INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM, TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY LAW I. INTRODUCTION The axis between tourism and sustainability has been discussed for several decades. As an important part of the economy of many countries, the sector is capable of being part of a socially and environmentally balanced activity. Taking into account its multifaceted importance, the World Tourism Organization was created in the 20th century to join forces with multiple actors in the management of this field. In this sense, the Organization has become an important stakeholder in the development of norms and standards that advocate good practices in the field of tourism. With the role of the World Tourism Organization in mind, the aim of this article is to present the organization’s main efforts in the normative design of governance principles and socially and environmentally favorable practices for the sustainable development of the tourism industry. The sustainability principles summarized by the acronym ESG will be explained, as well as how they can be linked to the tourism industry. Finally, we will comment on the World Code of Ethics for Tourism and its role in encouraging and programming legal norms, despite its soft law nature. The writing is based on secondary data from international organizations and doctrine and uses the legal-descriptive approach. At the end of the study, it is clear that the international institutionalization of entities that deal with specific issues, such as the World Tourism Organization, is relevant for bringing together the forces of public and private power in normative and institutional arrangements in the tourism sector, as well as the informing and catalyzing role that principles and normative instruments, even if they are soft, can have in formalizing and encouraging good practices in the sector. II. THE WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) responsible for promoting and developing tourism. Founded in 1975, its roots go back to 1925, when the International Union of Official Tourism Organizations was created (BADARÓ, 2005, p.77). Made up of 155 Member States, six Associate Members and more than 400 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, associations and local tourism authorities, the UNWTO/OMT is based in Madrid. Its mission is to "promote and develop tourism in a sustainable manner,
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