Discover the World’s Ten Best Ethical Destinations

Forget the Oscars, the world’s ten best ethical destinations have been announced!

By visiting the countries on Ethical Traveler’s 2016 Best Ethical Destinations List, travelers can use their economic leverage to reward good work and support best practices in developing countries.

Each year, Ethical Traveler–an all-volunteer non-profit organization and project of the Earth Island Institute — reviews the policies and practices of hundreds of nations in the developing world. From there, they select the ten that are doing the most impressive job of promoting human rights, preserving the environment and supporting social welfare—all while creating a lively, community-based tourism industry.

The Ethical Destinations List can help socially responsible travelers choose where to travel next. Ethical Traveler explains how:

“During the past decade we have watched travel grow into the world’s largest industry, with a trillion-dollar annual footprint. This means that travelers possess more than curiosity; we have enormous power. Where we choose to put our footprints has economic and political reverberations that reach far beyond our personal experience. 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.”

So without further adieu, the 2016 World’s Ten Best Ethical Destinations List winners are…(listed in alphabetical order, not in order of merit):

• Cabo Verde
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Micronesia (Federated States)
• Mongolia
• Panama
• Samoa
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Uruguay

Here’s what Jeff Greenwald, Executive Director of Ethical Traveler, shared with us recently about the list:

“It’s always a privilege to create the Best Ethical Destinations list—but given how many people see travel as a form of entertainment, I wish our big winners got the same attention as the stars at the Academy Awards! When you look at the controversy surrounding the Oscars this year, it’s important to realize that all our winners are “countries of color.” And these players aren’t just giving great performances—they’re walking the walk in terms of human rights and environmental protection. To me, that’s more impressive than any starring role.”

Were there any surprises this year, according to Greenwald?

“We were surprised and delighted to include Mongolia on our list this year; it’s the first time a mainland Asian country has ever made the list. And it was kind of a shock to see Costa Rica miss the mark this year – though it looks like they’ve recently taken very positive steps to uphold protection of migratory sharks in their coastal waters.”

You are invited to a FREE reception at Book Passage in Marin, honoring this year’s winners! See below for details. To find out more about this year’s list, visit Ethical Traveler’s website.