Sustainable Tourism Law

The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism – the belief that tourism can make a meaningful contribution to people Ana Branca Soeiro de Carvalho Professor of Tourism and Administrative Law Polytechnic Institute of Viseu I. INTRODUCTION – GLOBAL CODE OF ETHICS FOR TOURISM Nowadays, Tourism is an integral part of the lifestyle of much of society. It carries significant weight in the economies of many countries and is one of the leading elements of international trade. Tourism has experienced a steady growth and deep diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world (Melgosa 2017). Responsible and sustainable tourism is by no means incompatible with the growing liberalization of conditions, provided a number of principles and a certain number of rules are observed. The UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism is a fundamental frame of reference for responsible and sustainable tourism. “ NWTO is guided by the belief that tourism can make a meaningful contribution to people’s lives and our planet. This conviction is at the very heart of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, a roadmap for tourism development. I call on all to read, circulate and adopt theCode for the benefit of tourists, tour operators, host communities and their environments worldwide.” (Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General) . The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (GCET) is a comprehensive set of principles whose purpose is to guide visitors, and tourists, as well as stakeholders in tourism development: central and local governments, local communities, the tourism industry and its professionals, both international and domestic. The conversion of the Code into a proper Convention represents a significant step towards ensuring that tourism development is done with full respect for