The legal instrument follows consultation with more than 100 countries including both Member States and non-Members, and from across the private sector
UNWTO recently hosted the first seminar on the International Code for the Protection of Tourists in Salamanca, Spain.
The event brought together legal experts, academics and public and private sector representatives, to address the achievements of the Code in the two years since its launch and assess the challenges in the years ahead.
UNWTO says that the pandemic highlighted an urgent need for a consistent legal framework for assisting tourists. This laid the foundations for the code which devises countries everywhere to provide greater legal certainty to all operators in the tourism sector.
The statement adds that the legal instrument follows consultation with more than 100 countries including both Member States and non-Members, and from across the private sector.
Approved at the 24th UNWTO General Assembly in 2021 in just two years, it has been recognised as a key means of restoring confidence in travel and interest in the Code. To date, 22 countries have agreed to adhere to it.
UNWTO says that the inaugural legal seminar, organised by UNWTO alongside the University of Salamanca and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, provided a platform to delve more deeply into the principles and recommendations for assisting international tourists.
Tourism and international law
The statement adds that over two days, leading experts contributed their insights and inputs during a series of multilateral panel discussions. The panels focused on several of the key challenges, with a focus on supporting the recognition of Tourism Law as an independent branch of the legal system, with contributions from leading experts from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, the Inter American Development Bank and the Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs.
The discussions also supported the creation of a PhD programme on Tourism Law with the Universities of Salamanca and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, to foster advanced studies and education in this specific branch. As assessment of the Code’s potential role in crisis management, drawing on the lessons of the pandemic and counting on the expert insights of leading academics is also fundamental.
The seminar also explored what the minimum standard of protection for tourists could be, as well as discussions on contractual issues relating to delivering assistance in emergency situations, and recommendations for best practice around protection of tourists in the context of digital services, emergency prevention as well as assistance and repatriation.
UNWTO says that the seminar also highlighted the opportunities available through adherence to the Code, backed up by presentations of case studies of best practice, including the case of Uruguay, champion of the International Code for the Protection of Tourists, and the efforts made to apply the Code at the national level through the development of specific legislation.
Experts on various panels set out the case for “when crisis becomes an opportunity”, making clear that the Code can help balance responsibilities between countries, businesses and tourists themselves in emergency situations.
During the seminar, participants were presented with the work of the Tourism Law Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean, jointly created by UNWTO and IDB, as well as from representatives of countries already adhering to the Code, including Costa Rica, Ecuador and Uruguay.
The first Observatory on Tourism Law for Latin American and the Caribbean is a digital tool at the service of UNWTO Members that will compile all legislation affecting the tourism activity enacted by countries of the Latin America and Caribbean Region.
Supported by a network of academic collaborators, the Observatory will serve as a tool for comparability, will issue recommendations and publications on Tourism Law and will support UNWTO Member States in the development of legislation affecting tourism.
