Stéphanie Saint-Jean promotes agrotourism in Haiti

Stéphanie Saint Jean, an expert in tourism development, talks about her love and desire for tourism, particularly agrotourism in Haiti.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Stéphanie Saint Jean is 26 years old. After completing her classical studies, she entered IERAH/ISERSS, part of the Université d’État d’Haïti, to study heritage and tourism. During these four years of study, this discipline became her passion, or a part of her. After earning her bachelor’s degree in 2016, she was determined to pursue a master’s degree in tourism.

Finally, Stéphanie completed a master’s degree in regional planning and community management at the Institut des hautes études commerciales et économiques (IHECE). In the end, she began to make the link between planning and tourism, and to look at how heritage is treated in development plans.

In 2019, thanks to a scholarship opportunity from the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) for the Établissement spécialisé pour l’administration et le management (ESFAM) in Bulgaria, in partnership with several French and Belgian universities, she obtained a diploma in Management of SMEs and tourism territories from the Université de Corse Pasquale Paoli. To complete her training, the Port-au-Prince native completed an internship as a tourism development officer before returning to Haiti in 2020. This is how her desire to develop tourism, particularly agrotourism, in Haiti came about. Today, she is in charge of programs and events at Sco Tour Haiti, a tourism institution that promotes local tourism in schools.

“What drew me to tourism was that I was looking for a job related to travel. Before, I wanted to become a flight attendant, but it seemed a bit complicated. In 2012, after my classical studies, my big sister encouraged me to join IERAH/ ISERSS, which had a discipline on tourism and heritage. I already saw my life around travel. As time went by, it became a part of me. Tourism is more than just a job I do, it’s a passion,” she declares.

Stéphanie Saint Jean loves voyages of discovery, in other words, adventure. She makes the most of her free time, watching documentaries, listening to music, or reading about the news she receives through Google Alerts on tourism. “It was my visits to the countryside, either with the family, or retreats with my church, that allowed me to discover many wonderful places in my country,” she confides, adding that tourism provides an insane sense of well-being. It’s a time to escape the stresses of everyday life, a time to experience thrills or to reconnect with nature and live new experiences. It’s one of the factors in a country’s development, and very beneficial for the economy as a whole.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourist world is facing enormous difficulties. And to prevent further spread, some countries are banning all kinds of activities and travel. In Haiti, between socio-political instability and the health situation, the tourism business is severely affected. Stéphanie Saint Jean, Program and Event Manager at Sco Tour Haiti, reacts: “About a month ago, we were happy not to have been too badly affected by the coronavirus. We even thought it was a strong point for selling Haiti’s image, but it’s a shame the situation is now chaotic. Apart from the insecurity and the resurgence of the pandemic, the development of tourism in Haiti requires a great deal of effort in terms of strategy or public policy”, she continues, pointing out that tourism is not a priority for the Haitian authorities.

According to the former IERAH / ISERSS student, we need to focus on a different form of tourism that is adapted to the local area. Local tourism should also be encouraged. “What I would add is to prioritize event tourism (Carnival, rara, country festivals, etc.), and to emphasize forms of tourism related to the seaside, history and agriculture.

To change the perception of tourism in Haiti, we need to intervene at the national level, starting by making this sector a top national priority. Then, a good marketing and communications strategy. “The problems in this sector are real, but we can limit these impacts by selling a positive image with the natural and cultural heritage ensembles we have, the sites, etc.,” she explains.

“I strongly encourage visiting our various country sites (local tourism). Because there’s a whole range of tangible and intangible natural and cultural heritage, so take your vacation and set off to discover a new horizon. For foreigners, we have a rich and varied culture, because each of our departments has its own particularities. Don’t limit Haiti to Port-au-Prince. Rural areas can provide tranquillity”, she encourages, inviting Haitians to take up local tourism.

At the age of 26, Stéphanie Saint Jean has big dreams for tourism in Haiti. She is currently working on her “Agrotourism” project, which is a blend of tourism and agriculture. She wants to tackle these problems from different angles in order to find appropriate solutions. In this respect, she believes that agrotourism can help both sectors to develop and come out a win-win situation.

In her view, agrotourism can contribute to the stability of the Haitian economy in conjunction with farmers and agricultural farms, but there needs to be a clear interest in the territory through these two sectors, not forgetting the difficulties facing the agricultural sector in particular. Of course, there are risks, but we need to provide them with adequate means to overcome the challenges and resist the obstacles. I believe that this form of tourism will revolutionize the agricultural sector, because it involves both tourism and agriculture”, suggests the former AUF scholarship holder for ESFAM (specialized school for administration and management) in Bulgaria.

She dreams of participating in the tourist development of all the sites in Haiti, so as to make them accessible to all. “We’re in the 21st century, and Haiti has a lot of potential that’s disappearing. It’s the responsibility of tourism professionals to save what’s left”. Her biggest dream is to see Haiti among the top 5 destinations to visit in the Caribbean. “I’m motivated by the idea that our beloved Haiti will soon be back on the world map in terms of development, and that the tourism sector will be one of its main assets”, she concludes.