Royal Caribbean extends suspension of stop in Labadee, a blow to Haiti's economy

Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald on Jul 18, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Royal Caribbean is once again keeping Haiti’s northern coast off its cruise itinerary.

The Miami-based cruise line, which operates the private beach destination of Labadee, is extending its suspension of visits there and will make no stops at the resort through June 2027.

Royal Caribbean had previously announced that Labadee would remain off limits through December 2026. The latest decision now adds another six months to an ongoing pause that began in 2024.

The company said in a statement that the decision was made based on its evaluation of “conditions in Haiti and our ability to deliver the best vacations responsibly.

“This decision was made with the safety and well-being of our guests and crew members in mind,” the statement added. “We have communicated these changes directly with guests.”

Labadee is located several hours north of gang-plagued Port-au-Prince. The nearest major town is Cap-Haïtien, the country’s second-largest city, which has become a refuge for Haitians fleeing gang violence as well as for deportees and returnees from the United States and neighboring countries, including the Dominican Republic.

The extended suspension of visits to Labadee’s white-sand beaches and popular overwater zip line deals another blow to Haiti’s already fragile economy. The ongoing fallout from the gang violence engulfing the West, Artibonite and Central regions, along with ongoing bans by the U.S., Canada and France on commercial airlines flying into Port-au-Prince, has helped fuel a sharp decline in revenues. Recent U.S. policy shifts have added to the strain.

The country has seen an erosion of its competitive advantage after Congress failed to approve a long-term extension of the duty-free HOPE/HELP trade program, making it difficult to expand jobs in the sector.

The Haitian economy is also bracing for the end of U.S. immigration protections for more than 300,000 Haitian nationals in the United States. The end of Temporary Protected Status on July 24 is expected to reduce the flow of remittances from the U.S., a critical source of income for countless families.

Before the pause in Labadee, Royal Caribbean took more than a half million visitors to Haiti. With no ships calling on the destination, more than 600 Haitians, including vendors and employees of SOLANO, the port management company, have been without a reliable income.