This thesis is about the dark tourism and destination marketing. Dark tourism encompasses the mild cemetery visits to the violent viewing an active civil war. Its origins are rooted in fairgrounds and medieval fairs. A new tv series has spurred travel to the chernobyl nuclear disaster site in ukraine and has renewed debate over the ethics of socalled dark tourism to locations associated with death and. Dark tourism, also known as black tourism, thanatourism or grief tourism, is tourism that is associated with death or tragedy. Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. That is, the literature focuses primarily on the supply of dark tourism. Thanatourism, 1 derived from the ancient greek word thanatos for the personification of death, is associated with dark tourism but refers more specifically to violent death.
The current flaws and potential benefits of dark tourism. Mar 29, 2020 dark tourism is a type of niche tourism in which tourists specifically target destinations or exhibitions highlighting death, morbid suffering or atrocities. Dark tourism definition, tourist travel to areas affected by or associated with disasters or other public tragedies. The dark tourism institute was founded in 2012 to chronicle voyeurism at all sorts of macabre locations. Dark tourism the tour is one a growing body of experiences known as dark tourism. Philip stone argues that dark tourism is a way of imagining ones own death through the real death of others.
Dark tourism describes a niche type of tourism which covers the visitation of places where tragedies or historically noteworthy deaths have occurred of institutions dealing with the heritage of humanity tarlow, 2005. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. More recently, it was suggested that the concept should also include reasons tourists visit that site, since the sites attributes alone may not make a visitor a dark tourist. Dark tourism potential of turkey article pdf available june 2014 with 2,924 reads how we measure reads. Philip stone is the executive director of the institute for dark tourism research. Stone and his team have just launched a fiveyear project to. Marketing and branding initiatives for local food and tourism identity of terengganu, malaysia. Information and translations of dark tourism in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Behavior, and dark tourism constructs, a new theoretical framework was created to determine the motivations and intentions of tourists visiting dark tourism locations. Stone considers the roman colosseum to be one of the first dark tourist sites, where people travelled long distances to watch death as sport. Dark tourism is not a new phenomenon, nor is the use of artefacts of violence in pursuit of economic or political capital. This has helped popularise the form of travel known as dark tourism. There are in fact few countries with such a plethora of dark places one can visit. For many years now dark tourism has been part of our fascination, dating back to the pilgrims.
Dark tourism also black tourism, morbid tourism or grief tourism has been defined as tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy. Georgia is among the top 10 states in the country in heritage tourism visitation. Jun 15, 2016 dark tourism has become a much more wellcovered pasttime in recent years, in which a macabre fascination lead tourists to travel to various places not served by thomas cook. According to the quantitative survey in the house of terror, the strongest motivat. Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which have real or. Chernobyl and the dangerous ground of dark tourism cnn.
In 2009, along with his colleague richard sharpley, philip stone. It has a comprehensive theoretical framework, and discusses initiatives, policies and strategies adopted internationally. The full range of motivations of dark tourist is a popular object of academic study, but there isnt a single straightforward answer. This book provides an integrated picture of specialityniche tourism as a whole looking at both the macro and micro niche area. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue of ijcthr on dark tourism. Aug 02, 20 the purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue of ijcthr on dark tourism. Dark tourism is a special type of tourism business which doesnt appeal to everyone but has an important role in delivering information and bringing the past to present. This type of tourism involves visits to dark sites, such as battlegrounds, scenes of horrific crimes or acts of genocide, for example concentration camps. Dark tourism, understood as the type of tourism that involves a visit to real or recreated places associated with death, suffering, misfortune, or the seemingly macabre, is not a new concept, even from a touristic point of view. Motivations and intentions of tourists to visit dark. In 2007, spiritual tourism was judged by the unwto as the most rapidly growing segment, although it cannot be easily framed. The tour is one a growing body of experiences known as dark tourism. Disaster tourism has been defined as the practice of visiting locations at which an environmental disaster, either natural or manmade, has occurred.
The study included analysis of the definition of dark tourism, tourist motivations for this type of tourism, stone s typology of dark destination offers, and a portion is devoted to the role of dark tourism in contemporary society. Also called black tourism for its emphasis on the nefarious or oppressive aspects of historical events or places, dark tourism is one of the many types of tourism that has arisen in the. While the scope of the dark tourism industry is difficult to quantifymany of these sites dont formally offer commercial tours, gift shops, or other goods and servicesresearchers agree. Therefore, by asking visitors to the museum what motivated them to the site, the results will hopefully give some acumen into the wants and needs of certain stakeholders.
Many people wish to experience the reality behind the media images, or are prompted to find out more by a personal association with. The world tourism organization defines tourism more generally, in terms which go beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity only, as people traveling to and staying in. View impact of dark tourism research papers on academia. Jul 15, 2014 the dark tourism institute was founded in 2012 to chronicle voyeurism at all sorts of macabre locations. People have always been fascinated with sites of death and disaster, and. A total of 1068 usable questionnaires were sampled using qualtrics panels data collection service for data analysis purposes. And this is reflected in what poland offers in terms of dark tourism today. Among them are some of the darkest and most emotionally taxing sites in the world. While the definition is pretty straight forward, there remains some debate on the details of that definition. Apr 08, 2019 the term dark tourism is far newer than the practice, which long predates pompeiis emergence as a morbid attraction. But lets go for someone who sounds quite authoritative. Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions deaths, disasters and atrocities in touristic form are becoming an increasingly pervasive feature within the contemporary tourism landscape, and as such, are ever more providing.
Geotourism is very similar to sustainable tourism and is a definition brought about by national geographic traveller the concept is the same but they focus on the sense of place in an area rather than the industrys efforts. In georgia, tourism is the states second largest industry and heritage tourism is its fastestgrowing segment. Despite increasing academic attention paid to dark tourism, understanding of the concept remains limited, particularly from a consumption perspective. Dark tourism definition and meaning collins english. Recreational travel to view the sites of former atrocities.
Pdf dark tourism as a type of special interest tourism. Pdf development of dark tourism in the contemporary. Dark tourism definition of dark tourism by the free. Stone and his team have just launched a fiveyear project to examine the effects that war. The study included analysis of the definition of dark tourism, tourist motivations for this type of tourism, stone s typology of dark destination offers, and a portion is devoted to the. Apr 26, 2016 of course, nearly every destination in the world is dark in some way. The aim of the thesis is to display how these two terms can be combined. Dark tourismintroductiondark tourism can be defined in many ways, both from a supply and a demand perspective. Spiritual journeys are one type of cultural tourism that is on the rise, as people are increasingly looking to develop their own spirituality and to discover that of others.
Collectively, the papers explore tourist experiences at dark sites, the management of dark sites, ethical issues in profit making, and the. This research examines visitor experiences at a contemporary dark tourism site. We dont want to be just about dark tourism, we also want to show off bethlehems assets and its 4,000year history. Other examples range from sites associated with the jack the ripper in london to visits to the killing fields in cambodia. Poland thus played a key role in at least two of the 20th centurys most defining historical developments. Tourism, the worlds largest industry, is essential to a communitys economic vitality, sustainability, and profitability. For many people, the name medellin will be associated with. A place or area where a collection of tourism related products and attractions are offered which deliver a tourism experience for individuals or groups traveling away from their home or place. Thanatourism, as dark tourism is known in academia, derives from the ancient greek word thanatos, or the personification of death.
Dark tourism, as its been dubbed, is on the increase, as people around the world fight to ensure the sins of the past are not forgotten. It may be macabre, but dark tourism helps us learn from the. Auschwitz functioned until 27 january 1945, when the last prisoners were liberated. Of course, tourists fascination with death is nothing new. Its indeed ethically dubious to go to places suffering from ongoing disaster just to ogle its different if youre there to help, of course but see categories of dark tourism, esp. The term dark tourism describes travel to places which are associated with tragedy, suffering or death some of the more notorious dark tourism sites worldwide include the auschwitz concentration camp, or the chernobyl exclusion zone. Tourism covers numerous forms of travel and a broad range of destinations. Of course, nearly every destination in the world is dark in some way. Introduction dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. Dark tourism definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
Dark tourism also black tourism or grief tourism is tourism involving travel to sites associated with death and tragedy. The seven core tourism terms below are an edited version of definitions agreed in 2011 through a working group and consultation process set up under the auspices of the english tourism research and intelligence partnership etrip established by visitengland. Some include ghost tours and visitation of haunted sites in dark tourism while others dont. Founded in 2012 and based at the university of central lancashire uclan, england, the idtr largely contributes to scientific research on dark tourism while offering guidance to industry practitioners and collaborating with the media. Dark tourism is a term that seems to carry negative connotations, but in reality, it can be defined as any tourist site that focuses mainly on death, tragedy, or disaster. Oct 29, 2008 introduction dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. Abstract this paper sets out to explore the phenomenon that the authors have entitled dark tourism and to analyse evidence of its existence in the context of sites associated with the life and death of the former us president, john f. Late last year i spent a few days in medellin colombia. Death, dying and dark tourism in contemporary society. Dystopia, death, and the growing popularity of dark tourism. Dark tourism is a type of niche tourism in which tourists specifically target destinations or exhibitions highlighting death, morbid suffering or atrocities. Although a variety of disasters are the subject of subsequent disaster tourism, the most common disaster tourist sites are the areas surrounding volcanic eruptions. Dark tourism as a type of special interest tourism.
As a result, many sites that make an effort to educate visitors incorrectly escape the label of dark tourism. The time that needs to pass before dark tourism to recently affected areas can be justified is a difficult issue in itself, however. The term dark tourism is a relatively new research area. Niche tourism examines one of the fastest growing areas within the tourism sector. The attraction of death and disaster article pdf available in annals of tourism research 294. Tourism to sites associated with tragedies, disasters, and death meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples. Generally, it seems to be easier to define what dark tourism is not than to give a clearcut definition of what it is for more on that see the concept of dark tourism and its overlap with other forms of tourism. The act of dark tourism is somewhat controversial, with some viewing it as an act of respect and others as unethical practice. Motivations and intentions of tourists to visit dark tourism. Nov 07, 2018 dark tourism is not a new phenomenon, nor is the use of artefacts of violence in pursuit of economic or political capital.
1605 659 1504 1088 1221 162 966 1232 584 815 1010 1356 53 764 999 98 838 1038 347 871 1317 1275 1164 1147 974 620 1289 56 854 1337 206 24 1469 865 828 101