By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Government has not “closed its eyes” to concerns raised by environmentalists the Minister of Tourism said yesterday, after this nation was dropped from a list of top ethical destinations due to an alleged ‘grim environmental record’.

Ethical Traveler, a non-profit organisation, founded to “empower travelers to change the world”, said it removed the Bahamas from its World’s Ten Best Ethical Destinations list, due to its “grim environmental record, including the ongoing construction of captive dolphin facilities,” referring to the Blackbeard’s Cay development.

Ethical Traveler, which seeks “to use the economic clout of tourism to protect human rights and the environment”,  said  that  after reviewing the national policies and practices of developing countries, its editors had selected the destinations they feel are doing the best job of promoting human rights, preserving the environment and supporting social welfare.

In response, Obie Wilchcombe said: “The Bahamas has a very good reputation. We understand the concerns raised by the environmentalists from time to time. We don’t close our eyes or ignore them. We pay attention to what they say.

“We speak with our partners and stakeholders to ensure that whatever they are doing meets the globally-accepted standards or environmentally high standards. From time to time we would disagree, and that’s a part of democracy.”

The Bahamas, Latvia and Barbados were removed from the 2015 list over several issues ranging from environmental abuses to human rights concerns.

Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu replaced the ousted countries on the 2015 list. Overall, seven of Ethical Traveler’s top picks were island nations.

While the Bahamas had frequently made the list in past years, the non-profit organisation had previously removed the Bahamas from its 2013 list over similar environmental concerns.

“I think that the Bahamas has a very good reputation. We are going to maintain that and ensure that at all times the environment is sustained. People come here because of our environment. That is an attraction. We cannot ignore the concerns raised and for our own sustainability it is important,” Mr Wilchcombe said.