For years, sustainable travel has encouraged us to minimise harm, use less plastic, reduce emissions, respect cultures and protect the places we visit. Ethical Traveler attended the Regenerative Travel Asia Symposium in Singapore, where the conversation explored a bigger question: what if the travel and tourism industry could actively restore ecosystems, strengthen local communities, and […]
After sharing her experiences online from a visit with the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, Anniina Sandberg noticed something unsettling. Some of the responses focused less on understanding the community and more on portraying Indigenous people as entertaining or amusing. In an era of accessible travel, ubiquitous cameras, and content creation, for Sandberg, it reinforced a […]
Animal exploitation in tourism is not a new issue. Across the world, experiences once marketed as “once-in-a-lifetime” have come under scrutiny—from elephant riding in Thailand, to holding sea turtles in the Cayman Islands, to “walking with lions” in South Africa. As travelers, we are naturally drawn to these experiences but too often, tourism continues to […]
