Chernobyl Diaries: Extreme Tourism

I don't recommend this movie, which is a thriller, but it is not as bad as it looks. There are no violent scenes displayed, but it is scary enough. This scene, though, is just fine for adult audiences.



I. Read the definition of extreme tourism below and explain it in your own words:


Extreme tourism (also often referred to as shock tourism, although both concepts do not appear strictly similar) is a niche in the tourism industry involving travel to dangerous places or participation in dangerous events. Extreme tourism overlaps with extreme sports. The two share the main attraction, "adrenaline rush" caused by an element of risk, and differing mostly in the degree of engagement.
While traditional tourism requires significant investments in hotels, roads, etc., extreme tourism requires much less to jump-start a business. In addition to traditional travel-based tourism destinations, various exotic attractions are suggested, such as ice diving  in the White Sea, or travelling across the Chernobyl zone.
Additionally, extreme tourism includes visiting "dangerous" destinations, such as Somalia, Iraq and others.



Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_tourism



II. Discuss these questions in pairs:


1. Have you ever gone on a extreme tourist adventure? Talk about it.

2. What's your opinion about it? Would you like to do it?

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of such tours?

4. Where can you go on extreme tourism sites in your country?

5. Should there be any special requirement for one to join one of those tours (age, health condition, etc)?



III. Read some extreme tourist destinations below. They were collected from specialized extreme tour companies. Which ones would you like to take and which ones you wouldn't? Justify your answers.

• Chernobyl Tours - Ukraine.

• Swimming in the Devil's Pool in Victoria Falls - Zambia and Zimbabwe

• Walk the Plank at Mt. Huashan over 2,000 meters - China.

• Death Road Tour - Bolivia.

• Bungee Jumping into an Active Volcano - Chile.

• Swimming in Shark Infested Waters - Florida, USA.

• Climbing Mont Blanc - French/Italian Border.

• Volcano watching - Philippines.

• Volcano Helicopter Tours - Hawaii, USA.

• Cliff Jumping at Bash Bish Falls - Massachusetts, USA.

• War Tourism in Israel or Syria. 

• Safari in Kenya.

• Crossing the Sinai desert in Egypt.

• The Brazilian Amazon Jungle.

IV. Rank these travel destinations from the most interesting to the least attractive. 1 should be the most interesting.


V. Watch the segment from the movie Chernobyl Diaries and discuss the questions:

1. Where did this group of tourist decide to go? Why did they decide to do it?

2. Would you like to go on such a trip? Why?

3. How would you describe the destination?

4. What drawbacks, if any, do you think they might face there?

5. How safe is this trip?

6. Should this kind of trip be allowed to regular tourists? Explain it.


MOVIE SEGMENT DOWNLOAD - CHERNOBYL DIARIES