Santo Domingo.- Haiti’s Tourism Minister sees her country becoming the Caribbean’s next major tourist destination but needs to forge an alliance with neighboring Dominican Republic to learn from its vast experience

Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin Friday said president Michel Martelly’s Administration regards tourism a cornerstone of its development policy, "because of its potential as an unrivalled source of new jobs, foreign currency and overall progress for the country."

Speaking in the Caribbean Tourism Bourse (BTC) trade fair in Santo Domingo where Haiti is the guest of honor, the official said Port-au-Prince has laid the groundwork for a hospitality market which instils confidence on investors and provide results in the short, medium and long term, which will create jobs, wealth and progress for Haiti.

To address this great task, Balmir said Haiti has to forge an alliance with its neighbor that she calls “a mirror which we can see ourselves in."

She cited as an example her government’s planned investments to expand the airports at Les Cayes, Cape Haitien and Jacmel to receive direct international flights. “As written in our flag, union is strength, so by bridging the best of both countries, I'm sure we will have better opportunities to compete as a tourism destination in the Caribbean."