(NEWS) BERLIN, 2026-Jan-8 — /Travel PR News/ — A new multi-year initiative in the Dominican Republic is aiming to tackle youth unemployment and gender inequality in one of the country’s most important economic sectors: tourism. TUI Care Foundation has launched the next phase of its TUI Academy Dominican Republic programme, expanding its reach across the eastern province of Altagracia in partnership with Plan International.
Tourism remains the primary economic engine in the region, yet the hospitality sector continues to face a shortage of trained workers, with tens of thousands of roles unfilled. Young people from vulnerable backgrounds are often excluded due to limited access to quality education, language training and the social skills required for careers in hotels and tourism services. According to details shared in the project’s official announcement, the new four-year phase will run until 2029 and operate in more than 40 communities across seven districts, supporting around 200 unemployed young people.
The programme combines vocational hospitality training with English language classes and life skills education, focusing on career planning, job readiness and violence prevention. Sixty percent of participants are women, reflecting a strong emphasis on inclusion. Students also complete internships with partner hotels, gaining hands-on experience designed to improve long-term employability and access to formal jobs in the tourism industry.
One of the project’s defining elements is its focus on childcare as both a social service and an employment pathway. As outlined in the press release, the initiative promotes the formalisation of childcare services within hotels, addressing a major barrier for young mothers seeking work in tourism. By recognising childcare roles as legitimate, trained professions, the programme opens new job opportunities while simultaneously providing childcare support for students attending training courses.
Beyond vocational education, the initiative extends into local communities through workshops and sensitisation campaigns. Parents, caregivers and young people will take part in sessions covering positive parenting, gender-responsive training, youth rights, violence prevention and employability. The project also aligns with national policy goals, working alongside INFOTEP and the Ministry of Labour to support the formalisation of care services and sustainable employment pathways.
The expanded programme builds on nearly a decade of collaboration between the TUI Care Foundation and Plan International in the Dominican Republic, a partnership that has already helped more than 600 young people complete technical training and enabled over 400 to undertake hotel internships. Based on official updates from the organisations involved, the initiative forms part of the wider global TUI Academy Programme, which supports youth from vulnerable communities in tourism destinations worldwide.
