Banana Pancake Trail
The "Banana Pancake Trail" or "Banana Pancake Circuit"[1] is the name given to the constantly growing routes around South East Asia travelled by backpackers and other tourists. The Trail has no clear definition but is used as a metaphor for places that are visited by mostly Western tourists who have left their marks on the local tourist industry, which has created restaurants, hotels and entertainment catering to these tourists' wants.
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Etymology[edit]
The term '"Banana Pancake Trail" is usually used tongue-in-cheek as an affectionate nickname and in reference to the many guesthouses, cafes and restaurants catering to backpackers and serve banana pancakes as a form of sweet breakfast.
The Banana Pancake Trail is sometimes associated with backpackers who use Lonely Planet travel guides, as this publisher's books were one of the first to provide information about the region and were therefore used by many backpackers.[2] [3] The influx of Western backpackers led to the rise of many restaurants serving food adapted to their wants, including banana pancakes and other comfort foods like yogurt with muesli and honey.[citation needed]
Geographical reach[edit]
There is no firm definition of the Banana Pancake Trail, as it is a metaphor to describe the ever-developing travellers' trail going through many different places in Southeast Asia rather than an actual route or road (much like the Silk Road). However, the term is used to describe, amongst others, Goa, Pushkar and Varanasi in India, Halong Bay, Hoi An, and Hanoi in Vietnam, Vang Vieng in Laos, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) in Cambodia, Bangkok (with its famous Khao San Road), Pai, the islands of Ko Pha Ngan (with its world-infamous Full Moon Party) and Ko Phi Phi in Thailand, and Penang, the Perhentian Islands and Melaka in Malaysia. In Indonesia Lake Toba, Yogyakarta, Mount Bromo and the islands of Bali, Lombok and Gili Trawangan are considered to be on the Banana Pancake Trail.
The Banana Pancake Trail also seems to have a northern extension in to China with Dali, Lijiang, and Yangshuo as the major centres.[citation needed]
Budget tourists[edit]
Earlier Western budget tourists in the regions were mostly young Europeans, Australians, Canadians and Americans on trips that could last several months, and who travelled cheaply using guides such as Lonely Planet. Some of them were gap year students, taking time off to travel. As the stops on the Trail have become well known, and as long distance flights have become more accessible, combined with the increased purchasing power of Asian tourists, an increasingly diverse variety of travellers can be found on the trail, sometimes for just a short time rather than the months' long trips of the original backpackers.
Similar trails[edit]
The Banana Pancake Trail is similar in idea to the "Gringo Trail" in South America and the "Hippie Trail" in Asia in the 1960s-70s.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Denis D. Gray (27). "Mass tourism swamps Asia's once unique, remote places". USA TODAY (in English). USA TODAY. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Harry Priestley (July 2008). "Interview with Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler". Citylife (in English). Vol. 17 No. 7: Chiang Mai Citylife. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Gray, Denis. "Mass tourism swamps Asia's once unique, remote places". USA Today. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
External links[edit]
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