When the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami hit, many tourists raced back to beloved beaches to help. Because everyone was desperate to help, even in some small way. People have donated generously to Haiti, but few have raced back to its beaches. Because, sadly, Haiti was only just starting to paddle its feet in the murky waters of tourism before disaster struck. But it is not tourism Haiti needs now. It is money, water, food, energy and expert support. Not tourists. If you want to travel to Haiti as a volunteer, do so only if you [...]
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Horseriding on Rathmullan Beach, County Donegal
When disaster strikesMonday, February 1st, 2010People of the year 2009Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Donkey trekking with Itinerance in Mercantour National Park, France
I once had an editor who told me that I shouldn’t write about people in travel. “Holidaymakers only want to know about the place, not the people. They’re irrelevant to travel articles”, he told me. However, writing about beaches and budget airlines, is not really my bag, as regular readers will know by now. People who create incredible [...] Voicing Irish concernSunday, November 1st, 2009
Photo: Tourism Concern The Irish are famous worldwide for their sense of justice and human rights. During my travels, this is something that many people comment on and admire. One active conservationist company providing hiking holidays asked me to write about them recently, and requested specifically that I choose an Irish target audience, “We love Irish visitors” they told me, [...] Green is the new blackSaturday, December 27th, 2008‘The only true ethical traveller is one who stays at home,” an old friend of my father’s announced over Christmas. “Bah, humbug,” I said, and we entered into a hearty debate. I am glad to say I managed to win him over. With luck I have managed to win a few readers over since I started Ethical Traveller, earlier this year. My argument is quite simple. Tourism is the one of the largest industries in the world. If we all stop travelling, world economies would be much more bruised than they are already. On the other hand, tourism [...] |