UN Tourism to Launch First Tourism Law Observatory in the Middle East

International

The new Observatory will act as a knowledge hub to strengthen and harmonize tourism legislation across the region

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) has announced the creation of a Tourism Law Observatory for the Middle East. This pioneering initiative will collect, analyse and disseminate tourism-related legislation, supporting countries in developing stronger legal frameworks and fostering regional cooperation.

Strengthening legal foundations for tourism

The Observatory will serve as a digital platform and knowledge hub, systematically gathering laws and regulations from across the Middle East. Backed by a network of experts and academic partners, it will publish reports, issue recommendations, and organize conferences and seminars on priority topics for the sector.

Part of a global initiative

The project forms part of UN Tourism’s flagship Tourism Law Observatories, endorsed by the 25th General Assembly. These Observatories are being developed across all five UN Tourism regions to promote the progressive harmonization of tourism law, enhance legal certainty and create a fairer environment for operators worldwide.

Key objectives

The Middle East Observatory will pursue three main goals:

· Developing and improving frameworks: Optimizing tourism legislation and encouraging harmonization in areas that require supranational cooperation.

· Fostering regional cooperation: Creating a platform for dialogue among countries to share experiences, learn from one another and address common challenges.

· Optimizing governance models: Promoting stakeholder participation in the regulatory process to strengthen sector governance.

A regional milestone

The launch follows the success of the first Tourism Law Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean, developed with the Inter-American Development Bank and hosted in Montevideo, Uruguay. The new Middle East Observatory will be established through UN Tourism’s Regional Office for the Middle East. Once operational, it will serve as a model to be replicated in other regions, advancing UN Tourism’s long-term vision of a more coherent global framework for tourism law.

For further information:

observatoryrome@untourism.int