Grass-roots alliance Ethical Traveler issued a report identifying what it believes are the top 10 countries in the developing world that have the best records for protecting human rights and the environment.
The group also said the 10 rated well because they promote responsible tourism and are building a tourism industry that provides real benefits to communities.
The 10 countries are, in alphabetical order, Argentina, Belize, Chile, Ghana, Lithuania, Namibia, Poland, Seychelles, South Africa and Suriname.
The group did not rank the countries within the top 10 because "there’s no reason to, and we value the efforts and progress of all those countries," said Jeff Greenwald, executive director of Ethical Traveler and co-author of the report.
To develop its list, Ethical Traveler used a range of information sources, including publicly available data, said Christy Hoover, co-author of the report.
Those sources included the United Nations Development Program, Human Rights Watch, Columbia University, Reporters Without Borders and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
The full report can be viewed at www.ethicaltraveler.org/destinations.