TOURINFO- Ethical Traveler is a project of the Earth Island Institute, based in San Francisco, who seek to use the economic influence of tourism to protect human rights and the environment, in their annual report published on January 16, 2020, include Armenia in their top ten of The World’s Best Ethical Destinations for 2020.
ARMENIA
Armenia is a newcomer to the Ethical Destinations list, thanks in large part to its promising new government and commitment to green energy. Following the peaceful Velvet Revolution in 2018, Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan—who spearheaded the protests—won a major victory in the parliamentary election, leaving him with a majority. This will help him implement his ambitious programs for tackling corruption and reforming the economy. In June 2019, Pashinyan unveiled his plan to create a unified anti-corruption court.
Armenia has pledged to generate 30% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025. It aims to expand and diversify power generation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In November 2019, the country’s largest commercial solar power station was inaugurated, and more solar power projects are on their way. In addition, a bill was introduced to the Armenian Parliament seeking to criminalize animal abuse, proposing fines or imprisonment for cruelty leading to the death or disfigurement of animals.
However, Armenia still has critical issues that we will be monitoring. Gender equality and women’s empowerment remain concerns, as does domestic violence; family members or partners reportedly killed at least 10 women during the first six months of 2019. Nevertheless, Armenia has made some progress in adopting legislative and policy reforms to foster gender equality and combat violence against women.
“As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”
– Anthony Bourdain
Once again, we open our annual report with the words of Anthony Bourdain. In just a few sentences, the late travel journalist—who inspired so many of us to explore with open minds and unflagging curiosity—summarizes our credo here at Ethical Traveler. Bourdain felt, as do we, that the only authentic way to experience the world is with boots (or flip-flops) on the ground. Although dazzling documentaries and social media might give us a taste of exotic lands and unfamiliar cultures, there is no substitute for travel.
It is true that we live in difficult times. The rise of autocracies and oligarchies concerns all freedom-loving people. Advocates for justice around the globe—from Hong Kong to Chile to India—are struggling to uphold human rights and protect democracy. On top of that, humanity faces another, closely related peril: climate change. Wildfires, droughts, and sea-level rise are already impacting millions of people. Our own United States, once on board to address these issues, now trumpets regressive policies that ignore or deny the unambiguous findings of the scientific community.
Yet it is in times like these that we benefit the most from engaging with people beyond our borders, and affirming the values, we share. To establish common ground with our fellow humans is to promote hope and foster optimism. Because when we leave our comfort zone and explore “parts unknown,” we are at our most receptive — counting on the kindness, generosity, and humanity of our fellow humans. At such moments, we forge heart-to-heart connections and remember the obvious: All of us who cohabit this extraordinary blue planet are interdependent.
As the decade closes and 2020 begins, we must cultivate this sense of global citizenry. The bonds we share are stronger than the divisions between us. Whether we are visiting Cuba or Iceland, Tasmania or Benin, we have the opportunity—and responsibility—to confirm the view of medical anthropologist Paul Farmer: “The only real nation is humanity.”
We at Ethical Traveler believe that travel can be thrilling, inspiring, and transformational. However, travel/tourism is also one of the world’s most powerful economic engines and can drive the way countries treat their citizens, indigenous people, oceans, wildlife, waterways, and forests. Travel is, in fact, the world’s largest industry— about 10% of the world’s people now depend on travel-related jobs for their livelihoods.
This means that travelers, as a community, have a potentially enormous influence. Where we put our footprints, and our dollars, has ripples that reach far beyond our personal experience. By “voting with our wings”—i.e., choosing our destinations well and cultivating our roles as citizen diplomats—we can change the world for the better.
Every year, Ethical Traveler reviews the policies and practices of nearly 200 nations in the developing world. We then select the ten that have improved the most in terms of promoting human rights, preserving the environment, and supporting social welfare—all while creating a lively, community-based tourism industry. By visiting the countries on this list, we can use our economic advantage to reward good works and support best practices.
We urge you to explore these destinations, and to enjoy the wonderful sights, scenic and cultural, that they have to offer.
Though we are diligent in creating this list, we must continually remind ourselves: Everything is relative. No country is perfect. All have genuine and often serious shortcomings. Each of our winners, however, is making a genuine effort to “do the right thing” in the areas, we take into consideration. If they appear on the list more than one year in a row, it means they are actively improving their already excellent record. We sincerely hope that inclusion on this list will motivate the people and leaders of these nations to keep up their admirable work.
Ethical Traveler is an all-volunteer non-profit organization and a project of the Earth Island Institute. No money or donations of any kind are solicited or accepted from any nations, governments, travel bureaus, or individuals in the creation of our annual list.
The Winners
Ethical Traveler congratulates the countries on our 2020 list of The World’s Ten Best Ethical Destinations. The winners, in alphabetical order (not in order of merit), are:
Armenia, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica*, Dominica, Jamaica, Mongolia*, Palau*, Gambia*, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay* (* = also appeared on our 2019 list).
