Senior Digital Tourism Specialist

Senior Digital Tourism Specialist– Applications

Job #: req
35774

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:
Digital Development

Grade: GG

Term Duration: 4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment

Location:

Washington, DC, United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date: 3/11/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions driven by a bold vision to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, we help solve the world’s greatest development challenges. When you join the World Bank Group, you become part of a dynamic, diverse organization with 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide.

We work with public and private sector partners, invest in groundbreaking projects, and use data, research, and technology to bring tangible and transformative changes around the globe. For more information, visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). The VPU Context:
This position supports the World Bank’s mission by accelerating digital transformation in the tourism sector to increase jobs, competitiveness, and resilience. The role will help client countries and tourism ecosystems adopt scalable digital approaches that improve destination management, visitor services, SME competitiveness, and investment promotion, while strengthening sustainability, cultural and natural heritage protection, and crisis preparedness. The Senior Digital Tourism Specialist will contribute to operations, advisory services, and knowledge work, ensuring tourism programs leverage digital foundations and modern tools (data platforms, interoperable registries, digital identity and payments where relevant, cybersecurity, and analytics/AI) to deliver measurable results.

The Unit Context:
The Digital Applications Department, overseeing solutions and impact, is led by a Manager who collaborates closely with the Manager for Policy and Regulations and reports to the WBG Vice President, Digital and AI Vertical, who is accountable to IBRD/IDA, IFC, and MIGA Managing Directors. WBG recently published its Digital Strategy which includes four pillars: access, affordability, ecosystem and AI readiness.

The strategy identifies the priorities that WBG will engage across the client segment over the next five years. The implementation plan is currently under preparation. The Senior Digital Tourism Specialist will be embedded with the Digital and AI Vice Presidency and will support regional teams within the World Bank Group (e.g., sector and country programs) and collaborate closely other World Bank units.

The unit supports client countries to design and implement digital tourism strategies, architectures, and solutions that strengthen sector governance and improve destination and firm‑level performance.

• Provide technical assistance to client countries and destination stakeholders to design and implement digital tourism strategies, blueprints, and roadmaps to improve competitiveness, job creation, and resilience.
• Advise on policy, institutional, and governance reforms enabling digital tourism transformation, including data‑sharing frameworks, visitor data protection, platform governance approaches, standards adoption, and public‑private partnership models.
• Develop and disseminate practical guidance such as frameworks, standards, templates, and “how-to” toolkits—for planning, financing, and implementing digital tourism solutions at scale.
• Identify emerging trends and proven practices (e.g., AI‑enabled visitor services, frictionless travel experiences, responsible use of digital marketing) and design and support pilots that can be replicated and scaled.
• Foster partnerships with governments, tourism boards, local communities, private sector platforms, SMEs, academia, and development partners to mobilize expertise and innovation opportunities.

• Advise on defining, designing, and implementing tourism data platforms that integrate public and private…