Reuters World News - Special episode: One tourist’s adventure is another person’s crisis zone

Episode Date: July 22, 2023

This special episode delves into the world of adventure tourism. Migrants and thrill seekers meet in Panama’s Darien Gap. A social media influencer is caught in Sudan’s military conflict and Iraq looks to highlight ancient Babylonian wonders to rebrand as a tourism destination after years of violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today. The debris is consistent with the catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber. The Titan submersible catastrophe brought into stark focus the idea of adventure tourism, whether it's paying top dollar for once-in-a-lifetime journeys to the bottom of the ocean, or into space, or to see some of the most dangerous environments and conflict zones around the globe. In this special episode of Reuters World News, we explore the ethics of seeking thrills and parts of the world where some people are just trying to survive. I'm your host, Kimbernell in London. We begin in the dense jungle of the Darien Gap.

This region of Panama has become synonymous with the migrants making brutal physical treks. They often travel for days by foot en route to the US to seek asylum. But it's also a location for adventure tourists seeking survivalist thrills. Laura Goddess Dina and Dana Beth Solomon have been exploring how the region can be so perilous for some and a vacation destination for others. The Darien Gap is known as the place where the road ends because it is the only gap in the Pan American Highway that stretches all the way from Alaska to Argentina. So for adventures, this has been really one of the fully grails of adventure tourism for a very long time. And it is worth noting, though, these people are paying thousands of dollars for an experience that imagines this jungle is a place that's impenetrable.

But now it's not. If you look at the videos and the photos of the migrant trail, it is an incredibly well-traveled place with hundreds upon hundreds of people trekking across these rivers, mountains, and juggle spaces every day. Dana, who was some of the tourists you spoke to? So one person who we found on Instagram who had been through the Darien Gap recently is a young woman named Nina from Luxembourg.

We only have a hammock and our backpack on us, which was from 20 to 25 kilograms. We have our filters to filter our water in the jungle. And she was inspired to take on this trip because she had been recovering from men in general. and heard about the opportunity to be in this jungle and to test her skills. And she set it out as a goal for herself to see if she could accomplish it. Bananas with peanut butter, something which was very good to full our stomach.

This region saw nearly a quarter of a million people passed through it last year. These are people who are fleeing violence back home. How are they seeing the tourists who are flying in? just for the excitement? First and foremost, the tourists really aren't their biggest concern. That said something that really surprised me in talking to a lot of migrants who had crossed the Daryana is they still took the tide to marvel at the beauty of this space. One woman who crossed the jungle with her four children and described it as absolute and utter

hell. She paid over $4,000 to try to ensure safe passage. And for comparison, that's more or around. what a lot of these tourists are paying. So she paid an incredible amount of money trying to get her family safely through the Dary Anne. Instead, their guide abandoned them after two days, leaving them to wander for six more days, most of those without almost any food. He said it was the worst experience of her life, utter hell, absolutely terrifying. She said, I'm so incredibly proud of my children. They are such warriors for having been able to cross this jungle.

So I think it's also important to remember these are two very different categories of people. Obviously, the tourists are incredibly privileged, and they know that. They are counting on law enforcement, local law enforcement to back them up if anything happens, evacuation helicopters, incredibly experienced guides. There's no comparison about the experiences. Yet, for everyone I've spoken to, it has been both a challenging and somewhat a source of pride that they were able to make it through this incredibly perilous jungle. I'm Laura Gaudasina and Madre.

And I'm Dana Beth Solomon in Mexico City. The Darien is known for its isolated and physically challenging terrain. That's an appeal for many travelers. But along with the physical challenges are the security risks of visiting developing countries. When fighting broke out in Sudan this year, Instagram traveler Lakshmi Parasarty was trapped in Khartoum for days. She was there as a tourist, creating content for her Instagram page, which she does in far-flung and sometimes dangerous places around the world. Lakshmi was able to escape Sudan into Ethiopia, which is where I caught up with her. I think it's about the story of

the place. Like if I could go to, I guess, like Switzerland and see beautiful green mountains, but there's something more special about seeing them in Ethiopia where you wouldn't expect it. And, and And I think there is also the feeling like the adventure of it and the desire to, I guess, explore places that people haven't gone before. After the conflict in Sudan, were you tempted it all to take a breather and reassess this way of life? Yes. When we were fleeing Sudan, it was definitely very much a struggle. And then we were stuck at the border for about a week.

And it was very difficult. I did have moments where I was like, like, why do I do this? But at the same time, like, for me, I wouldn't want to, like, take away, I wouldn't want to erase that experience because it was also very interesting and to see just, like, how humans adapt, like, during these situations and how it feels to be in this type of experience. Like, I'm all about experiences, like, good or bad. How would you respond to criticism that by posting all this on social media, you're profiting or making light of what can be life-threatening situations for the people who live there?

Yeah, yeah. I mean, one, like, I'm not making money when I post on Instagram. So I'm an ex-softra engineer, and this is where I've made most of my income. So this is just more of, like, a passion thing. Like, I really just like being creative and making content. And I really enjoy before I ever made content, I always liked visiting these kinds of places. And now content kind of, like, gives it a little bit more of, like, a purpose. I think in the same vein that like a journalist wants to travel to these kinds of places.

Like I want to travel there for my own like personal experience, but also to be able to like tell the stories that are there that are really like not told as much. So there are some criticisms and there are times I think about it too where I'm like, I want to make sure that I do these things in an ethical way. What is doing it in an ethical way mean to you? Yeah, I think when you travel to these kinds of places, it's really important to acknowledge the perspective that you have limited. respected that you have and tell the stories of the people there. Like when you go to a place like Afghanistan and say you interact with the Taliban. And I had many positive interactions with Taliban there. But at the same time, I could just show this, but also I need to talk about the fact that some of the people that I met there didn't have positive interactions because we

are there in like two different roles. While Sudan's turmoil would turn off most tourists, Iraq is trying to rebuild its image after decades of conflict. It's hoping ancient Babylonian sites and delicious cuisine can transform Iraq from a place known for political instability to a tourist hotspot. That's what attracted 28-year-old American Jacob Nemek to vacation in Iraq, to the dismay of his family. Pretty much everybody in my life told me it's not safe to come.

I got a text from my grandma for the first time in five years. saying, you know, just being your grandmother and, you know, to respect me, I would appreciate if you don't go. I got crying phone calls from my mom, you know, just in tears that I'm coming here. But Iraq's rich history and culture have begun to erode the image of war and violence since Islamic States' defeat in 2017. People are good. Governments can be bad, but people wherever you go are good.

And just come experience that for myself and just see what the culture is, how delicious the food is, the architecture. the history and just how rich it all is and check that out for myself. Our Iraq Bureau Chief, Timor Asharie, has been reporting on the transformation. So Timor, how is the Iraqi government trying to attract tourists? So we spoke to the tourism minister and he said that Iraq is open for tourism now. It's safe. He says he recognizes that Iraq has sort of become synonymous with conflict internationally,

but says that as more people come in, that should change. Iraq for decades witnessed war, you had sectarian conflict, you had the U.S. invasion, you had ISIS, and now we're in a place where the government is focused on rebuilding, is focused on building roads, on refurbishing buildings, on improving basic services like electricity and water, which have really been decrepit for many years. In terms of actual steps to improve the situation here, he says they're looking to build more hotels, they're looking to refurbish heritage sites, but those steps are still very early on. Is his aim to get domestic tourists, or is he courting, say, American tourists?

Domestic tourism has definitely increased a lot. You have many Iraqis who have not seen their country. For many years, people were stuck at home or in their neighborhoods and couldn't move around. And so a lot of tourism in the country is being led by domestic tourists, people in Baghdad who haven't been to the north, people in Kurdistan who haven't seen the south. but there is also now a push to seek foreign tourism. Do people feel that this new stability is going to last? So people are definitely concerned that this won't last.

Most Iraqis in their 20s or 30s have barely seen a day of stability. And when you speak to them, they're very hopeful. They want their country to be part of the world again. They want Iraq to be open to foreign visitors. But a lot of them are fearful that something might happen and things could change. and this period of stability could disappear. That's it for this special episode of Reuters World News. Special thanks to Timor, Laura and Dana.

Their reporting makes this show possible. To read their stories, visit Reuters.com. We'll be back on Monday with our regular daily news show, with everything you need from around the world in 10 minutes. To make sure you stay up to date, remember to subscribe on your favorite podcast player or download the Reuters app.