Whether travelers are aware of it or not, they have a certain amount of influence when they decide where to visit & spend their money. It doesn't matter if it's family vacations or luxury travel, consider these trips as an investment in the area. The Ethical Traveler states that travel has become the world's largest industry, giving anyone looking to go on vacation sway at their destination.
World's best ethical destinations Tourism can be a huge factor in an economy, especially a developing one. Every year the Ethical Traveler compiles a list of destinations they believe deserves your money. Countries are judged on four categories:
Social welfare
Environmental protection
Animal welfare
Human rights
The idea behind the list is to bring into the spotlight nations that are trying their hardest to improve. When you go somewhere & put money into that local area, you help reshape some of the struggling regions & reward their goodwill with job opportunities & revenue. This, in turn, promotes the more favorable policies you believe in as an individual & can help spur more developments of that nature. You can aid these places in their quest to become a better member of the world that aims to enhance the lives of its citizens, protect the land & stand up for native wildlife.
The Bahamas This year, the Bahamas made the list after efforts to increase the well-being of its people as well as its environment through initiatives that have increased the size of their national parks by over 50,000 acres according to the BBC.
Jeff Greenwald, executive director of Ethical Traveler, told BBC, "Instead of punishing countries for doing bad things, we're trying to offer a carrot, rewarding countries in the developing world that are really trying to do the right thing."
Greenwald urges travelers to "vote with their wings" by displaying their feelings of what is right & wrong with where they go & spend their money. You can support the locations you love & truly believe in while also enjoying everything that makes them what they are. Not only does it allow you to show your appreciation, but your contribution to their economy may further better the entire country. These benefits can then act as a catalyst for more people to visit.
So what does this mean? You have the ability to change the world in a constructive way simply by going on vacation & having a good time.
