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What are the world’s most ethical travel destinations?

By Joe Ascanio

December 10th, 2009

Set all over the globe, these destinations have made the best efforts to promote responsible travel via the protecting of natural environments and building a tourism industry that truly benefits the local communities.

Ethical travel covers a vast criteria, spanning everything from environmental conservation to local community support. So, throughout this great blue and green globe, what places are getting them all right?

A new report by Ethical Traveler has identified to top 10 countries in the developing world that are quite simply doing the best job. These locations, set all over the globe, have made the best efforts to promote responsible travel via the protecting of natural environments and building a tourism industry that truly benefits the 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.

Ethical Traveler is an international alliance of travelers who believe that travel is a powerful tool for international goodwill and cultural understanding. The group seeks to harness the political and economic clout of tourism to support human rights and the environment. Ethical Traveler is a project of the Earth Island Institute.

“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.”

Commitment to responsibility

In order to compile the list, Ethical Traveler did not exactly depend on popular opinion. The online resource compiled data from multiple sources, including the United Nations Development Program, Human Rights Watch, Columbia University, Reporters Without Borders, the Millennium Challenge Corp., and others.

Private interviews were also conducted with various NGO leaders.

“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,” said Christy Hoover, co-author of the report.

Making the grade

Rounding out Ethical Traveler’s Most Ethical Travel Destinations for 2010 list are, in alphabetical order:

Argentina
Belize
Chile
Ghana
Lithuania
Namibia
Poland
Seychelles
South Africa
Suriname

Check out the full report at: www.ethicaltraveler.org/destinations.

About the Author

Joe is a full time web designer, developer and marketing guy working in the online travel technology marketplace. TerraCurve.com is his personal project - an avenue of creativity that combines his beliefs in social responsibility with both professional and personal experience.

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http://www.go2bhutan.com/ karma

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Travel Information for the Visitors to Bhutan.
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Entry to Bhutan:
Bhutan can be entered either by Air (Druk Air line) or by over land. The national airline flies from Bangkok, Delhi, Dacca, Katmandu, and Kolkata. Entry by land is from India through the states if West Bengal that shares a border with Bhutan’s border town Phuntsholing in Southwest.

Note: Air fares, Bhutan Visa fees, Tourism Development Fund (TDF), Medical costs, Alcohol beverages and Insurances are to be borne by the visitors.

Discovering of Bhutan and services we offers.
We are always motivated to provide our best services to make you feel at home. We take great care and delivering our services so that you will have wonderful stay with us. We are passionate about travel and committed in making you stay in Bhutan memorable and special, as such we are specialize in and arrange the following trips.
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Trekking between unclimbed peaks.

Trekking in Bhutan is a unique experience unlike many of the more crowded treks offered in Asia. The variety of treks range from a simple three- day trek from the district of the Thimphu to Paro to the 28 days legendary Snowmen trek that takes veteran trekkers through some of the most exquite sports in the country. The Snowmen trek is also labeled the world’s toughest trek as it goes over 12- 14 mountains passes all of them over 4,500m -5, 000m.

Camping equipment, kitchen implements, food, are carried by packed animals. Porters are rather unusual in Bhutan with loads usually carted by horses or higher region by Yaks. For the walkers are most appropriate trekking times are mid March and mid September to beginning of November. There are how ever also trekking routes that are better suited the summer or winter.

Culture.
Culturally this country has no parallel. For many centuries the Himalaya isolated Bhutan so that its language, society and social customs developed with little external influence. The culture based purely on Buddhist philosophy. It is neither borrowed nor made in recent years, the roots of its existence are as old the existence of the land and people themselves. Nowhere is this better witness than in the Tshechu rituals. These festivals reenact Bhutanese history and religious lesions for successive generations, while providing great community enjoyment.
The people of Bhutan still live a primarily agrarian life. The country is largely populated by the three ethnic groups. In the Eastern areas, Sharchops predominate and are believed to be the earliest inhabitants. In the West you will fined Naglops of Tibetan descent and in the South many Nepalese who began settling in Bhutan in the 1900’s. The Bhutanese are warm friendly, peace loving, hard working and enjoy a great sense of humor.
Bhutan Dragon Adventures is licensed by Tourism Council of Bhutan under Ministry of Economic Affairs and is operated by the group of committed staff. We are always looking forward to offer you a great opportunity to explore our unexplored Buddhist country.

Our Postal Address.
Bhutan Dragon Adventures
P.O Box No. 304.
Thimphu, Bhutan
Email: dragonadventures@druknet.bt
http://www.go2bhutan.com
topvacationspots

To create this list, Ethical Traveler conducts a study of the world’s 70+ developing nations and top vacation spots, from Albania to Zimbabwe. We begin our research by looking at three general categories: Environmental Protection, Social Welfare, and Human Rights.For all of these categories, we look at information past and present so that we may understand not only the current state of a country, but its forward path. This helps us select countries that are actively improving the state of their people and environment.
http://www.pacebutler.com/ John at Cellphone Recycling

Wow, I was really surprise but glad that Argentina was on top of the list. Other than that, South Africa really deserves to be on the list, hands up to South Africa. To the 10 countries mentioned, keep up the good work and to the other countries, let us also do our own job….
http://www.pacebutler.com/ John at Cellphone Recycling

Wow, I was really surprise but glad that Argentina was on top of the list. Other than that, South Africa really deserves to be on the list, hands up to South Africa. To the 10 countries mentioned, keep up the good work and to the other countries, let us also do our own job….