What is Dark Tourism?

About Dark Tourism: 

• Dark tourism, also known as black tourism, thanatourism, or grief tourism, refers to the practice of visiting locations associated with death, suffering, tragedy, or something unusual. 
• An early definition defined by John Lennon and Malcolm Foley defines dark tourism as “the representation of inhuman acts and how these are interpreted for visitors”.
• They are all associated with tragic history. These sites might include cemeteries, mausoleums, disaster zones, battlefields, memorials, prisons, execution sites, and crime scenes.
• As a more specific component of dark tourism, “disaster tourism” denotes situations where the tourism product is generated within, and from, the aftermath of a major disaster or traumatic event”.
• Prominent dark tourism sites include Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland, Chernobyl in Ukraine, Ground Zero in New York, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan, etc.
• The act of dark tourism is somewhat controversial, with some viewing it as an act of respect and others as unethical practice.
• It appeals to many because it offers an emotional connection to sites of tragedy.