Costa Rica—for many of us, just the name brings forth mental images of green rainforests, cloud-shrouded volcanos and, of course, beaches. Costa Rica has successfully branded itself as a sustainable tourism destination for many years, so its wildlife preserves and other natural resources are top-of-mind for many travelers. This fame makes Costa Rica a good […]
Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda as the locals call it in the Philippines, is the worst storm to hit the island nation in recorded history. The latest official death toll is at over 5,600, with more than 1,700 additional people missing and 3.5 million displaced. The worst-hit area, Tacloban City in Leyte Province in the Eastern […]
Many backpackers are well intentioned when setting out for beckoning distant lands that perhaps they’ve only read about in guidebooks or heard about from friends who’ve made the journey themselves. As these travelers arrive on foreign soil, they boost the local economy by staying at local hotels, guesthouses or hostels and eating at local establishments. […]
The reservations of South Dakota’s nine Native American tribes have consistently been among the poorest areas in the United States, suffering the detrimental effects of rights abuses, loss of traditional land, discrimination and harmful federal policies, both in the past and the present. Unfortunately, mainstream media have too often focused on the high rates of […]
Coastal tourism is the most rapidly developing area of the tourism industry, and with good reason. With a large portion of the landmark one billion people who traveled internationally in 2012 flocking to beaches worldwide, it’s no wonder that developers are taking note. And with tourism becoming an ever more important industry in developing countries, […]
Purchasing a plastic bottle of water or two while traveling may not seem like a huge deal on an individual level, but multiply that by the number of travelers crisscrossing the globe every day and the impact is massive. On a global scale, 2.7 million tons of plastic are used annually for water bottles. Of […]
Across Tibet, monks, nuns, students, and others are protesting China’s continuing control of the region—many in a gruesome and tragic way. Ninety-five Tibetans have set themselves ablaze since March 16, 2011 – 33 of them in the last two months of 2012 alone. Nearly all have called for Tibetan freedom, the relaxation of religious and […]
As an ambassador for peace, internationally known Malian artist Oumou Sangaré will lead a stalwart line-up of African musicians in one of two caravans that make up the 2013 Festival au Désert in Exile. An international music event that draws thousands of people annually to Mali, the Festival au Désert (Festival in the Desert) was […]
The ethics of using animals for the amusement of tourists was again called into question recently following an attack on an animal keeper in Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney, Australia. Lucy Melo was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being crushed against a post by a baby elephant during a morning training session […]
