Tourist chiefs cautious at joining Third World travelers club

  • 2008-07-30
  • By Marge Tubalkain-Trell

SHACK: In complimenting the country as 'ethical,' the U.S.-based charity also implied it was third world.

TALLINN - Tallinn tourism officials gave mixed reactions to the news that a leading U.S. charity has named Estonia as one of the top ten most ethical nations in the developing world.
The U.S.-based non-profit Earth Island Institute listed Estonia as one of ten developing nations that are putting their efforts into environment protection, social welfare and human rights.
One tourism official, who didn't want to be named, criticized the report for comparing the nation to other countries on the list.

"They're thinking of Estonia as a third-world country. … How can you compare Estonia with Namibia or Chile or [corruption-plagued] South Africa?" the official said.

Other tourism officials took it as a compliment.
"Certainly it's positive that in a given survey our environment protection, social welfare and human rights were appreciated so highly. In itself, that kind of survey should help raise our trustworthiness and raise interest," said Marje Braunbruck, vice director of Estonian Tourism Board to Tarbija24 Magazine,
The countries, which were listed in alphabetical order, were Argentina, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Namibia, Nicaragua and South Africa.

 To create the list, Earth Island Institute used data from organizations such as the United Nations, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. 
Estonia got no mention in the field of environmental, but it made the list for low infant mortality, along with Bulgaria. Estonia, along with Costa Rica and Chile, got the highest rating in civil liberties.
"In this survey Estonia is handled as a developing tourism destination, which we surely are. Our fame among European countries is quite small, and outside Europe it's very small," said Braunbruck.

Braunbruck said that Estonia is known mainly by those who have specific interests in certain tourism products such as sports and culture, or who have professional or personal relationships here. Advertisement of Estonian tourism abroad is limited, but the country is broadening its tourism marketing efforts.