The Inter American Travel Congress (IATC) was established in 1939. It pre-dates the official formation of the Organization of American States in 1948 and the entering into force of the OAS Charter in December 1951. The Congress was conceived to promote the sustainable development of tourism in the Americas through the organization of a series of hemispheric congresses dealing with relevant technical matters and developing Inter-American cooperation in the tourism sector.
With the reform of the OAS Charter and the creation of the CIDI in 1996, inter-American conferences began convening ministerial meetings under this new framework. In 2011, the OAS adopted resolution AG/RES. 2639 (XLI-O/11), changing the name of the Inter-American Congress on Tourism to the "Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism" starting with its twentieth edition. The technical secretariat supporting these congresses is SEDI through its Department of Economic Development
The Congress is the main hemispheric forum for dialogue and policy development in tourism. It promotes the exchange of experiences, technical studies, and collaboration between governments and the private sector to support tourism development. During its two-day meeting, political dialogue and cooperation on tourism are discussed.
• XXIV Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism
March 21-22, 2018 - Georgetown, Guyana
• XXIII Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism
September 3-4, 2015 - Lima, Peru
• XXII Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism
September 3-4, 2014 - Bridgetown, Barbados
• XXI Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism
September 5-6, 2013 - San Pedro Sula, Honduras
• XX Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism
September 12-13, 2012 - Quito, Ecuador
• XIX Inter-American Travel Congress
September 29-30, 2011 - El Salvador, San Salvador