Just east of Interstate 95 and 79th Street there is a billboard touting the beauty of Haiti.
The message on the billboard reads: “Live the experience. Seize the Opportunities.”
It's a message that Haiti’s Ministry of Tourism and its consulate in Miami put up to bring tourism and business back to the country.
“We are specifically targeting the Haitian diaspora because we believe this is the first group that will really give a significant change to Haiti in terms of sustainable economic development," said Francois Guillaume II, Haiti's Consul General in Miami.
Caribbean Locals Happy to be Home
Gary Jules, the general manager of Tap Tap Haitian restaurant in Miami Beach, said local Haitians should get involved in their native country.
“I think that it’s right that we appeal to our Haitian Americans here to remain interested, involved you know in Haiti," he said.
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Haiti may be the poorest country in the western hemisphere but Haitians say it is much more than that.
“Haiti has a lot to offer that most people don’t know much about, in terms of art music, it’s a rich and very textured culture that does get missed in the media,” Jules said.
“I think its now time to get that message to them to say that Haiti is a destination like the others in the Caribbean," said Guy Francois Jr., Vice Consul in Miami.
