Those of us who love to travel are emerging from some frustrating times. The Covid-19 pandemic — which appears to be receding — kept a lot of travelers in their armchairs for several years. But with the scourge of the virus being tamed, and masks becoming increasingly optional (after many uncomfortable months of flying-while-masking), people are once again packing their neck pillows, checking their passport expiration dates, and setting off to rediscover the world.
On the wings of this optimism, Ethical Traveler has published our fifteenth edition of “The World’s Ten Best Ethical Destinations.”
A Pride march in Timor-Leste. Ethical Traveler’s 10 best ethical travel destinations are selected based on countries’ support of human rights, social welfare, environmental protection, and animal welfare. Photo by Jasmere Yasharal.
The originating idea for Ethical Traveler was simple: We saw it as sort of a Sierra Club for travelers. Who better to conserve and protect the world, with its Indigenous cultures and marvelous natural gifts, than those who love to travel and explore? Because while travel can be thrilling, inspiring, and transformational, it’s also one of the world’s most powerful economic engines. Travel is in fact the world’s largest industry — about 10 percent of the world’s people now depend on travel-related jobs for their livelihoods.
And while exports are central to a nation’s economy, the revenue generated by visitors can influence the way countries treat their citizens, Indigenous peoples, oceans, wildlife, waterways, and forests. This means that travelers, as a community, can have enormous clout. Where we put our footprints, and our dollars, has ripples that reach far beyond our personal experience. By “voting with our wings” — that is, choosing our destinations well and cultivating our roles as citizen diplomats — we can change the world for the better.
During our early years we used this platform as an activist force, spearheading letter-writing campaigns to the tourism ministries of countries that were displacing local populations (usually for mining or logging interests) and despoiling their environments (such as coral reefs and mangrove swamps). “We have a choice,” we reminded these officials, “of what kinds of places we visit.” When a government’s behavior was flagrantly egregious, we even announced travel boycotts. The most controversial of these occurred in 2004, when the Nepali government literally began selling captured Tibetan refugees back to China. Along with sympathetic legislators — who were able to threaten Nepal with certain trade tariffs — we helped put a stop to this practice.
A few years later, however, we decided to shift our focus. The carrot, we reasoned, was more effective than the stick. Why not “call in,” rather than “call out”? Instead of targeting countries behaving badly, we began to congratulate those that did exceptionally well. Our first “Ten Best Ethical Destinations” report was released in 2005. Our parameters were simple. We decided to limit our search to countries in the developing world — places that had a good infrastructure and might visibly benefit from a bump in travel and tourism.
Our team begins, in the autumn of each year, by surveying the world’s developing nations — from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. We look closely at four aspects of these countries: human rights, social welfare, environmental protection, and animal welfare. In this first phase of our process, we consider country scores from a variety of databases related to our categories. Our information is supplied by sources including Freedom House, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, Reporters Without Borders, UNICEF, the World Bank, and Stop Animal Selfies, among many others.
After identifying about 20 “short list” performers, we turn to detailed case-study research. We use many strategies to finalize our list — including engagement with civic leaders, discussions with travelers, and local media. We also consider actions these governments have taken over the past year to build upon progressive policies and practices in their countries. Countries must show an upward arc, making good on promises and introducing new initiatives.
Finally, we choose the 10 countries that have improved the most within our areas of concern — all while creating a lively, community-based tourism industry. Because for a country to win a place on our list, it must excel in more than metrics. Each ethical destination also offers natural beauty, great outdoor activities, and the opportunity to interact with local people and cultures in a meaningful, mutually enriching way.
Here then are our 2023 winners, in alphabetical order:
*Appeared on our 2020 and/or 2021 lists
The full report, which you can find on our website, provides details on why each of the winning countries was selected, and alerts the nation’s leaders to areas where there is room for improvement. We hope that a place on our list incentivizes the winning countries (and their neighbors!) to keep up their good work, and do even better.
Learn more about this Earth Island Project at ethicaltraveler.org
Though we’re diligent in creating this list, we must continually remind ourselves: No country is perfect. All have genuine and often serious shortcomings. (For some of these winning countries, for example, anti-LGBTQ laws may be on the books — but they are not enforced, and Pride activities sometimes take place.) Each of our winners, however, is engaged in a sustained effort to “do the right thing” in the areas we take into consideration. We sincerely hope that inclusion on this list will motivate the people and leaders of these nations to keep up their admirable work.
At long last, travel is returning. And as it does, we hope our international community will rise to the occasion. As 2023 unfolds, all of us can play an active role in redefining what travel is, and how it might enhance the lives of people around the world. We at Ethical Traveler urge you to explore these award-winning destinations, and to enjoy the wonderful sights, scenic and cultural, that they have to offer. By visiting the countries on this list, we can use our economic leverage to reward good works and support best practices.
We understand that travel — particularly by air — has an environmental cost. As with so many industrial endeavors on our increasingly harried planet, flying has become a cost/benefit equation. And though air travel accounts for about 3.5 percent of anthropogenic warming, according to a 2021 analysis published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, it is a far smaller share than emissions from our use of passenger cars or power plants.
The analysis also reported that “a small group of frequent fliers — including the 12 percent of Americans who make more than six round trip flights a year — are responsible for two-thirds of … aviation emissions.” This figure is substantial.
It is certainly true that, at very least, much business travel should be conducted remotely. But occasional air travel to increase one’s understanding of the world and connect directly with other cultures remains vital — if not essential. So, while we encourage travelers to take trains, ferries, and buses whenever possible, we reject the idea of “flight shame” for those who wish to experience first-hand the beauty and variety of our shared world.
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