The Last Tourist review: three startling moments

The Last Tourist exposes the many flaws of tourism, but these three moments struck us especially hard

The role of the modern tourist is on trial in a new documentary. The Last Tourist combines insight from travel and environmental experts with a series of first-hand accounts to highlight the harmful practices that global tourism supports and encourages.

Shot across 14 countries, the visually striking film touches on several uncomfortable aspects of the travel industry with scenes of mass crowding at beauty spots, tourists behaving badly and exploitative cruises keeping their passengers as far away from the locals as possible.

While we strongly believe in the transformative power of travel for both individuals and communities, we also recognise that travel is a privilege, not a right; that our actions come with consequences for wildlife, people and places; and that, ultimately, it’s up to us as travellers to be a driving force for good in the space.

With that in mind, we take a look at three key moments from the film that we found especially striking.

1. Caged elephants take their own lives

For us, the most poignant moment in The Last Tourist happens at a ‘wildlife attraction’ in Thailand where visibly traumatised elephants are forced to perform tricks that include dancing and smoking cigarettes.

Camera-toting tourists look on and smile as the elephants are cajoled by their keepers who use hooks to control them. Other ‘entertainment’ includes cycling chimpanzees, chained tigers walking on their hind legs and dolphins jumping through hoops.

Melissa Matlow from the non-profit World Animal Protection explains that, globally, there are over 500,000 animals suffering in tourist attractions with over 3,000 elephants alone in Southeast Asia. Renowned environmentalist Dr Jane Goodall (Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace) describes how tigers are drugged for selfies and elephants are poached from the wild to perform for tourists.

Lek Chailert of Save Elephant Foundation explains how any elephants that give tourists rides or perform circus tricks have had to be ‘broken’ into submission by undergoing a traumatic conditioning method known as the ‘crush’.

After separating young elephant…