You won't believe why Dark Tourism is becoming so popular

Many of us holiday planners idolise about white sandy beaches, adventurous jungles or snow-covered ski slopes. These tourists have a very different idea of what they seek from travelling abroad. We look at why some travelling enthusiasts seek morbidity and gloom through their excursions as a ‘dark tourist.’

The Alternative Vacation

What is a dark tourist anyway? By definition, it is someone who travels to destinations that are associated with death and tragedy. These places can be anything from former concentration camps to sightings of natural disasters. We spoke to Meabh Grace, an avid dark tourist who is writing a book about her dark excursions, entitled Tragic Tourism: A Travellers Guide to the Dark Side. The travel author informed us that; ‘dark tourism is mainly about curiosity. It’s more of an interest in history, whether it be tragic or not, rather than some morbid joy trip. I think people have their reservations about it because of the nature of the destinations dark tourists general travel to.’

People may have their reservations about the excursions, but the idea of travelling to a graveyard rather than a beach is clearly becoming more popular. According to recently revealed statistics, the number of visitors to Auschwitz Concentration Camp rose from 1,358,000 in 2015 to 2 million in 2018.

Auschwitz Concentration Camp, 2018

You can be a Dark Tourist too – in fact, you probably are!

It may come as a surprise to many of us, that perhaps there is a dark tourist within all of us. You may have already visited some of these destinations that classify as dark tourism sites. Auschwitz Concentration Camp being just one of them.

Another popular destination is Chernobyl, Ukrain. This well-known location suffered devastating loss of life and health implications for many citizens when an explosion occurred in a nuclear power plant in 1986. Another destination on any avid dark tourist’s list is the 9/11 memorial site. This one many have likely visited if they have travelled to New York. This destination too falls under the description of a place a dark tourist would likely visit.

Some lesser known dark tourism destinations include the Catacombs of Paris, where a burial site holding the remains of over 6 million people resides. The burial site was erected in 1774 to accommodate the overpopulated, and therefore collapsing, burial grounds within the city. Guided tours of the catacombs are available, where tourists can view the skull-coated chambers. Another example is the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre, which displays mummified bodies to represent the Rwanden genocide, where over 45,000 Tutsi people were murdered.

Parisian catacombs that hold the remains of over 6 million, 2018

The reason behind it all

So, why is it that tourists set out to visit such dark and harrowing places? Why would someone choose to visit destinations associated with such death and despair, especially when there are so many other less morbid, and frankly thoroughly enjoyable, tourism options out there to choose from. Meabh’s reason is the most reliable one. Dark tourists are interested in history. Though somewhat difficult to admit for many, tragic history interests people. Horrible Histories, WWI documentaries and Holocaust survivor memoirs – all provide an insight into the dark past of human existence and they succeed for the same reason dark tourism does; curiosity about our history.

Dark tourism destinations are physical remains or places of memory for these events we’ve read about in our history books or viewed on our television screens. Some seek to travel to further inquire and learn about these events.

It is highly possible also, that perhaps in a rapidly advancing sector, dark tourism may be seen as a modern alternative to the average holiday-goer. It is becoming a travel trend and hence, may intrigue the regular sole searcher to try something new and go out of their comfort zone.

Educational or Exploitive

A large debate over dark tourism is the humanitarian ethics behind its existence. By trampling on burial grounds to satisfy our curiosity, are we disrespecting those who have been effected by the events that came to pass there? Professor Mark O’Brien, a history scholar who specialises in tourism and culture, agrees that such places should not simply become a checkpoint on a bucket list. ‘We must first remember in many of these destinations, mass death and tragedy have occurred, to which tourists must first and foremost respect.’ Other tourists claim when visiting these destinations, they are reluctant to act like 'tourists', i.e. take selfies, photograph the sites or even discuss aloud the events behind the destination amongst themselves while patrolling the site.

What do you think about dark tourism? Have you been to any dark destinations? If so, let us know about your experience. Head over to our Twitter at _womenwhowander or to our Instagram at womenwhowander_nuig. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #womenwhowander.