The announcement was made by the Minister of Tourism, Tabaré Viera, during the Seminar on the International Code for the Protection of Tourists, held in Punta del Este.
The hierarch underlined Uruguay’s commitment to being one of the first countries in the world to adopt firm measures to restore the confidence of tourists in international travel, which shows the country’s commitment to tourism, and to security and protection of tourists.
For his part, the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, opened the event and said that “the 1st Seminar on the International Tourism Code, approved by the UNWTO General Assembly in December 2021, aspires to restore consumer confidence and collaborate in the recovery of the tourism sector”.
This code also provides valuable tools for all tourism stakeholders, both in the public and private sectors, to help tourists affected by emergencies to develop and harmonize consumer protection standards in a more transparent and effective.
In his opening speech, Pololikashvili congratulated Uruguay for its leadership in organizing this Seminar dedicated to Tourism Law, which “is a reflection of the country to find answers to the challenges we all face.”
Pololikashvili expressed that the generation of confidence in the tourist “is a fundamental element in this path” and therefore the International Code for the Protection of Tourists, adopted by the UNWTO Assembly, is very important.
The UNWTO chief said that “it was an unprecedented milestone” the active participation of more than 100 member states in the development of said code, which had the contributions of international organizations and prominent business groups.
This code is the first common and harmonized framework to protect tourists in emergency situations and also covers the rights of tourists as consumers. It gives greater legal protection to tourists and will help generate more security and build trust, “without which tourism cannot recover,” Pololikashvili stressed.
This seminar is an opportunity to examine the challenges and opportunities to reactivate tourism in the Americas, said the Secretary General of the UNWTO, who in turn said that in it “we will be able to exchange experiences in emergency management and consumer protection.”
