Whether theyre crashing at a hostel or staying at a luxury hotel, world travelers want to experience local culture. But do they ever consider how their presence affects the places they visit? <\/p>\n
A new documentary film, Gringo Trails, shines a light on the dangers facing some tourist spots in developing countries when they dont control an influx of travelers. <\/p>\n
- Pegi Vail, producer of \"Gringo Trails\" <\/p>\n
The movie, which includes footage spanning three decades, was beautifully shot in several exotic locales, including the lush green Amazon jungles of South America, the arid lands of Timbuktu, Mali and the tropical beaches of Thailand. <\/p>\n
Its director, Pegi Vail, associate director of media, culture, and history at New York University, wrote her dissertation on the gentrification of tourism in Bolivia. <\/p>\n
As an anthropologist, I had a desire to look at my own tribe. Im a longtime traveler and backpacker. I wanted to make a visual ethnography of backpack culture around the world and the long-term observation of some of these places, Vail told FoxNews.com. <\/p>\n
Some of the films most powerful images compare tourist destinations in the 1980s and 90s with how they look now. Vail found old video from other anthropologists and returned several times to spots she visited over the course of more than 20 years while working on her dissertation. <\/p>\n
The movie opens in the Amazon jungle in Bolivia known for its dynamic biodiversity where too many tourists are threatening the wildlife and land in some areas. Natives and guides say the tourists need to be educated on the sights they visit to help preserve the areas. <\/p>\n
Pictures of one Bolivian community, Incahuasi which hosts one of the largest salt deserts in the world show how an increase in tourism in the last decade has dramatically changed the landscape. Hundreds of buses and cars bring in 40,000 tourists each year, and they have created deep tracks in the desert, changing its formerly pristine vista. Locals complain that native animals have migrated elsewhere out of fear. <\/p>\n
Gringo Trails is a compelling documentary that will make even couch potatoes want to explore its enchanting locales. Vails pace is quick, and she uses travel expert interviews and amusing anecdotes with seasoned tourists to move the story along. <\/p>\n
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