ETHICAL TRAVELLER:WHEN THE 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hit, tourists raced back to some of their beloved beaches to help. All were desperate to do what they could, even in small ways.
People have donated generously to Haiti since disaster struck, on January 12th, but few have raced back to its beaches, as Haiti was only just starting to paddle in the murky waters of tourism. It is not tourism Haiti needs now, however. It is money, water, food, energy and expert support.
If you want to travel to Haiti as a volunteer, do so only if you can offer expert help, and only through an agency or charity. Haven (havenpartnership.com), for example, is an Irish charity with substantial experience on the ground that is looking for volunteers to go there in April.
In the meantime, one thing we can do as tourists is support other areas struck by natural disasters in the past but now on the road to recovery. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan swept away 80 per cent of the infrastructure of Haiti’s fellow Caribbean nation of Grenada, devastating its spice and tourism industries. Hotels have been rebuilt,
but a great ethical choice is to stay with a local family; Homestays Grenada has been bringing tourism right into local communities. Or check out Paradise Bay Beach Resort Spa (paradisebayresort.net), which is committed to helping local farmers get back on their feet. Just staying there will help the local economy, but you can also choose a volunteer holiday, helping on a farm in the mornings and holidaying at the beach in the afternoon.
Hurricane Katrina was not strong enough to stop the Mardi Gras carnival in New Orleans, and it is not too late to go and support businesses in need of tourist dollars. Its party starts this weekend and keeps going until Shrove Tuesday, on February 16th (mardigrasneworleans.com).
After Cyclone Aila hit eastern India and Bangladesh in May last year, Travel to Care (traveltocare.com) and Help Tourism (helptourism.com) both rose to the occasion, raising funds for many of the small communities they represent. Their websites will lead you to the ones that are ready and more than willing to have visitors back in their homes.
And let’s not forget the people of L’Aquila, in Italy, where an earthquake struck last April. Nearly 300 people were killed and 40,000 left homeless. Many hotels in the region of Abruzzo have been accommodating those who lost their homes, so they deserve a helping hand from tourists as the season begins. But do check that they are open for business. (For information on agritourism, or farm-based holidays, in this region, try agriturismo.it/abruzzo/index.jsp.)
There are lots of ways to holiday ethically in destinations that are recovering from the tsunami. A first port of call should be Tourism Concern (tourismconcern. org.uk), which has campaigned for fair and sustainable post-tsunami tourism development. Its Ethical Travel Guide, a book available from its website, is full of information on leading ethical-tourism providers, such as Andaman Discoveries, born out of the relief efforts, which now brings tourists to community-led tourism projects and home stays in Thailand.
In the meantime, let’s hope that if Bill Clinton, the UN’s special envoy to Haiti, is considering how tourism can be developed there, he focuses on sustainable methods. By consulting experts who have rebuilt from the grass-roots level, he could eventually help to create a tourism industry that will benefit all Haitians well into the future.
ethicaltraveller.net and twitter.com/catherinemack
