“Travel photography isn’t always about tourism and filling hotel rooms. It’s also about informing people”, says Philip Lee Harvey. He travelled to Haiti with his assistant on a commission for a travel magazine and feels that it is important to show the character of this fascinating and misunderstood country. “Haiti is largely forgotten by the rest of the world,” he explains. ”Economically and strategically, it is not important to anyone else. However, it has a powerful colonial history which has left a legacy of beautiful hotels which could provide the infrastructure for a new wave of sustainable tourism. At present, tourists tend to visit Haiti as a stop-off on Caribbean cruises. They drop anchor and visit an area of beach which, unseen to them, is fenced off from the rest of the island. Elected islanders come to greet them and offer a ‘traditional Haitian’ welcome but the tourists don’t see the fence and certainly don’t see the island – and islanders – which are beyond. They leave with no clue as to Haiti’s true identity or issues.”
More of - Philips work, photographs of Haiti, additional Haiti text.
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