‘Where there is life there is death’: Why ‘dark tourists’ pay to put their lives at risk
The IndependentThe best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. As a scholar in the growing field of “dark tourism” research, activities like the ill-fated OceanGate expedition and other sightseeing endeavours associated with suffering and tragedy come as no surprise to me. The phenomenon of “dark tourism” has fascinated researchers for many years, but tourists are being increasingly drawn to places associated with atrocity, violence and disaster. Research highlights a preoccupation with death manifest in culture and art depicted in songs, rituals, customs, and events – such as the Day of the Dead celebrated worldwide or “Obon” in Japan. Many people might feel queasy at the idea of sites of human atrocity becoming commercialised and snapped for Instagram, but dark tourism is not always negative.
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