Dark Tourism is Alive & Flourishing
December 15, 2007 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Things to See & Do
While doing some research for some upcoming posts, I kept stumbling over the term “dark tourism.” I had never heard of it before, but it is defined as:
Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which has real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme.
At first, I found the thought gruesome, and couldn’t imagine why it would appeal to any traveler. But, the more I thought about it, I realized that I had myself visited and written about sites that were considered dark tourism.
Dark Tourism would include travel to battlefields (such as Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, Normandy), Cemeteries and Grave sites (such as Ground Zero, Auschwitz, Arlington Cemetery, Jimi Hendrix grave), Prisons, Castles, and Monuments or Memorials to the Dead (WWII Memorial, Vietnam Wall, Astronaut Memorial).
For some travelers, dark tourism is the key point of travel, while for others, it is merely one part of a larger travel experience.
What do you think? Is it travel with historical and cultural significance? Or just weird?
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Sometimes visiting a “dark” site is key to understanding and experiencing a place and the people there. You can visit Phnom Pehn without visiting Tol Sleng (the prison) or the killing fields, but everything compells you to go and see those places while you’re in Cambodia.
When we visited, even the workers in our hotel needed to know whether we’d been yet or not, aching to tell us their stories and their family stories once we had.
I’m a ‘cemetery photographer’ … or a ‘taphophile’. It’s true, that when I visit a country or a town I wish to visit their cemeteries or their graveyards. These are an indicator of the social and cultural history of that place.
I love this phrase ‘dark tourism’ though … I might start using it more!
Like Polly, I love visiting old cemeteries. It’s not about the death, per se, it’s about the beauty of the old stones and the tangible history. It also provides a good opportunity to reflect and remember those who came before you.
I often think, too, about the people and families behind the stones. Children of the deceased may visit the grave, and perhaps even the grandchildren, but beyond that? How many of the gravestones eventually go unvisited? I guess, in my own way, I feel like I’m making sure those people haven’t been forgotten.
I’ve heard it referred to as “Grief Tourism.” I have to admit to being a cemetery photographer as well. The deep South (in particular) has some excellent cemeteries.
Some tours in New Orleans now include the sections of town Katrina destroyed. I haven’t been back since the hurricane, but I do agree that what happened there is just as much a part of their history as slavery and yellow fever – both of which horribly scarred the city. I don’t think it’s voyeurism – I think it’s a way of learning from our past mistakes.
Julia Rosien
http://www.gogirlfriend.com
Julia has it bang on. Learning from our past mistakes in order to help stop it happening again.
Of course, you do get some weirdos too!
Thanks for all the comments and perspective on this subject.
I find the sense of history behind this type of travel fascinating. At first I was trying to sort out the emotions behind it, because at least for me it evokes pretty heavy emotions.
But it provides a look at where we’ve been, who we are, and why we don’t want to repeat the mistakes of our past. Thanks to all of you for chiming in!