PUNTA CANA — The Dominican Republic has formalized a new collaborative agreement with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) aimed at elevating safety benchmarks, service quality and long-term sustainability of the transportation networks that underpin one of the Caribbean’s most robust tourism economies.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Dominican Tourism Minister David Collado and ITF Secretary General Stephen Cotton on the sidelines of the Caribbean National Coordinating Committee’s regional gathering. The signing marks a deliberate step to align the country’s critical tourism transportation sector with global best practices, addressing a core component of the visitor experience that shapes international perceptions of the destination.
Under the partnership, the two parties will advance targeted technical cooperation and cross-border knowledge sharing to strengthen land transportation services across the nation. The work will center on upskilling and supporting the frontline professionals who form the backbone of Dominican tourism: commercial drivers, transportation operators, tour guides and other staff who facilitate the movement of millions of international and domestic visitors to the country’s top beach resorts, cultural sites and adventure attractions each year.
The overarching goal of the initiative is to raise industry standards across four key pillars: road safety, customer service quality, operational innovation and environmental sustainability. By upgrading transportation services, the partnership seeks to reinforce the sector’s role as a foundational strength of the country’s tourism offering, rather than a secondary support function.
“Increasing the capacity and professionalism of our transportation sector means lifting the entire quality of the tourism experience we offer visitors,” Collado stated in comments following the signing. He emphasized that transportation workers are often the first point of contact for tourists arriving in the country, and the last interaction before they depart, making their performance critical to shaping visitor satisfaction.
Collado added that the formal agreement will accelerate ongoing efforts to professionalize the transportation sector, helping local operators and workers adopt globally recognized standards that deliver better working conditions for employees and smoother, more reliable services for travelers.
As part of the signing ceremony, ITF leadership presented Collado with a special leadership award, honoring his work to advance sustainable tourism development and build closer, more productive collaboration between the nation’s tourism and transportation sectors. Collado dedicated the award to the thousands of transportation workers across the Dominican Republic whose consistent professionalism and warm hospitality have cemented the country’s standing as one of the Caribbean’s top travel destinations.