10/12/2014
The World’s 10 Best Ethical Travel Destinations.
Of all the places Jeff Greenwald has traveled to in his life, few were as surprising as Iran. Greenwald is the executive director of Ethical Traveler, an all-volunteer, non-profit project of the Earth Island Institute, so needless to say, he has visited a lot of countries.
Greenwald found the people in Iran to be warm, welcoming and genuinely engaging. On one occasion, though–while he was sitting in one of the public parks in Isfahan–a small anti-American demonstration erupted nearby. Without so much as a word, all the picnickers nearby stood up and formed a protective circle around him, an experience which Greenwald regards as utterly unexpected and deeply moving.
Outside of our comfort zones — that’s where most of the magic happens, and that’s where travel lives. Fortunately for socially responsible travelers, every December, a list called The World’s 10 Best Ethical Travel Destinations is released by Bay Area-based Ethical Traveler to help would-be travelers figure out where to head next.
The brand new 2015 World’s 10 Best Ethical Travel Destinations list was first presented to the public on December 8 at The Ten Best Ethical Destinations Awards event at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Greenwald and ethical travel expert Malia Everette, along with representatives from the award-winning countries, participated in a discussion about which countries made the 2015 list and why.
representatives from the award-winning countriesrepresentatives from the award-winning countries
What Exactly Is ‘Ethical Travel’?
Here’s how Greenwald explains it:
Ethical Travel is simply mindful travel. It’s traveling with an awareness of where you are, where your money is going, and how your interactions create a ripple effect through the society you’re visiting. It’s about seeing the places we visit as peoples’ homes, rather than as destinations to be somehow “done” and consumed.
Malia Everette feels that in order for travel to be truly ethical, it needs to incorporate the best practices of both ecological and social responsibility. She’s the founder of Altruvistas, a travel company that does just that. Everette’s underlying belief is that travelers should benefit the people and places they visit. (I couldn’t agree more, which is one reason why I also write for Altruvistas.)
Altruvistas was the first tour operator to sign the Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, a joint venture between the tourism private sector and ECPAT-USA, the leading anti-trafficking policy organization in the United States.
What Is ‘The 10 Best Ethical Destinations’ List and How Is it Created?
The 10 Best Ethical Destinations list helps socially and environmentally conscious travelers choose countries they can feel great about supporting. It’s made up of developing nations around the world that are “doing the most impressive job of promoting human rights, preserving their environments, and supporting social welfare — all while creating a lively, community-based tourism industry.”
Ethical Traveler reviews the policies and practices of developing world nations each year, referring to well-respected resources as well as its own country research, focusing on Environmental Protection, Social Welfare and Human Rights. Plus in 2013, Animal Welfare was added to the list of research categories, after Ethical Traveler received scores of requests from its members.
To research human rights, Ethical Traveler consulted respected resources including Freedom House, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders to evaluate the human rights record of each country.
For evaluating each country’s level of environmental protection, Ethical Traveler looked at clear indicators of environmental health, preservation of resources and cultivation of beneficial, sustainable practices.
Quantifying social welfare is “not always a straightforward task,” so Ethical Traveler combined respected global resources with its own country-by-country research to gain a clear a picture as possible.
Ethical Traveler describes animal welfare standards as “a mixed bag across the globe, with some very progressive developing nations still struggling to afford animals the protections they deserve while balancing the desires of humans.” Several of the 2015 winners still face this struggle, but are working toward positive change on some level.
Past and present information is looked at in an effort to identify the current state of a country, plus how it has changed over time, which helps Ethical Traveler select nations that are actively improving the state of their people, government, environment and animals.
There’s more to making the list than excelling in the research categories. Each country selected as a ‘Best Ethical Destination’ also offers the opportunity to experience unspoiled natural beauty, and to interact with local people and cultures in a meaningful, mutually enriching way.
So Who Made the 2015 List?
Drum roll, please. The winners, in alphabetical order (not in order of merit), are:
Cabo Verde
Chile
Dominica
Lithuania
Mauritius
Palau
Samoa
Tonga
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu are new additions this year; the rest also appeared on The 2014 World’s Ten Best Ethical Destinations list.
Three countries from the 2014 list were removed this year: Latvia, Barbados and the Bahamas. (Latvia is no longer eligible for the list because it is now considered a “developed country.”) The Bahamas was removed from the list largely because of its ongoing construction of captive dolphin facilities.
Eight of this year’s countries are island nations. As Ethical Traveler explains, “Climate change affects islands dramatically, so they tend to be very aware of the importance of effective environmental policies.”
Unfortunately, no developing Asian country qualified this year. According to Ethical Traveler, “all betrayed too many human rights abuses, and showed too little movement toward sustainability.”
Ethical Traveler acknowledges that no country is perfect, even the ones that made the Top Ten list:
Though we are diligent in creating this list, we must continually remind ourselves: No country is perfect. All have genuine and often serious shortcomings. Each of our winners, however, is making a genuine effort to do the right thing in the many areas we take into consideration. We sincerely hope that inclusion on this list will motivate them to continue and improve upon their good work.
Destinations of Interest
In addition to the countries that make up The World’s 10 Best Ethical Destinations, Ethical Traveler also selects five “Destinations of Interest.” These countries are “not presently considered ethical destinations, (but) open-minded travelers can learn much by visiting them.” This year, they are:
Cuba
Ghana
Grenada
Madagascar
Malawi
Why Do Ethics Matter When Choosing a Travel Destination?
Travel is one of the world’s largest industries, supporting 266 million jobs and generating nine percent of world GDP.
Ethical Traveler claims travel is the world’s largest industry, with a trillion-dollar annual footprint, which means that travelers have enormous power:
Where we choose to put our footprints has economic and political reverberations that reach far beyond our personal experience. Ethical Traveler believes that mindful travel offers many rewards, both personal and global. By voting with our wings–choosing our destinations well, and cultivating our roles as citizen diplomats–we promote international goodwill and help change the world for the better.
What About the Environmental Impact of Travel?
Here’s how Greenwald responds to those who criticize travel for the amount of carbon it creates:
They’re right, although it’s a small fraction (compared to) the impact from industry or farming, it’s important to travel responsibly, and to see air travel as a double-edged privilege rather than as a right. Flying is an essential part of exploration and citizen diplomacy, but it’s possible to limit one’s airplane trips, take other forms of low-impact transportation whenever possible, and travel light. Every ounce saves fuel!
Ethical Traveler Resources
The end of the year is the perfect time to plan your next travel adventure. If you’re just warming up to the concept of ethical travel, here’s a handy list of resources to help you get started:
Ethical Traveler’s 2015 10 Best Ethical Travel Destinations
Thirteen Tips for the Accidental Ambassador
5 Tips to be a Socially Responsible Traveler
