A Presidential Visit to Labadee

Chairman & CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. Richard Fain reports on his Chairmans's Blog about a recent trip he and other company executives made to their private island Labadee to see first-hand the upgrades there, which include a new pier, an alpine coaster, new dining facilities, and expanded amenities. Located on a 260-acre peninsula, Labadee is approximately six miles from Cap Haitien on the secluded north coast of Hispaniola (more familiarly known as Haiti).

As Fain shared the developments during their day, he noted,

By coincidence, President Bill Clinton was leading a delegation as part of his mandate from the UN as special envoy to Haiti dealing with their economic and social crisis. We are one of the largest foreign investors in Haiti and over the years, Labadee has brought more than 10 million tourists to the island and have invested close to $100 million. President Clinton very generously agreed to visit Labadee with his delegation and we therefore had the privilege of hosting him today as well.

What a day! Seeing the improvements was thrilling and getting to show them off to President Clinton was a special honor. The island looked great and it really showcased what we offer our guests. We are particularly proud of the economic benefit our site provides to Haiti in fees and taxes, employment and community involvement. For example, we visited a clean water project we sponsored in the neighboring village of Labadie as well as plans for a new school we are hoping to build to serve several of the neighboring villages.

Cruise Diva wonders if a Royal Caribbean cruise is in the former-President and current Secretary of State's future?