Between the months of March and May, air pollution in and around the city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand reaches hazardous levels as a result of the slash-and-burn agriculture commonly practiced during this season. Now a group of local scientists, farmers and Buddhist monks has launched a new initiative to replace these environmentally damaging […]
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 […]
Despite being plagued with social and political problems, Zimbabwe is experiencing a renaissance in tourism as the nation struggles to thrive under the devastating effects of President Robert Mugabe’s iron-fisted rule. Thanks in part to improved infrastructure, the increasing availability of food, and the adoption of the U.S. dollar as Zimbabwe’s main currency in 2009, […]
The recent publication of a guidebook about Burma’s Shan State highlights the destruction and repression of its culture and people by the Burmese military junta and reveals the darker side of tourism in that region. Entitled “Forbidden Glimpses of Shan State,’ the book was published by Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) to bring readers’ attention […]
The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides North and South Korea—once described by Bill Clinton as “the scariest place on earth”—is being promoted as an ecotourism destination. Located an hour north of Seoul, the 249-kilometer (155-mile) long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) wide DMZ is known more for its armed soldiers, land mines and barbed wire than for being […]
A new organization called Angel Says: Read is working to promote literacy in Belize by collecting books from tourists on vacation and donating them to public libraries. When author and former Washington Post reporter Jackie Spinner first visited Belize earlier this year, she decided to leave her heavy stack of used books behind at the […]
Starting in January 2010, air travelers in the United States and Europe will have a new opportunity to support the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. Travelers who purchase tickets through online or traditional travel agencies will be asked to make a voluntary contribution of $2, which will be added to the […]
The elephant and ivory trade in Thailand, Asia’s largest illegal ivory market, has come under fire after a report published by wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC highlighted how corruption, legal loopholes and a lack of law enforcement are contributing to the exploitation and dwindling population of the endangered Asian elephants in that country. Although any kind […]
A recent Freedom House report spotlights the world’s most repressive countries—places where freedom and democracy don’t exist. The non-profit organization, which promotes democracy around the world, cited North Korea, Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan as being among the least free countries in the world. Along with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, these countries received the […]
