Our Programme Manager, Terry Brown highlights the growing impetus for climate action in tourism across Latin America.
As I prepared to travel to Guatemala last month, my 6-year-old son handed me a drawing. “It’s about climate change,” he said. “The last rainbow in the world – the sea is eating the land.” That image stayed with me as I delivered the opening keynote at Guatemala’s First National Congress on Sustainable Tourism and Climate Change. For all the talk of policy and planning, this is what it comes down to: protecting lives, livelihoods and futures. It wasn’t my first time in the country. Twenty years earlier, I had visited Lake Atitlan, just months after Hurricane Stan triggered a deadly landslide that buried the nearby community of Panabaj. It left a lasting impression on me.
Today, the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, it is already disrupting lives, economies and ecosystems. But what’s equally clear is the growing determination to adapt. From community-led responses in Guatemala to education and innovation in Chile, and climate action commitments in Costa Rica . Latin America is showing that adaptation isn’t just necessary – it’s already underway. This growing momentum deserves to be recognised. Here are a few recent highlights.
In May 2025, the 9th Sustainable and Social Tourism Summit in Costa Rica brought together businesses, governments, academics and charities to promote sustainability, solidarity and social responsibility in tourism. This is one of the most important events in the sustainable tourism calendar in Latin America, and this year has been no exception.
A significant development at the summit saw the Central American Tourism Council (CCT) and four Costa Rican tourism companies sign the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, with representatives from UN Tourism in attendance. This forward-thinking move, led by Sustentur, CCT and the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), and joined by the public and private sector, underscores the growing momentum for climate action in tourism across the region, reflecting similar ambition in Guatemala and Chile.
Across Latin America and the Caribbean, many countries and tourism companies are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and dependent on tourism economically. It’s a region of diverse, climate-sensitive geographies comprising islands, coral reefs, rainforests and arid zones, where social inequalities mean that there are high levels of poverty and where a reliance on agriculture and fisheries increase the vulnerability of communities to extreme weather such as droughts and flooding. Yet, the region contributes relatively little to global emissions with the global north causing a far higher proportion of climate emissions.
We see our work in this region as a of vital importance and are proud to partner with Sustentur for our work in Central America, an organisation that has been working tirelessly for over a decade to support sustainable tourism and climate action in the region, and whose director is also a founder and board member of the Sustainable & Social Tourism Summit.
The creation of Guatemala’s first ‘National Congress on Sustainable Tourism’ where I delivered the keynote speech, is also a major step forward for climate action. Organised by the Cámara de Turismo de Guatemala (CAMTUR) and the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (INGUAT), amongst others, and hosted by the University of the Valley of Guatemala (UVG), the event focused on exploring what a just transition means for the country’s tourism sector. During the event, CAMTUR announced its intention to sign the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism and has established a multi-sectoral climate action group. I’ve been working with CAMTUR to support capacity building for the creation of their Climate Action Plan. I’ve been impressed by CAMTUR’s leadership in spearheading this tourism climate action process and also by the breadth and depth of participation from a wide range of stakeholders across the public, private and third sector. The momentum generated at the congress and subsequent workshops is a powerful signal that Guatemala’s tourism sector is ready to lead with purpose, guided by both urgency and hope.
Chile has also taken important steps in advancing climate action, placing innovation and collaboration to the forefront. Las Torres Patagonia recently launched its Climate Action Plan during a ceremony attended by Jeremy Sampson, CEO of The Travel Foundation. The plan stands out not only for its technical rigour, but also for its creativity, engaging more than 5,000 children as “Guardians of Las Torres” through educational programmes that promote conservation and a deep connection to place.
In parallel, the Technological University of Chile (INACAP) became the first in Latin America to sign the Glasgow Declaration, highlighting the critical role of education in transforming tourism. This collective momentum is further strengthened by the creation of the Tourism for Climate Network, a platform uniting tourism enterprises across Chile committed to shared learning, collaboration, and coordinated climate action. These efforts are also closely connected to Cuidadores de Destinos, another key partner of the Travel Foundation, that supports destination stakeholders across Chile in developing inclusive, place-based responses to the climate crisis.
Through our own work in the region, we’ve seen how destinations are increasingly recognising the sector’s role in climate action and the importance of integrating it into tourism planning and development to improve resilience. Climate Action Planning is one of our specialities and we’re supporting Guatemala and Eastern Caribbean countries (with the OECS Commission), and have worked with Sustentur to support Honduras and destinations in Mexico to create effective and meaningful plans. Capacity building is an important part of this support, to ensure that staff and stakeholders are able to take forward and develop plans. We don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach, recognising that each destination has its own challenges, risks, political landscape and economic pressures.
To find out more about our climate action planning support services click here.
