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The growing trend of dark tourism

Why do people want to visit sites of atrocities and natural disasters? It’s a question University of Canterbury’s Professor Girish Prayag has been researching in his study of dark tourism – the name given to visiting places associated with death or a difficult history.

Professor Girish Prayag is a researcher in the University of Canterbury’s Business School.

Professor Prayag says these places can be fully developed tourist attractions or places that people know and associate with significant deaths without necessarily having tourist facilities and amenities.

“As we move into an era of unprecedented climate change with more extreme and devastating impacts of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, bush fires, there will be more places that will fit under dark tourism and disaster tourism spots.” 

He says there are many reasons people want to visit such sites, from remembrance, to learning about the event, the historical facts, curiosity, word of mouth from other travellers, a sense of moral obligation, or connecting with one’s own heritage.

“Dark tourism can be very controversial for communities; some want to see those sites, others don’t as they can be a stark reminder of the past and prevent some communities from moving forward.

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