By now, most of us have seen and heard about the profound devastation and suffering wrought upon Haiti last week after a massive earthquake. So you'd probably think there's no way that cruising tourists could have returned to frolicking on Haiti's beaches mere miles from where people are trapped beneath the rubble of a decimated city. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong.

On Sunday, the Guardian reported that Florida-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is docking ships at the "picturesque wooded peninsula" known as Labadee, which it leases on Haiti's northern coast. At Labadee, passengers "enjoy jetski rides, parasailing, and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks." The British paper also reported that passengers can spend their time "shopping for trinkets at a craft market" while armed guards stand at the entry to the complex to guarantee their safety.

Despite the fact that the ships have delivered relief supplies to the island, some passengers on the ships are reportedly "sickened" over the decision to dock there. One passenger took to an Internet message board to protest the idea of vacationing where "tens of thousands of dead people are being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water."

When Royal Caribbean announced its decision to resume stops at Labadee last week, a company executive cited the economic importance of the resort to the local citizens as well as the opportunity to deliver much-needed supplies.

Royal Caribbean's decision to dock ships at Haitian resort creates controversy - Yahoo! News

What do you think?

Jeff

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From the wild Irish slums of the 19th century Eastern seaboard, to the riot-torn suburbs of Los Angeles, there is one unmistakable lesson in American history; a community that allows a large number of men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship to male authority, never acquiring any set of rational expectations about the future -- that community asks for and gets chaos. Crime, violence, unrest, disorder -- most particularly the furious, unrestrained lashing out at the whole social structure -- that is not only to be expected; it is very near to inevitable. And it is richly deserved. ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democrat, NY)


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Doesn't seem right to me... but is it bringing in revenue for Haiti?

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I didn't read the article, but here's my 2 cents. The only reason it would be a good idea is if it's bringing in any kind of revenue to the country.

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If they can drop off food, water or medical aid, then fine. Otherwise, they should steer clear. I would imagine that most of the resources in Haiti should be used at this point for rescuing the trapped, treating the injured, putting the dead to rest, getting order restored, and other necessities provided for - tourism can wait.

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I loved the president of the cruise line defending his position. Such a lovely man.

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It was the same thing after the tsunami. The locals desperately wanted tourists and their money, boycotting Haiti now allows (relatively) rich people to feel good about themselves but does not do anything for the Haitians who desperately need the foreign trade as they are suffering from an economic devastation as well.

Jeff

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From the wild Irish slums of the 19th century Eastern seaboard, to the riot-torn suburbs of Los Angeles, there is one unmistakable lesson in American history; a community that allows a large number of men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship to male authority, never acquiring any set of rational expectations about the future -- that community asks for and gets chaos. Crime, violence, unrest, disorder -- most particularly the furious, unrestrained lashing out at the whole social structure -- that is not only to be expected; it is very near to inevitable. And it is richly deserved. ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democrat, NY)


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I wouldn't consider it a call to boycott, but shouldn't they channel whatever resources are available to finding every last person still alive in the rubble instead of catering to the cruise ship tourists? Not only that, but with the recurrent aftershocks, is it really in anyone's interests to bring unnecessary people onto the island?

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"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37

I realize it is not a boycott in the usual sense of the word, but effectively that is what would be happening. We are punishing Haiti even more because they were unfortunate enough to have the earthquake.

At this point, I don’t think it is a resource issue either, it is a logistics issue. Some of it is due to physics and safety, such as how many planes can land at the local airfield. Some of it is due to human error or politics such as the UN not wanting to work with local government, aid groups not wanting to work with the US military, etc.

Also, think about this from the shop owner’s perspective. If it were you, would you go off trying to find survivors or would you tend to your shop? I think I would tend to my shop, even if I had family in regions that were hit. In fact, it might be very important to have a source of income because I might end up having to support extended family members. Going into the hit areas would use up more resources and would be very dangerous.

If someone wants to argue there should be no cruise ships for a week or two, I can understand that. But longer term the shops really need the support of the tourists and Haiti as a country needs trade, not just handouts.

Jeff

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From the wild Irish slums of the 19th century Eastern seaboard, to the riot-torn suburbs of Los Angeles, there is one unmistakable lesson in American history; a community that allows a large number of men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship to male authority, never acquiring any set of rational expectations about the future -- that community asks for and gets chaos. Crime, violence, unrest, disorder -- most particularly the furious, unrestrained lashing out at the whole social structure -- that is not only to be expected; it is very near to inevitable. And it is richly deserved. ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan (Democrat, NY)


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That's pretty well how I feel. I'm torn a bit, I do see how you could feel like a real jerk having fun in a gated off area just miles from where all this devestation has and is going on.
But on the other hand, realistically, cutting off tourism isn't going to help them economically either. They are going to need to make money. And considering that the cruise ship is ALSO bringing supplies, it seems like a win-win to me.

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