Thanks to Mlive for this:
Just in time for summer cruise season, Royal Caribbean has suspended visits to Haiti thanks to ongoing violence and political instability.
According to Travel and Leisure, the cruise line has already altered itineraries to remove planned stops at Labadee, a private beach resort owned by the company, located on the northern coast of Haiti. Royal Caribbean says it has also contacted guests to alert them of the itinerary changes.
This marks the second year in a row that Royal Caribbean has suspended service to Labadee, having done so last year for similar reasons.
The U.S. Department of State issued a Level 4 “Do not travel” advisory for Haiti last year due to political violence and uprisings in the country. In November, the Federal Aviation Administration banned all U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for a month after a Spirit Airlines plane was shot multiple times while attempting to land in Port-au-Prince.
American Airlines and JetBlue also reported finding evidence that their planes had been shot.
Earlier this week, the State Department issued a security alert for Haiti and again reiterated that Americans are warned not to travel to the Caribbean nation. Royal Caribbean did not say if it plans to resume visits to Labadee in the future.
Gangs in Haiti killed at least 5,600 people last year, according to a new United Nations report.
The report from the Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights said an additional 3,700 were injured or abducted.
