Its purpose is to provide a space where tourism regulation can be analysed, shared and adapted to face the current and future challenges of the sector, with a view to contributing to the progressive harmonization of tourism regulations for LAC and the generation of smart regulation for tourism.

What is the LAC Observatory?

The Tourism Law Observatory for LAC (the 'LAC Observatory') is an innovative digital tool designed to collect, organize, analyse and disseminate tourism regulations currently in force or under development in LAC countries.

Its main objective is to promote the progressive harmonization of tourism regulations in the LAC region, adapting them to the dynamic changes in the tourism ecosystem, including technological and environmental advances, and the impact of the global pandemic.

The LAC Observatory serves as a forum for communication and exchange of good practices, seeking to optimize regulatory frameworks to generate smart and more coherent regulation throughout the region.

Mission

The mission of the Observatory is: to systematize, analyse and disseminate tourism regulations in the LAC region, to facilitate access to information, promote regulatory cooperation and improve the governance of the regulatory process in the tourism sector.

Our intention is to facilitate the creation of a transparent and efficient legal framework that is aligned with the realities and needs of each country, while strengthening collaboration between actors in the sector.

Why is it important?

The tourism sector is undergoing an unprecedented stage of transformation. The emergence of new technologies, the need to manage issues such as the environment, the cultural and natural heritage of destinations, as well as to guarantee the protection of tourists as consumers have reconfigured the landscape, creating the need for more flexible and modern regulations.

In addition, growing tourist demand, coupled with existing disparities in the legal frameworks of the countries require a coordinated regulatory response for LAC. The Observatory intends to be the solution to these challenges, by offering tools aimed at all actors in the tourism sector, whether they are regulators or entities that are regulated or affected by sectoral regulation, in order to facilitate the implementation of effective and participatory legal frameworks and governance models throughout the regulatory process and promoting a common approach in the region.

Key objectives 

Systematize current regulations and facilitate their knowledge on the part of tourism actors in the LAC region.

Analyse tourism regulations in the LAC region, identifying legal gaps and challenges countries face in implementing tourism legislation.

Promote the progressive harmonization of tourism regulations by facilitating the creation of clearer, more transparent and balanced legal frameworks for the region.

Accelerate regional regulatory cooperation to provide effective regulatory responses to global trends.

Open communication channels that identify the needs and interests of the parties affected by tourism regulation in LAC.

Generate empirical evidence  to share good practices to guide countries' regulatory decisions, laying the foundations for smart sectoral regulation.

Promote the generation of knowledge through the network of academic collaborators.

Tools and Resources

Broadly speaking, the LAC Observatory is structured around the following key components:

• A legislative database called Turismo LEX that compiles and organizes the legislation applicable to tourism, both current and in the process of development, in LAC. To this end, the Observatory is supported by independent experts with internationally recognized legal experience. This database provides a comprehensive source of information on Tourism Law for public and private actors in the sector.
• A section of reports, which includes analyses and diagnoses of the state of tourism legislation in the region, both at a general level and on specific topics, identifying gaps in existing legal frameworks and the challenges faced by LAC countries in the development and implementation of tourism legislation.
  Resources and materials such as recommendations, model laws and publications will be developed to assist Member States in improving their tourism legislation, as well as providing technical assistance for the revision and optimization of such legislation, in accordance with applicable UN Tourism standards and procedures.
• A media section that features the latest news, events and initiatives of the Observatory in relation to Tourism Law that take place in the LAC region.
  Furthermore, it offers an interactive space dedicated to blogs and a forum where new or necessary issues in Tourism Law can be studied and analysed, while also facilitating  participate in consultations, proposals and debates.
• An interactive space made up of:
  A virtual classroom, from which the Observatory provides free teaching materials and courses in the field of Tourism Law, as well as the possibility of accessing academic activities;
  A community of practice in which tourism agents in the region, whether public or private, can participate, by invitation, in working groups and thematic discussions, to exchange priorities and knowledge, as well as good practices.

The work of the LAC Observatory is supported by a network of academic collaborators (universities, academic experts and researchers with relevant experience in Tourism Law), selected through LAC Member States, who actively participate in its various activities.

Inauguration of the Thematic Office of the LAC Observatory in Uruguay

On 3 September 2024, the head office of the Tourism Law Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean was officially inaugurated  at the United Nations House in Montevideo, Uruguay. This event marks an important milestone, being the first thematic office of UN Tourism, with a specialized focus on legal issues related to Tourism Law.

The Observatory, whose activity will begin in early 2025, highlights Uruguay's role as a leader in tourism regulations, positioning it as a point of reference in the region in this domain. The office, located at the United Nations House in Montevideo, will serve as a hub where countries from all over Latin America and the Caribbean can come together to exchange good practices, knowledge and collaborate in the creation of legal frameworks that respond to the challenges of the sector, such as digital transformation, sustainability and the impact of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Uruguay's proposal to host the office was unanimously approved by the Members from the Americas region at the UN Tourism Regional Commission held in Varadero, Cuba. This approval was ratified at the 121st session of the Executive Council in Barcelona and will be presented for ratification at the 26th session of the UN Tourism General Assembly.

With the inauguration of its thematic office in Montevideo, the Tourism Law Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean is poised to play a key role in shaping the laws that will guide the future of tourism in the region. This space will foster international collaboration, offering innovative solutions and promoting the growth of the tourism sector in a sustainable way and aligned with global challenges.