Top 10 Ethical Travel Destinations

by Shelley Seale

Shelley Seale is a freelance journalistic writer, graphic designer, mom and world vagabond. Her degree is in Writing and Cultural Psychology from St. Edward's University. Shelley's writing has appeared in dozens of publications & websites.

Each year, millions of travelers pack their bags and head for the usual destinations: Paris, Bangkok, San Francisco, Rio, Beijing. But while an organization called Ethical Traveler sees all travel as a potentially positive force, they'd like to see people step off the beaten path. Ethical Traveler is a project of the Earth Island Institute, based in San Francisco, and provides expertise in the fields of travel, environment, economy, health and world policy. Their motto is “Empowering Travelers to Change the World.”

Only during the past few years has the term "Ethical Travel" has entered the globetrotter's lexicon. Ethical travel is simply mindful travel: an awareness of our impact as we explore the world. Travel is now the biggest industry on Earth - even bigger than oil - and the economic clout of travelers is enormous. Which countries should we visit? Where do we spend our money once we get there? How do our interactions with our hosts support international goodwill, and promote cross-cultural understanding? The way we answer these questions has a real influence on the environment, human rights, and the way our home country is viewed abroad.

Many developing countries, in their efforts to woo travelers, are making noble attempts to preserve their natural assets, create a user-friendly infrastructure, and build an economy where their citizens share the benefits of tourist revenue. By bringing our commerce to such places we encourage their efforts, and inspire neighboring countries to support these values as well.

To that end, Ethical Traveler conducted a study of the world's 70+ developing nations, from Albania to Zimbabwe, to compose a list of the Top Ten Ethical Travel Destinations in the world. They begin their research by looking at three general categories: Environmental Protection, Social Welfare, and Human Rights.

Notably, half of the Top 10 Destinations are in Latin America, perhaps following the sustainable tourism lead of highly popular, top-ranked Costa Rica. On the other hand, not a single Asian country made it to the Top 10. Runaway development, human rights abuses, and a lack of strong environmental policy kept them all off the list this year. Surprisingly, though, three Eastern European countries made the final list. We believe this bodes well for the future of these emerging nations. It’s also exciting to have an additional African country - Namibia - appear on the list.

We sincerely hope that travelers will refer to this list when planning their 2009 journeys. By visiting the countries mentioned here, travelers "vote with their wings"—sending a signal that we are aware of where our money is going, and willing to support nations that care about the environment, human rights, and the global community.
The Top 10 Ethical Travel Destinations are:

1. Argentina
2. Bolivia
3. Bulgaria
4. Chile
5. Costa Rica
6. Croatia
7. Estonia
8. Namibia
9. Nicaragua
10. South Africa

All the Details:

To learn more about Ethical Traveler - or to join its alliance of members from more than 60 countries - please visit www.ethicaltraveler.org.
Earth Island Institute - http://www.earthisland.org
Guidelines for Ethical Travel - http://www.ethicaltraveler.org/guidelines.php


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