Belize on list of 10 best ethical destinations
Posted: 11/12/2009 - 10:37 AM
Author: Adele Ramos - adelescribe@gmail.com
After being dropped from the list in 2008, Belize has again landed a spot for the second time in three years, on the list of the world’s top 10 ethical destinations, according to a report released on December 3 by Ethical Traveler, an international alliance of travelers headquartered in Berkeley, California, USA, and headed by Jeff Greenwald, world traveler, writer, artist and photographer.
In alphabetical order, the best ethical travel destinations for 2010 are: Argentina, Belize, Chile, Ghana, Lithuania, Namibia, Poland, Seychelles, South Africa, and Suriname.
According to its website, www.ethicaltraveler.org, “Every year Ethical Traveler conducts a study of the world’s developing nations, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. We begin our research by focusing on three general categories: Environmental Protection, Social Welfare, and Human Rights.
“For each 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.”
Christy Hoover, co-author of the report, explained, “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.”
As an example, the report notes that in the area of political rights, Freedom House gave Belize, Chile, Ghana, Lithuania, and Poland the highest possible rating.
Other data sources include the United Nations Development Program, Human Rights Watch, Columbia University, Reporters Without Borders, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
“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 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.”
Belize last made the list in 2006, when it appeared along with Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Kenya, Peru, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Uruguay.
Ethical Traveler, a project of Earth Island Institute, says it seeks to harness the political and economic clout of tourism to support human rights and the environment.
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