Does dark tourism exist?

Does dark tourism exist?
Dr Rami Isaac
“Dark” Tourism
• Dark tourism emerged as an academic
field of study (Foley & Lennon, 1996).
• Growing fascination of tourists with sites of
death, suffering, tragedies & atrocities
(Cohen, 2011; Logan & Reeves, 2009,
Stone & Sharpley, 2008)
• Is not a new phenomenon
• graveyards & cemeteries (Seaton, 2002)
“Dark” Tourism
• Holocaust sites (Tunbridge & Ashworth,
1996; Beech, 2009; Biran et al., 2011;
Isaac & Cakmak, 2013)
• Slavery heritage attractions (Dann &
Seaton, 2001).
• Atrocities (Ashworth & Hartmann, 2005)
• Prisons – past and present (Dann &
Seaton, 2001; Strange & Kempa, 2003;
Wilson, 2008)
“Dark” Tourism
• Foley & Lennon (1996) popularized the
concept
• Thanatourism (1996)
• Fatal attractions, Black spots (Rojek,
1993); Morbid tourism (Bloom, 2000);
Difficult heritage (Logan & Reeves, 2009)
• As ‘dark’ tourism
• Both in terms of visits and academic
research
Dark tourism: Supply side
• Categorization, labels and spectrumsdegree of darkness
• Miles (2002) subdivided dark tourism into
dark, darker and darkest.
Sharpley (2005)
Stone (2006)
Dark tourism: Supply side
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Dark fun factories; Dracula park, Romania
Dark Exhibitions
Dark Dungeons (Robben Island; Lithuania)
Dark Resting Places (tombs)
Dark Shrines (Princes Diana, 1997)
Dark Conflict Sites (First World War)
Dark Camps of Genocide (Auschwitz; the
Toul Sleng (S-21) prison in Cambodia )
Dark tourism: Supply side
Stone’s framework
• Stone’s framework implies that there are
different levels or ‘shades’ of dark tourism
• Although, this categorization is irrational!
• Arguably, sites do not experience anything
and cannot be classified in this way
‘Dark’ Tourism
• Seaton (1996) implies two aspects of the
experience are important
• 1. Thanatourism is behavioral –a site dark
or not, more than sites features
• 2. works on a “continuum of intensity”
– A. single visit
– B. degree of interest in death
Dark tourism: Supply side
• Presence of tourists at death-related sites
reflects to some degree “thanatouristic”
motives (Slade, 2003)
• All tourists are dark tourists! But how
helpful is this?
• Devoid of interest in death itself.
• Several studies also supported this
statement –lack interest in darkness as
well.
Dark tourism: Supply side
• Desire to understand the tourism
consumption of sites related to death
• This is still incomplete
• Examination of more than the supply side
of dark tourism is relevant
Dark tourism: Demand side
• Stone & Sharpley (2008) states research
on motives have not yet been fully
examined.
• Motives examined in relation to various
sites
• Assumption that all tourists are ‘dark’
tourists
• The motives identified have often not been
based on empirical research
Dark tourism: Demand side
Name of Journal/
book
Authors
Study
Method
Motivations
Empirical/
conceptual
Dark tourism
motivations:
Simulation, Emotional
contagion and
topographic
comparison
Podoshen
(2013)
Aim: to identify dark
tourism motivations of
“blackpackers” and fans
of black metal.
Active and non active
participant observation,
netnography and
qualitative content
analysis
Simulation, emotional
contagion, topographic
comparison
Empirical/
conceptual
Solemnity and
Celebration: Dark
tourism experiences at
Hollywood forever
cemetery
Levitt (2012)
Aim: to identify dark
tourism experiences at
Hollywood forever
cemetery
Literature review
to mourn, to
commemorate,
pilgrimage, paying
respects
Conceptual
Understanding
visitor’s motivation at
sites of death and
disaster: the case of
former transit camp
Westerbork, The
Netherlands
Isaac and
Cakmak
(2013)
Aim: To identify the
motivations of tourists
visiting Westerbork
Self- administered
survey questionnaire
Self- understanding,
curiosity, conscience, a
must see place, and
exclusiveness
Empirical
Conclusions
• Seaton (2012) two key points:
• 1. “there is too much emphasis on the
conceptualization of dark tourism and not
enough on the individual visitor
perspectives”
• 2. Dark tourism is not a single concept
Assignment
• Saaremaa: Argument: destroy or
preserve?
• Welcome arguments for developing and
promoting ‘dark’ tourism!
• Unwelcome arguments for developing and
promoting ‘dark’ tourism!
• Perspectives: local residents, site
managers, tourists, tourism industry,
DMO, destination as a whole