Skip to content

Commit b0bfd9b

Browse files
MPKenleyMPKenley
authored
Merge pull request #34 from MIT-Emerging-Talent/script_exploration
Script exploration
2 parents cd3661e + 0bb8dcc commit b0bfd9b

File tree

3 files changed

+1303
-0
lines changed

3 files changed

+1303
-0
lines changed

‎2_data_preparation/README.md‎

Lines changed: 71 additions & 0 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -1 +1,72 @@
11
# Data Preparation
2+
3+
## Haiti Tourism Data Pipeline
4+
5+
A clean, reproducible, and fully documented data foundation built from official
6+
UNWTO sources
7+
8+
This project transforms the raw and often unwieldy United Nations World Tourism Organization
9+
(UNWTO) Compendium of Tourism Statistics into clear, structured,
10+
and analysis-ready datasets — with a special focus on **Haiti**
11+
and a complete comparative panel of **30 Caribbean countries and territories**.
12+
The data cover the full available series from **1995 to 2022**.
13+
14+
## Project Structure
15+
16+
### 1. `Extract_data_haiti_and_caribbean.ipynb`
17+
18+
**Objective**: Fast, reliable, and one-time raw extraction from massive global files
19+
20+
- Loads the four official UNWTO Excel workbooks (Arrivals, Purpose, Mode of Transport,
21+
and Expenditure)
22+
- Isolates every single record belonging to Haiti across all sheets and years
23+
- Simultaneously pulls the same indicators for 30 Caribbean countries
24+
and territories for regional comparison
25+
- Saves compact, raw extracted subsets as CSVs (one file per indicator)
26+
27+
### 2. `script_UN_tourism_caribbean_countries_cleaned.ipynb`
28+
29+
**Objective**: Deliver one unified, tidy dataset for the entire Caribbean region
30+
31+
- Removes all metadata clutter (flags, country codes, footnotes, notes)
32+
- Applies intuitive and consistent column names `country_receiving`, `year`, `number_of_tourists`.
33+
- Harmonizes visitor categories across countries and years:
34+
 • Tourists (overnight visitors)
35+
 • Excursionists (same-day visitors)
36+
 • Total visitors
37+
- Final output: **3,025 rows** of clean,
38+
immediately usable Caribbean-wide tourism data
39+
40+
### 3. `cleaned_data_haiti.ipynb`
41+
42+
**Objective**: Produce publication-grade, Haiti-only datasets
43+
Four focused and meticulously cleaned tables:
44+
45+
- Arrivals by type of visitor
46+
- Purpose of visit (business, personal, total) – 66 rows
47+
- Mode of transport (air, sea/water, all modes combined)
48+
- Tourism expenditure and receipts (in current US$) – 28 rows
49+
50+
Every file features simple column names, correct data types,
51+
transparent handling of missing values, and complete removal
52+
of long original UN labels.
53+
54+
## Conclusion – Ready for Impact
55+
56+
What started as sprawling, hard-to-navigate global spreadsheets has become a
57+
**clean, trustworthy, and fully documented data foundation** that finally lets
58+
the real story of Haitian and Caribbean tourism emerge clearly.
59+
60+
These datasets are now ready to power:
61+
62+
- Policy briefs and evidence-based recovery strategies for Haiti’s tourism sector
63+
- Academic research and economic impact studies
64+
- Interactive dashboards and compelling data visualizations
65+
- Regional benchmarking and competitiveness analyses
66+
67+
In just three transparent and reproducible notebooks, complex international
68+
statistics have been transformed into clear, actionable evidence.
69+
70+
The numbers cleaned here are more than data points they are the solid
71+
groundwork for informed decisions that can help rebuild, reimagine,
72+
and revitalize tourism in Haiti and across the wider Caribbean.

‎3_data_exploration/README.md‎

Lines changed: 109 additions & 0 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -1 +1,110 @@
11
# Data Exploration
2+
3+
## Haiti Tourism: A Realistic Path Forward
4+
5+
This project is built around one clear and hopeful idea:
6+
7+
**Haiti can bring back millions of tourists and billions in revenue**
8+
**while political and security challenges continue.**
9+
Other Caribbean countries prove it every single day.
10+
11+
### What the data show
12+
13+
- From 2010 to 2018, Haiti went from under 400,000 to **over 1.25 million**
14+
**visitors per year**(+300 %), despite the country still recovering
15+
from the 2010 earthquake.
16+
- The secret? Two simple things that worked perfectly:
17+
- The Haitian diaspora coming home to visit family
18+
- The private, fully secured cruise enclave of **Labadee**
19+
(almost 1 million passengers some years)
20+
- Then instability and the 2020 pandemic collapsed the numbers again
21+
- the proof is there: **when tourists feel safe, they come in huge numbers**.
22+
23+
### Success stories next door (they didn’t wait for perfect peace)
24+
25+
**Dominican Republic** - Poverty and crime in many zones **10+ million visitors**
26+
27+
**Jamaica** - Well-known gang violence in Kingston & elsewhere **4+ million**
28+
**visitors & growing**
29+
30+
Their recipe is simple and proven:
31+
**Build and fiercely protect specific tourism zones**
32+
(all-inclusive resorts, private beaches, secure historic districts,
33+
fenced cruise ports). Tourists stay inside the “safe bubble” and never need
34+
to see the challenges outside
35+
36+
**Haiti is not just Port-au-Prince.**
37+
Most of Haiti is naturally beautiful, culturally rich, and ready to welcome
38+
millions of tourists – we just need to protect and promote the right zones,
39+
exactly like Jamaica and the Dominican Republic do every day.
40+
41+
They all use the same winning formula: **create safe tourism bubbles and let**
42+
**the rest of the country solve its problems later.**
43+
44+
### Haiti Already Proved It Works (2010–2018)
45+
46+
![Evolution of Tourism in Haiti 1995–2020](images/haiti_tourism_evolution_1995_2020.png)
47+
48+
From <400k to **1.27 million visitors** in just eight years.
49+
Key drivers: diaspora love + the 100 % secure Labadee cruise enclave
50+
(1 million passengers some years).
51+
52+
### Haiti Is So Much More Than Port-au-Prince
53+
54+
The capital has problems, but the rest of the country is full of world-class
55+
destinations that are calm, beautiful, and ready today:
56+
57+
- **The Nord and Cap-Haïtien area** offer the UNESCO-listed Citadelle Laferrière,
58+
- miles of golden beaches, and the already-operating Labadee cruise port
59+
- with direct international flights landing minutes away.
60+
- **Jacmel**, the Caribbean’s most charming bohemian town, is famous for
61+
its colorful art scene, yearly carnival, and the magical Bassins-Bleu waterfalls,
62+
a short, securable drive from the capital.
63+
- **The entire South – Les Cayes, Port-Salut, and Île-à-Vache** – boasts some
64+
of the most beautiful white-sand beaches in the entire region, crystal-clear water,
65+
fresh lobster on the beach, and a laid-back vibe
66+
that rivals anywhere in the Caribbean.
67+
- **Côte des Arcadins**, only an hour north of Port-au-Prince, already has a string
68+
of beach resorts ready to reopen the moment safe access is guaranteed.
69+
- **Lavallée and the Central Plateau** hide spectacular waterfalls, rivers
70+
for rafting, cool mountain eco-lodges, and some of the best coffee in the hemisphere,
71+
perfect for nature and adventure lovers.
72+
These places already have everything tourists look for:
73+
beaches • history • culture • mountains • waterfalls • warm people • delicious food
74+
75+
They just need protected access and smart marketing.
76+
77+
### The Proven Model – Copy & Paste Success
78+
79+
1. **Secure tourism areas** (Cap-Haïtien → Labadee, Côte des Arcadins, Jacmel,
80+
Les Cayes–Port-Salut)
81+
2. Dedicated police + private security (exactly like Jamaica’s Resilient Corridors)
82+
3. Reopen and expand cruise ports (Labadee is ready, Cap-Haïtien
83+
and a new southern port can open fast)
84+
All-inclusive and diaspora-focused packages (“Fly in, stay safe, enjoy paradise”)
85+
Tell the true story: **Haiti’s beauty is alive outside the capital**
86+
87+
### Economic Power Waiting to Be Unlocked
88+
89+
- 2018 peak → ~US$700 million earned
90+
- Dominican Republic today → **$10+ billion** per year with social vulnerability,
91+
random armed robberies, violent committed by motorcycle gangs.
92+
- Jamaica → **$4+ billion** per year with open security challenges
93+
94+
Every extra million tourists = tens of thousands of jobs in the Nord, Sud, Artibonite,
95+
and beyond.
96+
97+
### Final Message
98+
99+
Haiti is not Port-au-Prince.
100+
Haiti is Cap-Haïtien’s citadel at sunrise, Port-Salut’s white sand,
101+
Jacmel’s carnival spirit, Labadee’s turquoise water, and the warmth of its people.
102+
103+
We have the beaches. We have the culture. We have the diaspora
104+
ready to come home.
105+
We already welcomed over a million visitors while rebuilding from an earthquake.
106+
107+
All we need are secure paths and the guts to shout it from the rooftops:
108+
Haiti isn't broken-it's begging to be rediscovered.
109+
110+
**Haiti is open. Haiti is beautiful. Haiti is ready.**

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)
⚡