China Olympic Travel dilemma -To go or not go, what the travel experts say
by Laszlo Buhasz

The Olympics may have focused attention on China, but it's hardly the first destination to present travellers with this sticky dilemma: Go, and possibly support a repressive regime with tourist dollars, or stay away, and deprive the locals of contact with the outside world.

Read the article Ethical Travel - Ten Best Ethical Desitinations click here

Read our article on Pro's and Con's of Ecolabel click here

Read our article on Ethiophia-ecotourism here

Oman is developing itself as an upmarket tourist destination with a focus on culture and adventure, as distinct from the more commercial offerings of its immediate neighbours, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Read our article on Oman's Tourism balancing act here

Green or greenwash? by Justin Francis
We've always tried to be open and transparent about the way we work at responsibletravel.com, welcoming and encouraging your comments and reviews to help us improve, provide you with a better service and promote responsible tourism throughout the travel industry. Last week, however, we had a call from The Observer newspaper - not looking for last minute responsibletravel.com holidays for their travel pages or for our comment on the latest carbon offset scheme but to defend ourselves against accusations of greenwashing for their article, 'Are you being greenwashed?'. Whether you read the article or not, we wanted to share our responses with you, our travellers, as they may answer questions you have had but never thought to ask!
Read our article on greenwashing here



Ecotoursim - an oxymoron? by Aspen Edge
Tourism, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is "organized touring; operation of touring as a business; provision of things and services that attract tourists." As such, it has been a source of income for centuries, whether it was pilgrims making their way to religious sites or more recently, individuals in search of natural environments. However, never at any other time has it been so extensive or such a significant generator of revenue. It has even been actively promoted by such organisations as The World Bank and the United Nations as a way of financing progress for developing countries. However, despite this, overall revenue has been falling of late and the new eco-tourism market appears to have come to the rescue. can ecotourism provide what tourism has not? Can ecotourism really provide individuals with an endless array of destinations, while enhancing the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the host nation?
Read our article on Ecotourism - an oxymoron? here

Tourism and Water by Justin Francis
One of the biggest issues facing humankind is how we live within the limited natural resources of our planet. In recent weeks the media focus has been firmly on oil and food, and the realization that demand is outstripping supply. Perhaps the other most reported issue is climate change - how we slow it, and how it will affect our lives. The tourism industry is both a heavy consumer of water, and an industry and relies on water for much of its activities. Why is it then that we spend so little time discussing it?
Read our article on tourism and water here

Responsible Tourism in the UK: Its on your doorstep! by Huw Williams
The truth is, going on holiday is rarely environmentally sound. Just by flying out of the country your personal contribution to global warming goes way up. A return trip across the Atlantic is roughly equivalent to a year's motoring. Stay in the UK and you are already picking up the greenie points. But travelling responsibly is not simply a case of reducing pollution. Minimising environmental damage, supporting local economies and being sensitive to cultural differences is as relevant to a trip through the English countryside as a visit to a Costa Rican rainforest. Read full article here

Air Passenger Duty: What’s your view?
Alistair Darling announced in today's Pre-Budget Report that from November 2009 he will replace Air Passenger Duty (APD) with a duty payable per plane rather than passenger. Read our response and add your view here

Responsible Tourism in Laos by Olly Wheatcroft
It was with great sadness that I read about the disappearance of Sompawn Khantisouk who was on his way to an appointment with Laos police in January. Sompawn (Pawn) is one of the founders of The Boat Landing Guesthouse in Laos and has been fundamental in driving the ecotourism movement forward in Laos. Read more here




Burma - our tourism boycott by Justin Francis
There is only one country that we, responsibletravel.com, has a policy of not marketing as a tourism destination and that is Burma. We market holidays to many countries with poor human rights records and so you might ask why we make a special case of Burma? Read full article here...