editorial. Courier

Journal 3 Nov. 1968: n. pag. John-Martens. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.Dunnigan, Regis, ed. "Visit Haiti." Travel in the Americas (1956): 1+.

Print."Graham Greene at El Rancho." Haiti Sun [Port-au-Prince] 2 Dec. 1956:

1+.DLOC. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.Greene, Graham. The Comedians: Graham Greene. London: Bodley

Head, 1966. Print."Miami - Pan American." Haiti Sun [Port-au-Prince] 16 Feb. 1958: 3.

Print.Shefflin, Fred F. The Guide: All Florida & the Caribbean 6.2 (1955-6): 2.

DLOC. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.