Senior Digital Tourism Specialist– Applications

World Bank Group • Washington, DC

4d

About The Position

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 www.worldbank.org.
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.
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.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in tourism management, economics, public policy, information systems, computer science, data analytics, or a related field combining tourism sector experience with digital transformation expertise.
• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in digital tourism, destination management, tourism analytics, digital transformation in services sectors, or comparable roles supporting public-private ecosystems.
• Proven ability to translate tourism sector priorities (competitiveness, jobs, SME growth, resilience, sustainability) into feasible digital solutions, including target architectures, phased roadmaps, indicative budgets, and results frameworks.
• Strong expertise in at least two of the following: (i) tourism data platforms, market intelligence, and analytics/AI for tourism (ii) destination management systems and visitor journey/service design (iii) SME digitization and digital marketplace enablement (iv) digital marketing, content ecosystems, and customer engagement systems (v) interoperability, registries, and digital public infrastructure linkages relevant to tourism
• Practical experience with data governance, privacy-by-design, and secure sharing of public-private data; ability to design “minimum viable” approaches suitable for low-capacity environments.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP concepts), cybersecurity principles, and scalable architectures for public-sector and public-private solutions.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and facilitation skills, including ability to work with tourism boards, ministries, local governments, SMEs, community actors, and private platforms.
• Ability to work in cross-cultural, multidisciplinary teams and adapt to resource-constrained environments.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Innovation:
• Tourism Data Platforms, Market Intelligence, and Interoperability:
• Digital Destination Management and Visitor Experience:
• Tourism Enterprise Digitization and Ecosystem Enablement:
• Sustainability, Heritage, and Resilience Enablement:
• Operational Support, Capacity Building, and Knowledge:

Benefits

• The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level