The border areas of Haiti and the Dominican Republic are marginalized from the political and economic centers of both countries, yet are important to relations between them. There are creative initiatives to develop local, community based environmentally responsible tourism along the border.
Paper long abstract:
The border regions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic are marginalized from the political and economic centers of both countries, yet are of central importance to relations between the two countries. There are creative initiatives to develop local, community based and environmentally responsible tourism development along the border. These initiatives are constrained particularly by the neoliberal model dominating tourism development in the Dominican Republic, by the power of the national political and economic elites, and by the ideology of national and cultural separation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Local organizations and cross-border networks challenge the dominant model and seek to address local and cross-border issues of poverty, employment and environmental vulnerability.