20 Ethical Travel Vacations to Book Your Clients

Exodus Travels recently conducted a study that found that 91 percent of international travelers say it's important that their trips are ethical. Whether you focus on responsible tourism within your business or not, your clients are interested in ethical and sustainable vacations, and we want you to be prepared for this new trend in travel. We've put together a list of fantastic ethical vacations that focus on destinations, tours, cruises and hotels so that you can have a range of options to present your clients who want to travel ethically.

Maui is making waves in the green travel sector. Lawmakers of the island were the ones who pushed forward the ban on sunscreen that contain oxybenzone, which hurts coral reefs and marine systems. Like the rest of Hawaii, they don't have plastic shopping bags and they went a step further and outlawed foam food service containers. Consider booking a stay at the Fairmont Kea Lani which has 50 ongoing environmental initiatives and a photovoltaic system that reduces 457 metric tons of CO2 annually.

Make sure your clients are staying in an eco-friendly property like Ignacia Guest House when they visit Mexico City. The hotel uses solar panels which prevents 3.8 tons of CO2 annually and reduces fossil fuel consumption by up to 60 percent in bathrooms and the kitchen. They source food and drinks from local farmers and use environmentally-friendly toiletries by Loredana and chemical-free cleaning products. If you're looking for ethical tours to add to a stay at Ignacia Guest House, book a food tour with Eat Like a Local to experience local restaurants and support their youth mentorship programs.

When it comes to ethical travel, Chile does a pretty good job. They score high on the Environmental Performance Index, banned plastic bags, reduced the use of hydrofluorocarbons, ranks high in civil liberties and was the first South American country to enact a carbon tax. The biggest concern for ethical travelers is how Chile treats Indigenous communities, but tourists can do their part in battling this by taking ethical indigenous tours to learn about the Mapuche or Aymara culture or spending money at indigenous-owned restaurants and businesses.

Chaka Camps offers a safari experience in Tanzania that's both stylish and eco-friendly. The tented lodgings run on solar energy, recycle refuse and are furnished and outfitted with handmade items by local artisans in Arusha. Chaka Camps works with Carbon Tanzania to offset their fuel consumption and has planted over 2,000 indigenous trees in the area. In addition to hiring local Tanzanians to work as staff, the company also organizes shipments of supplies and toys to local schools. Duma Explorer, the safari option for guests at Chaka Camp, is Travellife certified.

As the first hotel in the world to achieve internationally accredited carbon-neutral certification by Carbon Zero, it makes sense that Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley is on this list. The resort aims to protect Australian flora and fauna on a resort in the Australian Greater Blue Mountains. Decor at the resort was made from reclaimed and recycled items and guests assist with the conservation work on-site every morning through different activities like testing water quality, planting trees and wildlife surveys.

Bonaire is the world's first Blue Destination. In addition to protecting their marine park for 40 years, they were one of the first in the Caribbean to collaborate with Coral Restoration Foundation to protect their reefs. Forty percent of the island uses clean energy through wind farms and solar power, and they've invested in island-wide recycling efforts like coastal cleanups on a weekly basis and a recycling program with the waste processing plant.

Travelers who want a Latin American ethical vacation should make their way to Uruguay. They're progressive in terms of LGBT rights, have laws in place to protect civil liberties and are working to fight income inequality among their population. In terms of the environment, Uruguay has the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. About 95 percent of their electric power comes from hydroelectric facilities and wind parks. If you're looking for a tour company who follows Uruguay's efforts toward sustainability, check out Lares which works with local guides and has partnered with various programs to protect the environment.

Cruise ships are not the most ethical form of travel, but Hurtigruten Cruises is trying to change that. They were the first cruise company to remove single-use plastics from their entire fleet, and by 2021, nine of their ships will use hybrid energy. Their desalination and purification technology is as impressive as how they reuse heat and engine coolant to warm hot water tanks on ships. Not only do they source local ingredients when possible, but their excursions never interfere with wildlife habitats and their expedition team works to educate cruise-goers about the wildlife, culture and history in each destination. Plus, the fleet is equipped to monitor ocean environments, bringing new scientific information to marine researchers every day.

The Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is a five-star resort in Fiji that does a phenomenal job when it comes to ethical vacations. The resort is named after the famous conservationist and they put his ideas into practice by connecting guests with local Fijians through on-site activities like traditional Fijian storytelling, medicine walk with local elders, and spa services by local healers. The resort has an on-site marine biologist who provides eco tours and educational lectures and maintains a coral farm to restore the local reef.

Intrepid offers over 2,000 carbon offset trips and have been a carbon-neutral business since 2010. As the first global tour operator to end elephant rides, they've brought awareness to issues like lion walks and child protection. Intrepid uses local guides, and they've made it a goal to double the number of female leaders in their company by 2020. While guests on their tours may not realize it, Intrepid is continually looking for ways to be eco-friendly through programs that reduce plastic water bottle waste, changing flights for train rides to reduce carbon emissions, provide packed lunches in biodegradable containers and substituting stops on tours for others to battle overtourism.

A country that has a chapter in the constitution titled, "Rights for Nature," is definitely one in which travelers should visit. Tourism in Ecuador is very locally-focused -- there are a ton of locally-owned hotels who use local food and hire local employees, making it easy to craft an ethical vacation. The country is teeming with beautiful national parks and by paying the entrance fees (which are considerably cheap), you're giving back to the country's environmental protections. Be sure to book a trip on Tren Ecuador which goes between Guayaquil and Quito as it has great social initiatives and connects you to local Ecuadorian people. Try to stay away from the Galapagos Island and the Amazon forest, two places that suffer from overtourism.

Thailand's Khao Sok National Park is home to Elephant Hills which is comprised of two camps, The Elephant Camp and the Rainforest Camp, both of which incorporate sustainable practices like providing stainless steel water bottles and straws to reduce plastic waste. The Rainforest Camp has 20 luxury safari tents which use responsible waste management and are powered by wind and solar energy. They also have an Elephant Experience that the Tourism Authority of Thailand has rated "the most animal-friendly elephant camp" in the country. The Elephant Experience is the only chain-free elephant park in the world and achieved a 100 percent of Minimum Welfare Criteria from Global Spirit. The elephants in the sanctuary were born in captivity and used in the logging industry prior to arriving at Elephant Hills Camp and interact with tourists through feedings and washings.

G Adventures incorporates sustainable tourism practices into every single tour they offer. The tour company works closely with Planeterra which works with local communities to make sure they receive tourism benefits. Through G Local, G Adventures adds local and small businesses to their itineraries and prohibit activities in which travelers come in contact with animals meant for the wild. They offer 100 experiences with Indigenous communities and have strict guidelines on these interactions so as to never exploit these communities and always show them respect during tours.

Learning about other cultures in a respectful manner is an important part of ethical travel and for those interested in learning more about Indigenous communities, Great Spirit Circle Trail is a good place to start. Located in Northeastern Ontario in Canada, Great Spirit Circle Trail offers nature-based cultural tours that are hosted by local Aboriginal peoples, the Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawatomi. Tours include traditional regional cuisine, cultural activities and adventures that may include tracing ancient canoe routes.

Belize has a Sustainable Tourism Program that was formed by the Ministry of Tourism and consistently works within a National Sustainable Tourism Master Plan. Although almost a third of the country's lands are protected, travelers visiting Belize still have to make concerted efforts to protect the land and water. Use eco-friendly tour providers like EcoTourism Belize, don't touch the coral or mess with the reef when diving or snorkeling, support local farmers, restaurants and hotels and try to expand travel experiences in Belize beyond the main tourist areas.

One-hundred percent of Cicada Lodge is owned by the local Jawoyn people of Australia. With training programs and employment opportunities for the local people, travelers can be sure that their dollars are going back into the Australian aboriginal community. Cicada Lodge also provides eco-accredited Jawoyn guides to host local and cultural tours and Gorge cruises, allowing guests to experience the area through the eyes of the people who have always called it home.

Costa Rica has done a great job protecting their wildlife and marine areas and continues to enact programs to make their popular destination sustainable. They've made some of the parks accessible to people with disabilities and have strong sustainable programs like the Certificate programs for the Tourism Sustainability (CST) and the Ecological Blue Flag Program for Beaches. Many of the hotels are eco-lodges or eco-friendly properties that work to receive CST certification. The country is overflowing with local tour guides and companies that include sustainable tourism practices in their tours.

Thala Beach Nature Reserve is a Green Travel Leader eco-resort in Port Douglas, Australia, that works in compliance with the Eco Tourism Australia certification program. As a member of National Geographic Unique Lodges, they have to operate within strict pillars of sustainable tourism. Travelers stay in accommodations made from sustainable materials built in a way to be the least invasive to the environment as possible. Their tours include activities that don't harm the local nature such as stargazing, nature walks and interacting with elders from the nearby Kuku Yalangi People.

River cruises are gaining more popularity and there are some river cruise lines that are putting sustainability and environmental practices at the forefront like Amadeus River Cruises. They are the first river cruise to offer guests the opportunity to offset their CO2 consumption with a donation of two euros per day which the cruise line will match by 25 percent. As of 2017, they were the only European river cruise company to be awarded a green certificate seal of approval by Green Globe.

Hix Island House showcases how sustainable tourism is growing in Puerto Rico. Located in Vieques, Hix Island House is set on a 13-acre natural refuge. The hotel uses solar panels to augment electricity and hot water, and any water collected in showers and basins flows back into the local trees surrounding the property. Plus, their Casa Solaris is the Caribbean's first all-solar guest house, which is as noteworthy as Puerto Rico Tourism awarding Hix Island House with the first Sustainable Tourism Facility certification on the island.