Three takes on responsible tourism in major world newspapers

In the month of March, I've seen the New York Times (USA) and the Guardian (UK) publish three different articles addressing responsible tourism (though not always explicitly labelled as such). Does this mean the topic is going mainstream? Or captured the zeitgeist? Or simply a coincidence?

Who knows.

But it's interesting, and each article is worth a read. Working chronologically from back to front:

• Is there a right way to spend money while traveling? (NYT, 9 March 2011). Includes 8 tips for spending responsibly when travelling in developing countries. A non-denominational take, quoting both CREST and the ICRT.
• Adventures in Humanitarian Tourism (NYT, 25 March 2011). Lists 8 (what is it with lists of 8 things?) volunteer travel companies / tour operators. Linked indirectly to an article on what Sean Penn is doing in Haiti, which I don't really like, but then again, I'm not selling newspapers.
• I want a holiday, not a guilt trip (Guardian, 28 March 2011). A snarky send-up of the pressure to travel in an ethical manner, but written without much wit. Important to read, however, lest one lose sight of the fact that most travellers don't really want the ethical dimensions of their trip foregrounded (good, bad or otherwise) -- they're looking for an experience, to relax, to indulge, etc.

Three takes on responsible tourism in major world newspapers