The Last Tourist

As other reviewers have said, there are some good messages in this documentary that more people need to be made aware of. Like environmental damage, lack of money flowing to local communities, cruelty to animals and the damage of volunteer tourism. But the film lacks focus and jumps around too much amongst these themes and it is way too long. Easily 30 minutes should have been chopped off here. Or it should have been a mini series covering one issue at a time. The editor was no wear near aggressive enough and the messaging was too repetitive. Like how many people do you need telling us the same thing?! There was even the same people saying the same thing in a slightly different way multiple times. With better editing it could be an 8.

There is some truly eye opening stuff in here about mass tourism destroying local communities, biodiversity and a lack of trickle down economics when it comes to rich people coming to poor areas. But all of this is laid moot by focus on things that have nothing to do with tourism; people in South America talking about weaving? Nope, not needed. It is detours like these that destroy the momentum of the film and there are moments where a perfect cresendo of visual montages coupled with destructive effects of mass tourism is absolutely demolished by these illogical detours. Also, the doc could have been shorter by 10-15 minutes as well. Overall, a good effort but needs another go in the editing room to make it more effective.

Of course, one should not travel mindlessly as is pointed out here. But if you truly care about life on the planet, you will not be flying for fun. This misses the bigger picture and ignores the climate catastrophe. I know, few want to hear the truth.

As "The Last Tourist" (2021 release; 100 min) opens, we are introduced to the dark side of mass tourism: overcrowded beached; trash everywhere, and oh, masses and masses of people. And that's just for starters. The production team then exposes the really bad stuff: in Kenya, out of every dollar spent by tourists, only 14 cents remains in the country. In other words: 86% is retrieved by airlines, foreign-owned hotels, etc. And we haven't even gotten to the animal abuse and the orphanage tourism...

Couple of comments: this is the feature-length debut of director Tyson Sadler. Filmed mostly pre-COVID, the film is nothing short of an urgent plea for more equitable and sustainable tourism going forward. Why I think I had a good understanding of the concept of "sustainable" tourism going in, the concept of "equitable" tourism is something I had never given much though about. The shocking statistic of how little the growing numbers of tourists benefit the local population was truly an eye-opener for me. Please note that the film contains scenes of heartbreak and even shock, so this is not for the faint of heart. But its message is so darned important an on point. I know that the next time I plan an international trip, I will ask some pointed questions.

"The Last Tourist" opened last year in the film festival circuit to unanimous critical acclaim, and there is good reason why this film is currently rate 100% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It recently premiered on Hulu, which is where I caught it. If you like a good documentary or have any interest in international tourism, I'd readily suggest you check thus out, and draw your own conclusion.

That this place I exploited, made a map to, and shared with people would become exploited by millions!

Ugh, the complete lack of self-awareness is stunning to say the least, and narcissistic.

It's funny, our family has been saying this since I was a child- to take a vacation, just go somewhere off the beaten path, stay a few days, know the culture AND language, adapt to their ways, clean up after yourself, and be kind. If you don't know the language, you shouldn't be allowed in, if you aren't familiar with their standards/practices, stay out, and if you can't behave as an adult, stay home.

I completely understand, especially after the insane lockdowns, our need to explore, but going where everyone else is, yuck. Maybe start in your own backyard first, get to know your own city/locality, state, country- then visit bordering areas, then volunteer in close areas, then if you still feel the need, immerse yourself in education, and then visit a foreign country. But in order to do so, we need an app that disables all social media, all ability to take pics/videos, and just be still for a while.

If a person takes a trip but doesn't have the pics to prove it, did it ever really happen? We may never know because I doubt it's happened to date.

This has zero to do with climate change, this is common sense- and if you have to create an entire documentary around this devastation to locations, I think we've got a colossal issue that's needs addressed.