kuglerke This documentary clearly portrayed the issue of bad tourism, and how tourism can destroy even the most remote of areas. The use of the locals story and direct interviews with the locals before and after the influx of tourists hit was very effective in showing the direct effects on these local people and villages. I enjoyed the beginning of the film, when they described this tragic story of a lost backpacker, and how tourists began to seek authenticity in their travels, this really set up the stage and set the tone for the rest of the documentary. This film addressed many important cultural issues, that tourists don't really think about when visiting remote destinations, such as those shown in this documentary. The use of stories from American backpackers and travelers was also effective in showing how uneducated travelers are to the culture and environment around them. This documentary was effective in showing how tourism can kill a community and culture, or can thrive in it through their relationship in a sustainable tourist society.

adauby-48779 The "Gringo Trails" documentary overall deals with a topic that is appropriate for anyone and addresses issues that need to be exposed to everyone. However, the film does include content that would not be appropriate for certain viewers. The intended audience appears to be those who are capable and enthused to travel. It is clear the projected message is, when traveling, be respectful and considerate of the people and the culture. The change is to cut down on tourism in places that cannot handle it. Mass tourism can ruin a community or a location. Prior to viewing this documentary, I didn't know anything about the effects of mass tourism and honestly was not expecting to see any major repercussions of this occurrence. However, using interviews and beautiful raw footage of Bolivia, Thailand, and other locations, this film addresses real problems and inclines you to desire change. I was most impacted by the part of the film intended to inform how quickly destruction of an area can occur, and the facts shocked me.

madelineclarice Gringo Trails, directed by Pegi Vail, is a documentary about the effects tourism has on the environment when travelers do not respect their destinations. It addresses key concerns of the quickly growing industry and questions whether our environments can keep up with its pace. Travelers naively overlook the pollution, erosion, and overpopulation of countries that become massive tourist destinations. The film also recognizes that these destinations lose their authentic cultures when they are focused on providing for tourists. The question, "what happens when a destination becomes too popular?", is represented well when a backpacker in Thailand decides to explore where no one has gone before. The man is on the hunt for an experience that has not been tainted by common tourist traps, a completely natural environment. A local takes him to an island where tourists usually have no way of getting to, he meets the natives of the island and spends a good amount of time learning about their culture. When it is time for him to leave the locals urge him not to tell anyone about the island to preserve its natural environment, but word gets out about the island and its tourism blows up immediately. Now there is hardly any of the authentic culture left on the island, millions of people come to the beach every year, polluting and disrespecting the land. This is the case for many countries, because the tourism industry grows so fast there is not enough planning prior to the expansion. The moral of the film is that we should give back to the communities we travel to and educate ourselves on other cultures and environments to safely and efficiently develop tourism.

carterjg-24607 In the film, Gringo Trials, I enjoyed many aspects. I really liked the quote that introduced the film. The subtitles that are throughout the film are also a good size and an easy to read font. I also like the way that the interviews are spread throughout the film. Another thing I like is how the film shows how ecotourism is destroying different part of the world such as: the Bolivian jungle and Koh Phangan island. As for some things that need improvement, some of the pictures used at the beginning that show how the man was rescued were very grainy and could have been made high- definition. Some of the interview footage was also of poor quality. Overall, this is a very good film and has a lot of good messages spread throughout. I would definitely recommend it.