Luxury cruise ships continue to visit despite devastation

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 14 years ago

Luxury cruise ships continue to visit despite devastation

Luxury cruise ships will continue to dock as normal at an idyllic resort in northern Haiti despite the deadly earthquake a week ago that devastated the Caribbean nation, a company said yesterday.

Royal Caribbean International, which has donated US$1 million to the Haiti relief effort and is bringing in emergency supplies on its huge ships, defended the move by saying it was important to keep the Haitian economy ticking over despite the tragedy.

The giant Liberty of the Seas, which has capacity for 3600 passengers, was to drop anchor later Tuesday off the port of Labadee where the company leases a private resort with beautiful beaches and sparkling turquoise waters.

Loading

"We are on regular itinerary, with three ships going to Labadee per week," the company's director of communications, Lyan Sierra-Caro, said.

"Navigator of the Seas yesterday (Monday); today Liberty of the Seas will be there and Celebrity Solstice on Friday. We have no reports on cancellations so far."

But not everyone thought it appropriate for tourists to be lapping up luxury on Haitian beaches while rescuers are struggling to find survivors and bring relief to those living in wretched conditions following Tuesday's catastrophe.

"I can't imagine having to choke down a burger there now knowing how many have died and how many are dying of thirst and who will probably die of their injuries," said blogger Bakincakes, a visitor to the resort some years ago.

Labadee, where Royal Caribbean employs hundreds of Haitians, is on Haiti's northern coast, which was largely unaffected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

Officials fear the quake may have killed up to 200,000 people in and around the capital Port-au-Prince. A million remain homeless, hungry and shell-shocked in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Advertisement

Adam Goldstein, chief executive of Royal Caribbean International, wrote on his blog that continuing to send cruise ships was exactly the right thing to do despite the huge suffering further south.

"Being on the island and generating economic activity for the straw market vendors, the hair-braiders and our 230 employees helps with relief, while being somewhere else does not help," he wrote.

And he told Fox Business Network that "when the captain (of the Independence of the Seas, the first ship to go back to Haiti) informed the guests that we were going to go to Haiti he got a standing ovation.

"The overwhelming majority of the guests are comfortable with what is going on, pleased with the relief efforts, and happy to contribute through their activities on the land there."

Goldstein said his ships were each taking between 40 and 60 pallets of vital supplies to the island, "and we're looking into how we can bring even more supplies in per call."

Royal Caribbean vice president John Weis said Thursday that the supplies included rice, dried beans and water.

"This effort is going to be a marathon, so we will be partnering with Food For The Poor on the back-end distribution in Haiti."

The Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, which has rooms for 6300 passengers and is also operated by Royal Caribbean, made its first stop at Labadee on December 1.

AFP

Sign up for the Traveller newsletter

The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.

Most viewed on Traveller

Loading