2016 Ethical Destinations Awards: Winners announced

 What do Grenada, Micronesia, Mongolia, Panama, and Tuvalu have in common? All five countries are making impressive strides to conserve natural resources, support human rights and protect animals. They are also first-time winners of the annual Ethical Destinations Awards.

For 2016, these winners join five winners also recognised by Ethical Traveler in previous years.

Each year, California-based Ethical Traveler researches and publishes a list of the 10 most forward-thinking countries in the developing world. Each country is reviewed for its performance in the areas of human rights, social welfare, animal welfare and environmental protection. That’s not all; a winning country also must have plenty of appeal as a travel destination.

By spending travel dollars in forward-thinking countries, explorers can reward the good guys―and encourage humane practices worldwide.

The 2016 winners, in alphabetical order (NOT in order of merit) are:

There are seven island nations on the 2016 list, marking a continuing trend in the winners’ circle. Climate change affects islands dramatically, so island nations tend to put extra effort toward effective environmental policies. Panama, Mongolia and Uruguay are also significant to the 2016 list, as they are the only mainland winners. Mongolia also stands out as the first developing mainland Asian country to qualify since the awards began.

Ethical Traveler is a project of the Berkeley-based Earth Island Institute. The goal of the Ethical Destinations Awards is to encourage developing nations to do the right thing, and to reward destinations where policies and actions protect human rights and the environment.

“While we acknowledge that no country is perfect,” says co-founder and travel author Jeff Greenwald, “we honor those that strive to build a better, more sustainable society. Their neighbors can learn and benefit from their example―and so can we.”

To read the full report, visit http://ethicaltraveler.org/destinations.