Labadee
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Labadie Labadee |
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|---|---|
| Village | |
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 Labadie
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| Coordinates: 19°47′11″N 72°14′44″W / 19.78639°N 72.24556°WCoordinates: 19°47′11″N 72°14′44″W / 19.78639°N 72.24556°W | |
| Country |
 Haiti
|
| Department | Nord |
| Arrondissement | Cap-Haïtien |
Labadee (French: Labadie) is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti within the arrondissement of Cap-Haïtien in the Nord department. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. until 2050. Royal Caribbean 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 $12 USD 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, an alpine coaster, and a zip-line.
The location is named after the marquis de La Badie, a Frenchman who first settled the area in the 17th century. The peninsula and a village were named Labadie. The cruise company spells the name "Labadee" to make it easier for English-speakers to pronounce.
In 1991, a journalist revealed that passengers who disembarked at the location were not informed they were in Haiti.
In November 2001, a crew member from the cruise line Royal Caribbean was attacked on Labadee in an apparent robbery. The assailants were arrested by Haitian police.
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Wikipedia