16th Edition of Mardis de la Nation: Tourism Takes the Floor in Northern Haiti
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince
· 2 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
Leaving Port-au-Prince to settle in Cap-Haïtien, the 16th edition of Mardis de la Nation, an initiative of the Prime Minister's Office, was held on July 8, 2025. On this occasion, the Minister of Tourism unveiled the main directions of an ambitious recovery plan for the tourism sector, with a particular focus on the Northern and Southern regions.
Cap-Haïtien, July 8, 2025 – For the first time since the launch of the Mardis de la Nation series, government activity left the capital to establish itself in the North. This 16th edition, organized in Cap-Haïtien, highlighted the tourism sector, with a notable address by the Minister of Tourism, John Herrick Dessources.
In his address, the Minister presented the main pillars of the national tourism recovery plan. According to him, the enhancement of heritage, infrastructure development, and private sector involvement are the pillars of a strategy aimed at restoring tourism's driving role in the Haitian economy.
Among the announced measures:
– the creation of a targeted investment portfolio for the Northern and Southern regions,
– the rehabilitation of the National Historical Park (Citadelle Laferrière, Sans-Souci Palace, Ramiers),
– the renovation of emblematic buildings, such as the Cayes Tourism School or certain former regional administrative headquarters. The plan also includes the establishment of a National Tourism Council which will bring together public and private stakeholders around governance and innovation issues in the sector. The strengthening of Politour (tourism police), the standardization of professional training, and the recruitment of new executives through competitive examinations are also among the priority actions. In a symbolic gesture, Minister Dessources also extended his sympathies to the owners of the Oloffson Hotel, destroyed by arson in Port-au-Prince last weekend. He firmly denounced this act, which he described as an attack against a monument of Haitian culture. With this decentralized edition, Mardis de la Nation marks a turning point. The choice of Cap-Haïtien is not insignificant: a historic city, a cradle of cultural and natural wealth, it alone embodies the tourism potential that the government wishes to reactivate. It remains to be seen whether these ambitious announcements will translate into action on the ground, in an always fragile security and economic context. The editorial team
– the creation of a targeted investment portfolio for the Northern and Southern regions,
– the rehabilitation of the National Historical Park (Citadelle Laferrière, Sans-Souci Palace, Ramiers),
– the renovation of emblematic buildings, such as the Cayes Tourism School or certain former regional administrative headquarters. The plan also includes the establishment of a National Tourism Council which will bring together public and private stakeholders around governance and innovation issues in the sector. The strengthening of Politour (tourism police), the standardization of professional training, and the recruitment of new executives through competitive examinations are also among the priority actions. In a symbolic gesture, Minister Dessources also extended his sympathies to the owners of the Oloffson Hotel, destroyed by arson in Port-au-Prince last weekend. He firmly denounced this act, which he described as an attack against a monument of Haitian culture. With this decentralized edition, Mardis de la Nation marks a turning point. The choice of Cap-Haïtien is not insignificant: a historic city, a cradle of cultural and natural wealth, it alone embodies the tourism potential that the government wishes to reactivate. It remains to be seen whether these ambitious announcements will translate into action on the ground, in an always fragile security and economic context. The editorial team
