Supporting tourism that respects the environment and cultural heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean
Protected areas, national parks and marine reserves comprise some of the most valuable natural assets of Latin American and Caribbean countries. As a result, the IDB finances a wide range of programs to enhance the long-term value of these assets and expand the offering of carbon neutral tourism destinations.
We support sustainable tourism ventures that, in one hand, seek to protect the natural assets and the cultural heritage of communities that live in or near protected areas and, on the other, generate economic opportunities and benefit indigenous populations, women, rural communities and young people who depend directly on the quality and availability of natural resources.
Our projects support, for example, actions to create, enhance and market sustainable tourism destinations and specific products. We work closely with both the private sector and local authorities to plan and manage tourism activities and flows in order to ensure equitable development across different regions as well as the preservation of biodiversity and the local cultural values.
We also invest in environmental management of tourism destinations, helping local authorities to design and implement plans to manage the use of protected areas sustainably and invest in measures to protect and mitigate potential impacts stemming from tourism activities.
