TRA Eat, stay, b Treading li the road
Between the intricate shrines of Angkor Wat, the diverse landscapes of the countryside and the kindness of its people - and despite the horrors of its recent history - Cambodia knocks a lot of people off their feet. It certainly had that effect on me when I first visited a few years ago and then again when I returned this winter. Yet it was impossible not to notice the school-age children begging barefoot at the major tourist sites, underage local women escorting Western men on sex tours, and the proliferation of seemingly unsustainable large-scale resorts being built on the pristine southern coast.
It’s a classic traveler’s question, one that is especially pronounced in developing or poor countries: Is your visit to a destination ultimately helping or hurting the place and its people? Is it possible to travel ethically in such places?
According to a collection of studies compiled by the Center for Responsible Travel, most travelers
A good first step is setting up personal guidelines: Eat, stay
and buy locally whenever possible (and use accredited local guides); respect local customs; take note of your carbon footprint and research how to offset flights (sites like nature.org’s carbon calculator can help)
want to make a positive impact on the places they visit. To meet the rising demand for this kind of travel, an increasing number of organizations and resorts are trying to help travelers plan their visits more conscientiously, not only to minimize the potential negative effects of their visits but also, even more vitally, to maximize the positive impact and allow guests to have an active role in the process.
Of course, there will always be debate about whether these goals are realistic in certain countries. Some, like Iran, are under international sanctions; others, like Myanmar, have opened to travelers but remain complicated places to visit. (Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, that country’s opposition leader, only recently changed her position and now encourages tourism, with the hopes of benefiting locals and bringing Myanmar a more international audience.)
“I would advise travelers to investigate why a country is being sanctioned or boycotted, and determine to the best of their ability if they agree with the reasoning behind the boycott/sanctions,” said David Krantz, the program director for the Center for Responsible Travel. (“Boycotting a country altogether may ultimately harm individuals who have no relation to the reasons behind the boycotts or the policies of their national government,” he added.)
A good first step is setting up personal guidelines: Eat, stay and buy locally whenever possible (and use accredited local guides); respect local customs; take note of your carbon footprint and research how to offset flights (sites like nature.org’s carbon calculator can help). The next steps can be trickier, but there are organizations out there trying to help.
The nonprofit Ethical Traveler (ethicaltraveler.org) produces an