Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, given the region’s dependence on tourism and travel, are highly exposed to the economic shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The tourism sector’s contribution to GDP will be severely impacted by the restrictions implemented to mitigate the spread of the virus.

We'll explore what initiatives are in place to support tourism organizations, governments and related actors in the industry to prepare the workforce for the sector’s accelerated digital transformation, and review how countries are incorporating eco-friendly measures to preserve natural resources and biodiversity. Could this crisis be the catalyst to revitalize the tourism sector?

In this podcast, IDB Group Country Representative for Barbados, Juan Carlos De La Hoz Viñas, speaks with IDB Lab's Dora Moscoso and Ruth Houliston and Compete Caribbean's Sylvia Dohnert on the research and work being undertaken in this area, including IDB Lab’s ongoing #BeyondTourismChallenge (convocatorias.iadb.org/en/beyondtourism) – A Caribbean call for proposals to re-envision the tourism sector. The deadline to submit is July 31 and offers financing up to US$2 million.

This podcast was produced by Yajaira Archibald (Communications Consultant), Terry-Ann Coley-Graham (Social Media Editor) and Ariel McCaskie (Economics Consultant).

Check out our blog: Check out our blog, How can we use innovation to transform post-pandemic tourism? https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/how-can-we-use-innovation-to-transform-post-pandemic-tourism/

To access the resources mentioned in this podcast, please visit our websites at www.idblab.org, www.competecaribbean.org and www.devtrends.iadb.org.