- The initiative, presented at the Plenary Meeting of the Americas Business Dialogue in the Dominican Republic, seeks to foster collaboration between governments and businesses to spur economic growth and development across the region.
SANTO DOMINGO – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched a new Tourism Task Force.
Announced during the Plenary Meeting of the Americas Business Dialogue (ABD), the initiative aims to position tourism as a key engine of economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean by strengthening ties between the public and private sectors.
The ABD is a private sector-led initiative facilitated by the IDB that promotes high-level dialogue between governments and the private sector in the region to advance development-focused policies. This strategic partnership between the IDB and WTTC outlines a roadmap to shape public policy recommendations, mobilize investment, and scale solutions that benefit communities and tourism destinations.
The Tourism Task Force initially brings together 22 companies, including Marriott International, Copa Airlines, Grupo Aviatur, The Leading Hotels of the World, Anato Colombia, Carnival Cruise Line, COHEP, and Grupo PuntaCana, among others.
“This launch marks a milestone in integrating tourism into the productive agenda of the IDB and IDB Invest, recognizing its transformative potential for the region. In collaboration with our private sector partners and WTTC, we are working to deliver concrete results: more investment, jobs, and regional growth,” said Fabrizio Opertti, manager of the IDB’s sector of productivity, trade and innovation.
Christopher Imbsen, vice president of policy at WTTC, underscored the importance of travel and tourism as a growth driver in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The region has a generational opportunity to put Travel & Tourism at the center of their development agenda. With the ABD Task Force now in place, we can drive smarter investment, unlock growth, and deliver jobs and opportunity at scale,” said Imbsen.
According to WTTC’s latest Economic Impact Research (EIR), the tourism sector contributed US$714 billion to the region’s GDP in 2024 and generated over 28 million jobs. Yet its potential extends these figures: tourism can energize value chains across gastronomy, logistics, technology, creative industries, and financial services, while also advancing inclusion, digitalization, and territorial development.
The ABD plenary session featured speakers including César Dargam, executive vice president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP); Tomás Bermúdez, general manager of the IDB’s regional country department for Central America, Haiti, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic; Fabrizio Opertti, manager of the IDB’s sector of productivity, trade and Iinovation; Christopher Imbsen, vice president of policy at WTTC; and Katharina Falkner-Olmedo, IDB country representative in the Dominican Republic, among others.
The next stage for the Task Force will be the presentation of private sector-generated public policy proposals to regional leaders during the CEO Summit of the Americas, scheduled for December 3–4, 2025 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
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