CAF creates Tourism Directorate to promote development, jobs and well-being in Latin America and the Caribbean

CAF—development bank of Latin America—announces the creation of the Tourism Directorate, to be headquartered in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with the purpose of supporting member countries, governments and entrepreneurs, in realizing their tourism potential as an important development driver and to create jobs, with emphasis on environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability; innovation, regeneration and inclusion.

CAF Executive President Sergio Díaz-Granados highlighted the sector’s growth potential and the synergies that can be advanced: “This new Directorate means not only stronger relations between the institution and the Dominican Republic, but also a new contribution to sustainable development and integration of our partners through tourism and the promotion of a dynamic work agenda with the public and private sectors throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, in order to help boost such an important driver for job and foreign exchange creation and the well-being of our peoples.”

The Tourism Directorate will be headed by Oscar Rueda García, who has an outstanding career in the world of tourism, which shows the importance that the organization wants to assign to this industry. Oscar Rueda is a lawyer from the Javeriana University of Bogotá, with a master’s degree in Latin American Literature from the University of Barcelona. He has held positions in the sector as President of the Colombian Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (ANATO), Vice Minister of Tourism for more than 6 years, President of the World Federation of Travel Agency Associations and member of the UNWTO Executive Committee for a 4-year tenure. He also served as Colombia’s ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.