30 July 2008 | Bulgaria and Croatia were included among the developing world's ten best ethical destinations for 2008, international media reported recently.

The study, conducted by Ethical Traveler, a San Francisco-based grass-roots alliance uniting adventurers, tourists, travel agencies, and outfitters, surveyed more than 70 “developing nations, from Albania to Zimbabwe,” and rated them based on three general categories: environmental protection, social welfare, and human rights.

“Each year, the public interest in responsible tourism grows,” said Jeff Greenwald, Executive Director of Ethical Traveler, and co-author of the group's biannual report, which, he added, “helps travellers who choose to use their tourism dollars to support human rights and the environment."

The top ten most ethical developing countries for 2008, beside Bulgaria and Croatia, included, in alphabetical order, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Estonia, Namibia, Nicaragua and South Africa.

The report used publicly available data from the UNDP, UNICEF, Columbia University and Yale to rate the countries.

Croatia, "with its large percentage of protected eco-regions," was a top performer on the environmental sustainability and responsibility index.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria scored high in the social welfare category for the civil liberties enjoyed by its citizens, as noted in the Freedom in the World 2007 Report from Freedom House. What the report has not taken into consideration, however, are the building boom and overdevelopment taking place in Bulgaria, especially along the Black Sea coast. In recent years, they have raised serious concern and protests among environmentalists, who see them as anything but ethical or ecologically sound.

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