New year brings new options for vacationing with your values.
BERKELEY, USA – As travel consumers, we vote with our wallets each time we take a trip. By spending money at destinations with sustainable practices, we show our support in a measurable way.
If human rights and the environment are issues you support at home, consider factoring these issues into your vacation choices. The world is large, and travel options are plentiful. Why not support destinations which share our values, by enjoying the natural and cultural resources those destinations offer?
Each year, Berkeley-based nonprofit Ethical Traveler researches the policies and practices of the world's developing nations. Using publicly available data from organizations ranging from Amnesty International to the United Nations, Ethical Traveler scours the globe to find the ten most ethical destinations. All ten winners are known not only for their forward-thinking policies, but also for their tourism infrastructure, natural beauty, and welcoming cultures.
The 2017 Ethical Destinations Awards winners (in alphabetical order, not ranked) are:
- Belize
- Cabo Verde
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- Mongolia
- Palau
- Tonga
- Uruguay
- Vanuatu
Half of this year's winners are island nations. Climate change affects islands dramatically. Seeing the risks clearly, we theorize that island nations may put extra effort toward effective environmental policies.
The goal of the Ethical Destinations Awards is to encourage developing nations that have chosen to do the right thing, and to reward destinations where policies and actions protect human rights and the environment.
Angelos is the news editor for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). His role includes to monitor the hundrends of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skim the most important according to our strategy.
He currently studies Communication, Media & Culture in Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens.
