Top ethical destinations to visit

The original press release for this article can be found here: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/worlds-top-10-ethical-destinations,1075337.shtml

Are you the kind of traveler who wants to have a great time AND feel good about where your travel budget is going?

Ethical Traveler's new report, "The World's Best Ethical Destinations," identifies the 10 countries in the developing world that are best protecting their natural environments, promoting responsible travel, and building a tourism industry which provides real benefits to local communities.

"There's no doubt that worldwide interest in mindful, responsible travel is growing - not only among travelers, but within the countries that host us," says Jeff Greenwald, executive director of Ethical Traveler and co-author of the report. "Now is the perfect time for savvy travelers and well-intentioned governments to evolve together, each encouraging the other. This is especially true in the developing world, where travel and tourism can be developed as lucrative, low-impact alternatives to forestry, mining, and the destruction of ocean habitats."

In alphabetical order, the best ethical travel destinations for 2010 are:

Argentina

Belize

Chile

Ghana

Lithuania

Namibia

Poland

Seychelles

South Africa

Suriname

"In drafting our report, we use scores of information sources -- including publicly available data -- to rate each country's genuine commitment to environmental protection, social welfare and human rights," says Christy Hoover, co-author of the report. "Data sources include the United Nations Development Program, Human Rights Watch, Columbia University, Reporters Without Borders, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and many others. Private interviews with NGO leaders are part of the process, as well." The full report can be viewed at http://www.ethicaltraveler.org/destinations

TRIPBOD FOUNDER, SALLY BROOM, SAYS::

‘It's great to see this report being published. Increasing numbers of travellers want to spend their time and money in the right places, and these sorts of guides really help them turn those intentions into action.’

However Broom added ‘It is still important to remember those wonderful destinations not mentioned but working very hard in all the areas mentioned in the report: environmental, social, economic and human. So it’s always worth checking that when planning a trip. But we need more of this kind of information and we thank Ethical Traveller for publishing this list...

... and hurray for South Africa and their World Cup Football games in 2010!