Ethical Traveler, an all-volunteer non-profit division of the Earth Island Institute, has released their list of Top Ten Ethical Travel Destinations of 2012. The research team studies developing nations around the world, rating them on environmental protection, social welfare, and human rights. It is part of their mission to encourage the use of travel and the power of tourism as tools to support and protect human rights and the environment.
Some nations in Latin America and Africa, with otherwise high credentials, were downgraded due to draconian anti-gay laws, and some new countries showed up on the list with motivated efforts in 2011 to address environmental and sustainability issues.
The Developing World’s 10 Best Ethical Destinations (in alphabetical order, not in order of merit) are:
Argentina
The Bahamas
Chile
Costa Rica
Dominica
Latvia
Mauritius
Palau
Serbia
Uruguay
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