What is dark tourism?

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What is dark tourism?
Literature Review
Author: Matteo Benedetto
Class: International Management 1.31
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Brigitte Sprenger
Submission Date: 30 December 2018

What is dark tourism?
Matteo Benedetto 25 December 2018 1
In a world where travelling becomes more and more popular among all generations, the need for
new locations to visit, which are not fully commercialised yet, grows. That is where the niche
market dark tourism finds its attractions for individuals who want to experience adventures far
away from the safe and sound tourism (Bissell, 2009).
The term “Dark Tourism” or “Thanatourism” was defined by Seaton in 1996 (p. 240) as “travel to a
location wholly, or partially, motivated by the desire for actual or symbolic encounters with death”.
The word “Thanatos” originates from ancient Greek which translated to English means “death”. As
Gerard Corsane (2005, p. 266) states, the word “Thanatos” refers to “the personification of death,
more specifically violent death”. By Foley and Lennon, it was defined in 1996 (p. 198) as “the
phenomenon which encompasses the presentation and consumption (by visitors) of real and
commodified death and disaster sites”. The definition of the word dark or darkness refers to the
absence of light, the presence of evil, destruction and sorrow (Meriam-Webster, n.d.).
As stated by Seaton (1996, p. 240 - 242), there are five possible types of dark travel activity:
1. To witness public enactments of death;
2. To witness re-enactments of death;
3. Travelling to sites of individual or mass deaths;
4. To see symbolic representations of death;
5. Travelling to memorials or internment sites;
Dark tourism has several sub categories, which define a specific kind of travel within the main
subject, such as war tourism, grief tourism, slum tourism, suicide tourism, doomsday tourism
(Kendle, 2008). Even the traveller itself can be classified into different kind of dark tourists as it was
stated by Cooke and Dickson in 2006. The authors presented a classification based on five
categories that classifies the dark tourist:
- Opaque
- Dark
- Die-hard dark
- Pitch black
- Too dark
Cooke and Dickinson (2006, p. 122 – 135) suggest a destination for each category, that would fit
perfectly. As an example, for the “die-hard dark” tourist, they propose the Rwandan Genocide

What is dark tourism?
Matteo Benedetto 25 December 2018 2
Memorials, while for the “pitch black” it was suggested to visit the concentration camp Auschwitz.
“Too dark” tourists were defined by the authors as going to real disaster areas, which are not yet
fully recovered and not ready to receive any tourists.
Even though dark tourism is still a niche market in the business of tourism in general, it has already
gained a lot of attention since its definition in the 1990’s and was already the main subject in
several studies. Nowadays, dark tourism is considered as a noticeable field of academic study,
which includes anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, motivations and ethics. (Bissell, 2009).
The rising attention for dark tourism has even led to the foundation of the Institute for dark tourism
research (iDTR), which was founded at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). Its main goal
is to critically question dark tourism activities and motivations and “revealing relationships and
consequences of the processes that mediate between consumerism, heritage, and the tourist
experience” (Institute for dark tourism research). Furthermore, the iDTR is also aiming to
understand and promote dark tourism sites as well as its interpretation of the particular destination.
Dark tourism is not a new occurrence, it is arguably one of the oldest forms in the history of tourism
(Bissell, 2009). Entertainment by violence and death always attracted many People (Seaton &
Lennon, 2004). Using the definition of Seaton in 1996 (p. 240) the amphitheatres in ancient Rome
were a famous dark tourism destination. Gladiators entertained the audience by fighting; where
they were severely injured or have died cruelly. Criminals were executed and Venatio, the hunting
and killing of wild animals, was performed (Dunkle, 2008).
According to Lennon and Foley (2002), ancient pilgrimages can be understood as the oldest form
of dark tourism since many pilgrimages sites were mostly related to the suffering or death of
individuals or groups. Therefore, dark tourism was undertaken long before “modern” tourism began
to develop (Seaton & Lennon, 2004).
Nevertheless, tragic events happen every day all over the world. Consequently, dark tourism
places to visit are increasing daily and that raises the question whether or not it is ethically
acceptable to offer tourist tours and promote or develop such places (Sharpley & Stone, 2009, p.
8). This also includes defining and understanding the needs, motivations and preferences of dark
tourists. Every dark tourism site has its very own unique history and background; so are the
motivations different for every destination as Peter Hohenhaus stated:
It can be purely educational (much of Auschwitz's visitor contingent is of that sort), it can be
downright voyeuristic, but I hasten to add that the latter is actually far from the rule but very

What is dark tourism?
Matteo Benedetto 25 December 2018 3
much the exception …. Most visitors to dark tourism sites go there simply because they find
it interesting and intriguing. Many come to learn something, or to try to understand
something grim and unnerving that is hard to come to terms with. Some may attach even
more philosophical depth to it. (n.d.)
To emphasise Hohenhaus’ statement for educational motivation, Sarike van Slooten from the
European Tourism Future Institute (ETFI) stated, when dark tourism sites are visited, a moral
obligation arises and people are educated to “speak in the name of dead so that the crime cannot
be denied or repeated” (van Slooten, n.d.). in addition, Hohenhaus sees voyeurism not as
something negative, because visiting memorials dedicated to disastrous happenings was always
part of tourism. But if voyeurism is done by very recent or ongoing events then it can indeed be
negative. Cooke and Dickson (2006, p.122-135) specified the issue of “going back too early”. They
stated that without a doubt it is ethically questionable to visit places grieving from ongoing disaster
just to gaze, unless you are there to help. Time needs to pass before tourism into these areas is
justified and should be made accessible to public. For example, when people travelled to New
Orleans straight after the tragic events of hurricane Katrina in 2005 and took pictures of the
destruction, there was justified outrage because it was considered as “unethical voyeurism”
(Hohenhaus, n.d.).
Moreover, Hohenhaus states further elements that dark tourists should be aware of on how to
behave ethically correct in dark tourism places, such as conduct and safety. Always behave
appropriately and respectful of the people who suffered and lost their lives. Often there are even
signs and guidelines on dress code etc. which must be followed. Furthermore, Hohenhaus states
that dark tourism should not jeopardize your health or bring yourself into dangerous situations.
Another aspect is wrong support. Often dark tourism sites are also to be found in countries like
North Korea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, where totalitarian regimes reign.
Hohenhaus questions, if it is ethically acceptable to support these countries.
Although, putting your own health at risk is not part of dark tourism according to Hohenhaus (n.d.),
it does not dissuade people travelling to dangerous sites, as can be seen in the documentary Dark
Tourist (Farrier, Fryer, McNeill & Neal, 2018). The journalist David Farrier attended a guided tour to
the danger zone of Fukushima in Japan; where in 2011 over 20’000 people have died due to an
earthquake of magnitude 9.0 which was then followed by a 15-metre high tsunami which caused
an explosion and radiation leak at the Daiichi nuclear power station (Fukushima Daiichi Accident,
2018). During the documentary (Farrier et al., 2018) it can be seen, that their Geiger meter shows
a value of 7.19 millisievert (mSv), whereas that the participants were exposed to this amount of

What is dark tourism?
Matteo Benedetto 25 December 2018 4
radiation for only a few hours. According to the World Nuclear Association (updated June 2018),
the average annual exposure to radiation experienced by everyone is 2.4 mSv/year. Additionally,
the World Nuclear Association (2018) states, that it does not matter how insignificant the dose of
radiation is, it will always be a potential threat to human health.
Dr. D. Wright (2016) believes the future of dark tourism could become even more dangerous,
barbaric and darker if the greed for death and disasters continues to rise. He further states, that in
a possible dystopian world in the future, death could become a “product of entertainment for a
wealthy-elite”.

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Matteo Benedetto 25 December 2018 5
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