Labadee, Haiti

       

Labadee (also Labadie) is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International until 2050.

          Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on the premises for a fee and paying the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.

       The resort is completely tourist-oriented, and is guarded by a private security force. The site is fenced off from the surrounding area, and passengers are not allowed to leave the property. 

   Food available to tourists is brought from the cruise ships. A controlled group of Haitian merchants are given sole rights to sell their merchandise and establish their businesses in the resort. 

Although sometimes described as an island in advertisements, it is actually a peninsula contiguous with the island of Hispaniola. 

          The cruise ship moors to the pier at Labadee capable of servicing the Oasis class ships, which was completed in late 2009.

        Attractions include a Haitian flea market, beaches, watersports, a water-oriented playground, a roller-coaster-type ride, and a zip-line.