There’s a lot of buzz around sustainable travel, which is traveling in a way that reduces your environmental impact, but what about ethical travel? Ethics in general is kind of a sticky area, while everyone has them, we don’t all agree on what they are, and no one is really in a position to tell someone else that their ethics are wrong. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the common ethical issues that can come up when traveling.
Animal Tourism
From posing with tigers for selfies to elephant bathing and riding, around the world companies offer travelers a variety of experiences with animals. Why is this an ethical issue? The animals are often kept in poor conditions and mistreatment is rampant. Elephants are often shackled and beaten to make them more, “tame”, for riding and bathing, tigers and other large cats used for selfies are kept sedated for hours so tourists can take selfies with them. Animal tourism can also include activities such as swimming with sharks, sea turtles, dolphins and manta rays. While this can seem harmless because the animals are in their
natural habitat, some companies will actually bait areas to attract sharks, turtles and mantas to be able to offer this activity and guarantee you see them. This can make the animals become reliant on the baiting as a food source and change migration and nesting patterns of the animals. Bringing tourists in close proximity with animals brings up the people problem; that is tourists chasing down the animals for a selfie or picture and touching wild animals. Indonesia is famous for its Luwak coffee, this high-priced coffee utilizes the Luwak, which is an Asian Calm Civit and really adorable. As part of the process as the Luwaks eat the cherries that contain the coffee bean and the beans are fermented as they pass through the animals. Originally, coffee producers had to scour the wild for Luwak droppings and could only produce a limited amount of coffee. Now, the Luwaks are kept in cages on the coffee plantations to produce coffee at a higher rate. And while many coffee plantations will say that their Luwaks are free range and ethically, I’ve been told by multiple tour guides that it is virtually impossible to find a coffee plantation that actually produces Luwak coffee this way as it reduces their profits. I love snorkeling, I have been snorkeling with Manta rays twice, and sea turtles once. On each occasion I researched companies and chose to go with ones that don’t bait or allow animal interaction, they also make sure to state on their websites that they cannot guarantee that you will get to see turtles or mantas. I enjoy snorkeling in general, so for me seeing them was just a super cool bonus.
Conflict Zones
This might seem like a no brainer, who would want to go to a conflict zone? I’m including it on this list because there is a demand and industry for it. Providers of these tours typically are not locally owned and none of the revenue is going back into the country. Conflict zones also have a disproportionate amount of people who are suffering in a variety of ways; hunger, displacement, physical and mental trauma. Taking a trip to gawk at that is extremely exploitive of those suffering because of the conflict. It can also provide an incentive to keep
the conflict going. Conflict zones can be locations with outright conflict such as Syria and South Sudan, places with a high level of conflict such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and even areas that you might not consider such as Myanmar which has a high level of ethnic violence that is supported by its military, or even areas of Mexico that have high levels of cartel violence. Think this is a new form of tourism? Think again. During the Crimean War (1853-1856) Mark Twain led a group of tourists on a trip to Sevastopol. America’s Civil War saw many battls observed by civilians, complete with picnics.There are tourist companies such as War Zone Tours, who in 2010 provided tours in Iraq for around $40,000. War tourism was on the increase as of 2014 with spectating the Syrian Civil War being the main attraction. Tourists desire for the experience and to document it for social media is considered one of the main factors to its growing popularity.
Oppressive Governments
This is probably one of the most controversial topics when it comes to travel ethics and people will argue back and forth on it. Some countries I would include here are China, North Korea, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Cuba, although, the argument is often made that every country is oppressive in some way so why single a few out, some country's impose a greater amount of suffering on their people...or people they want to control, and we as humans may recognize that we don't want to support places that cause that kind of suffering. Every person is going to have different countries that they would put on this list, here are some I consider, including one I lived in.
North Korea
Known to be incredibly oppressive to its own citizens, North Korea may not sound like a dream vacation, but the country’ssuper secretive nature seems to be its main attraction,
along with the idea of seeing “what it’s really like”. Currently the only way to visit North Korea is through a tour (and only for certain nationalities) and the money from the tour is split between the tour operator and the North Korean government, so your money is financially supporting the continued oppression of the North Korean people. What you see on the tour is also carefully curated to show the image that the government wants, you are not seeing what life is like for the average North Korean. There is also the off chance that you can be detained for an infraction (real or imagined) that you committed while on the tour and it can take years for governments to negotiate a release.
China
China is a highly controversial country in many ways; oppressing their own people in various ways, allowing them to be exploited to benefit the economy, the detention and forced labor of the Uighur population, and territorial claims with countries such as Tibet, where they are also engaged in a type of cultural cleansing where they replace traditional Tibetan culture with Chinese culture, Taiwan, and in the South China Sea, an area in which China is involved in land disputes with Vietnam and the Philippines among other countries. There is also a lot
of controversy around the CCP's current actions in Hong Kong, which are in violation of the autonomous regions freedoms and constitution, in addition to ending the on country, two systems agreement over 20 years early. The allure of seeing what China is like behind its secrecy, propaganda, and the West’s depiction of it, coupled with a long history and stunning scenery make China an attractive destination. As home of the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, and the Avatar Mountains, China’s attractions have mega-star status. People are often curious to see what life is like in China, however, unless you stray from the popular tourist destinations such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Lijiang Old Town, you are not likely to really see what life is like for the majority of Chinese citizens. While the government doesn't control tourism nearly as much as in North Korea, except in the Xinjiang region, which is where the purported detention and oppression of the Uighur population is occurring, you do need to be more aware of what you say and probably even post while in China. While traveling in China your money is more likely to go to business owners over the government, and the Chinese people can be separated from the government as most aren’t even members of the CCP. I lived and worked in China for a while and have some wonderful Chinese friends, I’m also a huge supporter of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which came about in part to living in mainland China and experiencing what it's like to live in a restrictive country.
Saudi Arabia
Another example of a controversial country is Saudi Arabia. Ruled by the highly conservative Al-Saud family, Saudi Arabia has a lot of controversial laws that contribute to human rights abuses and the oppression of women and LGBQT individuals. In 2019, Saudi Arabi boldly
admitted to murdering the journalist Jamal Khashoggi at its embassy in Turkey, because Khashoggi was critical of the Al-Saud familyand in particular the crown prince Mohammad Bin Salman, who is often touted as being a progressive reformer despite a lot of evidence to say otherwise. While he's touted as giving women the right to drive, he also cracked down on and jailed female activists calling for the the right to drive and relaxation of the male guardianship system. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International published reports after receiving evidence of physical and sexual abuse of women who were arrested for promoting women's rights. While executing prisoners is globally on the decline, Saudi Arabia is one of a handful of countries that have seen a spike in executions with at least 184 executions in 2019 (South Sudan, Yemen and Iraq are the other countries with spikes).
Voluntourism
Lots of us feel compelled to give back and volunteer our time in different ways, in fact it’s so popular that a whole industry has sprung up around it; voluntourism. Voluntourism is the concept of pairing a trip to an exotic/vacation destination with volunteering. But does it do any good? Or is it just exploiting people in vulnerable situations for Instagram posts and a sense of self-satisfaction? Cited as an outgrowth of the ecotourism movement as travelers sought an alternative outside of package trips and resorts for a more authentic experience.
Charities in developing countries, which are often western based, have capitalized on this demand. Let’s talk about the economic issues around this industry. Volunteers pay charities for the experience, the charity in turn provides the opportunity to help with construction projects such as building schools or digging wells. By using these volunteers, the charities raise money through what they pay for the experience, they also avoid having to pay local workers to do the work. In addition to taking away jobs from the locals, the work being done is often sub-par compared to work done by the locals themselves. In developing countries, money goes far, which makes the loss of those jobs to “volunteers” even more impactful to these communities. With charities raking in anywhere from $750 - $2000 per week, you’d think they’d have plenty of funds to invest into communities or in their own facilities in the case orphanages, but most charities put more investment into facilities for the “volunteers” to make their stay comfortable instead of into the facilities for those who really need them. Some charities even include events like “baby rescues” for volunteers who pay an additional fee. The premise of these rescues is to save babies who are close to death by stepping in and rescuing them, which volunteers can be a part of and even document for social media. Critics have pointed out that this is a rather ineffective practice as the charities could step in sooner before the baby is in such poor health; but choose not to so that they can offer this experience to volunteers. Another side-effect of this industry is that children in orphanages are often subject to neglect, sexual and
physical abuse and even trafficking as most governments in these countries lack the budget for proper oversight of these charities. Many of the children in these types of institutions aren’t actually orphans. Parents may hand over their children because they have special needs, or the parents can’t afford to send them to school or struggle to feed them. The idea of leaving their child at an orphanage may seem to the parent, to be a choice in the child’s best interest. It’s estimated that in developing countries that over 90% of children in orphanages have at least one living parent. Another practice is using child finders, these are individuals who scour the countryside and identify and target poor families and convince them to send their child to an orphanage. Child finders are typically paid $50-$100 per child. When it comes to orphanages, the constant in and out of volunteers can leave the children with a sense of abandonment. As the constantly form bonds with individuals who leave after a short amount of time. This can be psychologically damaging and inhibit them from being able to form long term bonds, mental health care is generally not provided at orphanages. Some charities have claimed that the trips are more beneficial to the volunteers than those the charities serve. Although this is debatable as many surveys of individuals who have taken part in voluntourism, said it did not impact their life in a meaningful way. As most participants in voluntourism are white, some feel that these experiences re-enforce the white savior stereotype and encourages the idea that change happens from rich white people expressing gestures of caring.
Tour Companies
Tour companies, even the most capable solo traveler have used them. Depending on where in the world you are, they may be the only way to see what you want to see, go where you want to go, do what you want to do. It can be tempting to just compare prices and choose
the best price for the tour you want, but here are some things to consider. Who owns the company? If the company is owned by a local from the city or at least someone who is native to the country the money will most likely stay in the country and go back into local communities. When a company is foreign owned an operated the money may not be staying in local communities, which are often impoverished, and by removing the money from the community, it contributes to keeping the communities in poverty instead of lifting them out of it. In 2018, I went to Bolivia and of course to the Salt Flats of Uyuni. Uyuni itself is a small, impoverished, dusty town that reminded me of something you'd see in a movie about the old west. With large numbers of tourists coming in every day to tour the salt flats and paying anywhere from $100 - $600 for a tour, I wondered where the money went as the city itself is clearly not seeing it. How are the guides and other employees treated? Tour companies offer many the opportunity of employment as drivers or guides, however,they can often pay their indigenous workers very little or subject them to poor treatment. In Peru and Bolivia many indigenous tour workers are paid $2-$4 a day for their
work, which barely gives them enough to survive day-to-day. This can be especially prevalent with trekking companies, where porters may be paid next to nothing, required to provide their own food, and carry excessively heavy loads. In Nepal, porters and guides, both often referred to as sherpas (the term sherpa refers to a group of Himalayan people and not a job) are the backbone of the trekking and mountaineering industries in Nepal, which makes up a large part of the tourism in Nepal. With an increase in trekkers and relaxed criteria for permits to climb Everest, guides face an increased risk as they are the ones setting lines, picking routes, and now guiding inexperienced clients up and down one of the world's most dangerous mountains. There have often been reports that the less experienced clients lack appreciation for the porters who move tremendous amounts of gear and will often tip under the agreed amount or what is standard, despite the trek not being possible without them. If you can afford to shell out $10,000 for a permit to climb Everest despite lacking proper skills, you can afford to properly compensate those who make your dream come true and keep you safe. The treatment of guides, porters and the issues around tour companies is a smaller part of a larger issue of exploiting indigenous communities, but we'll save an in depth exploration of that issue for another day.
Photography
You might be wondering what ethical issues could come up in photography, but photography can be more than just snapping some pics of yourself for Instagram or capturing a beautiful landscape. I’m an avid street photographer and time to shoot street photography into my travels.
Street Photography
Even amongst photographers there’s a lot of debate about street photography ethics in general, everyone has a different take on it, and you kind of have to come up with your own
guide. People in different countries have different reactions to it, I normally try to capture more candid moments and interactions between people on the street, but I will typically shoot on a 50mm or 32mm lens, which means I’m often close to my subject(s) which means people are more likely to notice. In Malaysia and Indonesia, I’d often have people ask me to take their picture if they noticed me taking pictures. If I want to take more of portrait, I always ask permission, even if I’m in a location with lots of tourists taking pictures. In South America there is a bit of an attitude that the indigenous population is exploited by photographers who take pictures and sell them. People may ask for money if you ask to take their picture or they notice you taking pictures. There is also a traditional belief that if you take a child’s picture you steal its soul, so it can be touchy to take pictures of children.
Sensitive Locations
We all like to have pictures of ourselves in the awesome places we visit, however, there are
some places you should weigh taking pictures of yourself in certain locations vs just taking pictures of the location. Places like Aushwitz, Dachau, Pearl Harbor, The Berlin Wall or the Anne Frank house may be better locations to just photograph vs taking selfies. When I visited the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, there were a lot of Japanese and some European tourists taking pictures in front of the A-Bomb Dome, but I felt that it would be pretty tone deaf as an American to take a picture in front of it.
Beggars
Beggars are an issue in almost every country, but especially so in developing countries. They are often around transportation hubs, temples, and tourist attractions, the beggars are often children or women with babies. And while the visuals can definitely pull on your heartstrings, there may be more to the situation than meets the eyes. Gangs have been known to force children to go out and beg as a way to collect money or as a distraction to rob tourists. Children have often been known to beg instead of going to school if they’ve learned at a young age that they can earn all they need for the day by begging. It sounds heartless, but it is best not to give money to beggars as it perpetuates a cycle of dependency, if a child is begging instead of going to school, they will grow up without an education and will most likely be life-long beggars. If you really want to help the poor of a country, it’s better to look up a local NGO and donate to a project that would benefit the community and help to break the cycle of poverty.
Final Thoughts
Really there is no country that you can leave out in a conversation on ethical travel issues and the only person who can make decisions about travel and ethics is you. Every person has issues that are important to them, so at the end of the day do your research and make the decision that you are most comfortable with.
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