The government of Tanzania has approved a major commercial highway across Serengeti National Park in the direct path of the park’s world-famous wildlife migration routes. Conservationists and members of the travel industry strongly oppose the construction, arguing that such a highway would be devastating to the Serengeti’s fragile ecosystem and would therefore negatively impact Tanzania’s […]
At least 17 cities across the nation have passed official travel boycotts to Arizona in response to a tough new illegal immigration bill passed in the state in April. Arizona Senate Bill 1070 gives local authorities the right to question and request proof of immigration status from “suspicious” individuals. Opponents believe the bill supports racial […]
Ecotourism is frequently cited as a model of responsible development, yet a recent report found it is often a sour deal for poor communities in Kenya. According to a series of articles on Investigate West, the nonprofit Kenya Community Based Tourism Organization looked into six ecotourism ranches across the country and reported that local groups […]
While many in South Africa cheer the influx of tourists arriving for this year’s FIFA World Cup, others warn that with them will come an increase in human trafficking, specifically of women and children. In a controversial report, the South African Drug Control Authority estimated that 40,000 sex workers will enter the country for the […]
At 4:30 in the morning Kumar knocked on the flimsy wooden door of the lodge where I was staying. A few days into my trek on part of the Annapurna Circuit. a popular route for Western trekkers in Nepal, I had agreed to get up before sunrise to hike up Poon Hill. Kumar, my trekking […]
Travel is about connecting with people, about taking risks and being open to new experiences. These are the themes of the new anthology Female Nomad and Friends: Tales of Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World, an eclectic and encouraging collection of stories that will resonate with many travelers. Compiled by Rita Golden Gelman, […]
For the first time, Sherpas are attempting to clean up the highest reaches of Mount Everest, where the melting of ice and snow due to global warming has revealed tons of debris left behind by climbers over the past six decades. The team, known as the Extreme Everest Expedition, consists of 20 of Nepal’s most […]
Dark tourism or “poorism’ is on the rise, giving curious travelers the opportunity to see poverty up close in person. Tours of Rio’s favelas or South Africa’s townships have long been established as popular day trips. A new trend in both Western and developing countries is tours guided by homeless or formerly homeless people showing […]
Tuy Sereivathana of the Cambodian Elephant Conservation Group (CECG)—known to local villagers as “Uncle Elephant”—was recently awarded the 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia. Given annually to one person from each of the inhabited continents, the Goldman Prize is the largest and most prestigious award for individual grassroots environmental efforts. Tuy was recognized for his […]
