Letters: The 53 Places to Go in 2008

RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL

To the Editor: Regarding "The 53 Places to Go in 2008"; (Dec. 9): I am disturbed that “designer hotels” catering to “well-heeled travelers” and multiple cruise-ship ports designed to disgorge thousands into fragile environments on a regular basis are apparently proliferating and setting the standard for American travelers.

One wonders how a luxury resort on Easter Island where “a three-night stay for two people starts at $3,588” will affect Easter Island. How many of us really need to go there? Concern for what we are doing to our world calls for limiting the impact of the large luxury resort. It’s time for responsible travelers to encourage the balance between economic and ecological concerns to shift in favor of our planet.

When I last visited Tunisia 15 years ago, we were told by locals that mass tourism with its requirements for water was well on the way to destroying a fragile ecosystem.

Karen Perret
Seattle, Wash.

ISSUES FOR REAL PEOPLE

To the Editor: Why doesn’t The New York Times print an article on the 53 coolest backpacker destinations, where you can stay for under $10, eat a decent meal for $3 and sit around a funky common room and chat with fellow travelers about real issues involving real people?

Stephan Brown
Brewster, Mass.