The benefits of investing in tourism and its related services
I have already published an article on the incentives to general investments created by the Code of Investments, published on November 26th 2002, which you probably already read (if not, click here). In this article, I will talk about the advantages offered by Haiti if you decide to invest in the tourist sector.
Here are the requirements to benefit from the incentives in this particular sector of economic activity:
- Lay out and exploit the touristic areas
- Accommodation in rural and urban areas (hotels, restaurants, bed and breakfast, residences, apartments, condos, villas, and so forth)
- Rental services (cars, planes, helicopters, boats)
- Pleasure trips services by land, sea or air
- Transport services exclusively for the touristic sector
- Restauration, attraction and pleasure services
- Marinas and private peers built to receive pleasure boats
- Accommodation and exploitation of resorts and touristic complexes
- Private airports and services linked to touristic services
- Cable cars for mountain side transportation
- Attraction parks, zoos, botanical gardens
- Touristic activities structures such as convention centers, conference rooms, exposition rooms, show rooms
- Rehabilitation and exploitation of buildings, monuments and touristic sites
- Health and beauty centers (spas, therapeutic baths)
- Academic training such as hotel school, youth hostels
Other form of investments can be considered as agricultural by the Investments Interministerial Commission.
The customs advantages and tax benefits are the following :
Customs clearance and tax exemptions on the import of equipment related to prospection, implantation, accommodation, rehabilitation. If those equipment cannot be found locally within the parameters of quantity, quality and price range, they are:
- Construction materials
- Electrical equipment
- Electrical production and compensation systems
- Surveillance and security systems
- Communication systems
- Refrigeration systems
- Household devices, clothing, kitchen tools
- Water treatment systems
- Health equipment
- Exotic animals and plants
- Launches and tugging boats
- Pleasure trip planes, boats and helicopters
- Commercial vehicles for exploitation
- Necessary materials for accommodation and proper operations of the touristic activities
- Spare parts for the equipment
Tax exemption on the wage bill and other internal taxes for a 15 year period
Exemption on the property taxes for the first 10 years of rehabilitation of buildings classified as national heritage opened to the public
Exemption on income taxes generated by the investment
A 50 year maximum lease will be granted to those touristic enterprises who wish to use private or public lands to implement their project
It goes without saying that other advantages are offered in this sector, but they are stipulated in the law related to tourism, and I will be talking about it in another article.
Translated by
About the author
Me Philippe Junior Volmar is a lawyer admitted to the Port-au-Prince Bar and heads HDIT Cabinet Volmar (Haïti Droit Investissement et Travail). His practice focuses on labour and business law. He assists businesses and individuals with legal matters and contributes to a wider understanding of Haitian law. He also teaches labour law at several universities. The author of Dictionnaire de droit du travail, published by Éditions Charesso in 2024, he speaks in the media and to professional organisations about employment relations and the application of Haitian legislation.
All publications