“When you look at the planet’s population, there are very few people that get to travel, and that’s a privilege we have – not a right," Poon Tip told TTG on the eve of The Last Tourist’s UK release on 24 May.
Developed more than six years ago as a short documentary based on G Adventures’ responsible travel ethos, The Last Tourist ended up becoming a much longer piece on how the industry can become a force for good.
"The basis of this film is that tourism has the potential to be a far greater catalyst [for change] in the world, but it has to be done just differently,” said Poon Tip, who served as executive producer on the documentary.
Poon Tip said the timing of the Covid pandemic had only served to reiterate the film’s core message, which is to encourage more purposeful travel.
“Post-pandemic, people are travelling longer and deeper, they’re not taking as many holidays a year [as before] while going deeper into the destination,” he added. “Travellers are also much more open and flexible because they realise they’re lucky to be able to travel.”
Filmed in more than 16 countries with commentary from the likes of conservationist Jane Goodall, The Last Tourist aims to put the travel and tourism industry on the stand and shine a light on the consequences of overtourism. However, its message, according to Poon Tip, is one of hope, highlighting travel’s unique ability to bring meaningful change.
Poon Tip told TTG he believes there has been a paradigm shift with more and more people adopting G’s ethos of leaving a positive environmental, cultural and social impact on the places they visit.
Nevertheless, he wants the industry to do more to foster positive change, starting with more readily involving local communities in the supply chain.
“Most companies build their itineraries in the UK, they dictate where they want to take people by reading guides or maps, but they’re often not actually having discussions with local people,” he said.
“Local people want their story to be told their way – by including local people in the value chain, it starts to change how you tell their story."
Poon Tip is also urging industry counterparts to step up and follow in G Adventures’ footsteps by pausing certain destinations on human rights and political grounds.
In recent years, the operator has stopped sending groups to destinations such as Myanmar and Russia due to the current political situation in both countries, and has also looked at China’s place in its programme.
