Just recently, US searches for flights to Scotland soared by 159% on the first day season 2 of “The Traitors” debuted last month in January. The TV show also made searches for Ardross Castle surge, overtaking Scotland’s most popular castles by visitor numbers, including Edinburgh, Stirling, Urquhart, and even British royal family residence, Balmoral Castle.
Save The Beach
When the 1998 movie “The Beach” was released in 2000 starring Leonardo DiCaprio who played a young backpacker who heard about a secluded idyllic beach paradise and set out with a French couple to find this hidden paradise, the film sparked a huge pilgrimage to the beach film location of the Ko Phi Phi Leh at Maya Bay in Bangkok, Thailand.
So many people made the trip to visit real life Maya Bay that this natural wonder had to be closed down for 4 years due to environmental damage.
It was slowly eroded due to increased tourist interaction with the bay and was eventually shut down to tourism in 2018. Maya Bay did not reopen to tourists until January 2022 with new measures in place to limit future ecological destruction to the restored bay.
It was reported that the immense volume of visitors left mountains of rubbish and 90% of the coral was destroyed by swimmers, boat anchors, and chemicals from sunscreen. Wildlife such as black-tipped reef sharks began to disappear from the area as well.
Back in 2022, more than 2 decades after Hollywood took over Maya Bay, the film production company was ordered by a Thai court to pay to repair environmental damage reportedly caused during shooting. This ruling set environmental rehabilitation work in motion on the island.
Allegedly, what caused the disruption to the Bay’s ecosystem was the existing vegetation that was ripped out to make way for the planting of dozens of coconut trees to make the film location feel more tropical. In its own defense, 20th Century Fox claims it not only removed tons of rubbish from the location but also restored the area back to how it was originally found.
Mindful Screen Travel Adventures
Travel itself can sometimes feel like a cinematic adventure. People embark on journeys, encounter new cultures, face challenges, and create memories – much like characters in movies and on television. The unexpected twists and turns of travel can often parallel the plotlines of films.
The connection between travel and the screens – whether it big the big movie screen or the big screen TV or even the mobile phone – this entertainment avenue has a tremendously powerful influence over travelers’ perceptions, desires, and choices in the real world.
Whether a destination is chosen for its art value or otherwise, all tourists should practice responsible tourism by respecting local customs, traditions, and cultural practices of the destination and minimizing one’s ecological footprint by choosing eco-friendly accommodations, transportation, and activities along with practicing proper waste disposal and avoiding single-use plastics. In our world affected by climate change, it is important to be ever mindful of the fragility and delicate balance of Mother Earth.
(eTN): When Travel Imitates Art: Powerful or Damaging? | re-post license | post content
