Why is it called dark tourism?

Experts call the phenomenon dark tourism, and they say it has a long tradition. Dark tourism refers to visiting places where some of the darkest events of human history have unfolded. That can include genocide, assassination, incarceration, ethnic cleansing, war or disaster — either natural or accidental.



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Dark tourism comprises visiting real or recreated places related with death, suffering, disgrace, or the macabre [1,2]. From the perspective of dark tourism places, it is important to understand what drives people to visit them to design satisfying experiences.

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“It depends,” says Granato. Generally, she finds that most archaeologists, academics, and museum curators think that the default answer is “yes, it is ethical” and may possibly question it later. “But I think the default answer should change to 'no'—with the caveat that sometimes it is ethical.”

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Dark tourism (also Thana tourism (as in Thanatos), black tourism, morbid tourism, or grief tourism) has been defined as tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy.

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Dark tourism involves visiting places associated with death, tragedy, and suffering. Dark tourism is a controversial form of tourism that raises ethical concerns. Dark tourism has been around for centuries, but the term “dark tourism” was only coined in the 1990s.

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Dark tourism can be educational and help people understand and appreciate history. Dark tourism can also be seen as exploitative and disrespectful to the victims and their families.

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The consensus between the literature researchers is that dark tourism has a typology depending on the visitors' motivations and sites, namely War/Battlefield Tourism, Disaster Tourism, Prison Tourism, Cemetery Tourism, Ghost Tourism, and Holocaust Tourism.

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This form of tourism attracts many visitors and has its economic benefits to those working in the sector and the area where such a destination is located. However, Dark Tourism often goes hand in hand with ethical dilemmas and critiques, such as the gain of economic profits and the behavior of the visitors.

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The term “dark tourism” was coined in 1996, by two academics from Scotland, J. John Lennon and Malcolm Foley, who wrote “Dark Tourism: The Attraction to Death and Disaster.”

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Some of the world's leading dark tourism hotspots are: Chernobyl. Murambi Genocide Memorial, Rwanda. Hiroshima.

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Dark tourism sites are places related to tragedy, violence, and war. These places draw the attention of a lot of tourists every year. According to a recent study of the visitors to the Illinois Holocaust Museum, it is seen that visit to this museum actually awakens the emotions of the visitors.

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Ethical tourists consider the impact of their actions with regards to the three pillars of sustainable tourism– the environment, the economy and society.

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Traumatic Tourism is a body of work that deals with historically significant sites and their transformation into tourist attractions.

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Dark Tourism comes from the practice of Thanatourim (Death Tourism) and transitioned over time to follow the guideline of Dark Tourism. The connection to the aspect of the sacred can also be seen in Thanatourism where the sacred was a religious sacred, connected to the pilgrimage locations throughout Europe.

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