INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM, TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY LAW slow travel and the sharing economy are shaping the industry, with a focus on environmental and social sustainability (FREITAS, LEE, SILVEIRA, 2021). In addition, ESG risk assessment is becoming increasingly prominent, reflecting heightened environmental concerns, social awareness and governance around the world. This risk assessment is important for the future of tourism and is included as important objectives under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (EMERALD INSIGHT, 2023). In terms of management and governance, ESG drives companies towards transparent and accountable practices, including ethical decision-making, stakeholder engagement and effective governance mechanisms. Following these governance principles establishes companies as leaders in ESG implementation for sustainable tourism, improving their reputation in the market and attracting investment (SOLIMAR INTERNATIONAL, 2023). Although the issue has gained increasing prominence, the fact is that since the 1990s - when the first studies on the impacts of human activities reached the international sphere - the sustainability of tourism was already being invoked, as can be read in the Resolution adopted in April 1999 by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development with regard to the involvement of traditional peoples in the formulation of practices, policies, planning and management of tourism processes involving their regions (UN, 1999). The implementation of the ESG concept at company level in Brazil has become so relevant that the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards, ABNT, has created an ESG guideline to provide guidance on the steps that organizations can take to incorporate these principles into their practices and processes. This is ABNT PR2030 (ABNT, 2022). These regulations are not binding, but they are in line with the United Nations' millennium goals for a better world. This regulation has proved to be extremely relevant as it formalized the first ESG standard in Brazil that can be applied to any type of sector, including tourism. In this sense, there are a number of case studies involving enterprises of different sizes demonstrating the suitability of their structures and processes to social, cultural, inclusive and environmental criteria5. In 2023, the UNWTO developed an ESG Framework for tourism companies, highlighting the importance of sustainability for customer acquisition and retention, risk and regulatory management, and access to 5 5 By way of example, we refer to the case study carried out in a tourist resort in the Serra Gaúcha and its suitability for ESG principles. See: MECCA, M.S. et al. Sustentabilidade e ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance): Estudo das Operações Turísticas de uma pousada na serra gaúcha. In: Revista Científica do Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Turismo e Hotelaria da Universidade do Vale do Itajaí. Sep./Dec.2023, p. 425-444.
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