An interdisciplinary international journal 2006 philip stone, dr, university of central lancashire. View impact of dark tourism research papers on academia. The most influential typology is the spectrum of dark tourism supply stone, 2006. Over the last decade, the concept of dark tourism has attracted growing academic interest and media attention. Theres nothing inherently wrong with visiting chernobyls fallout zone or other sites of past tragedy. International journal of culture, tourism and hospitality research 7. Retrieved marco 17, 20, from global scholarship hub. Their combined citations are counted only for the first article.
Concern over rise in dark tourism in syria as war enters ninth year. As a result, the term dark tourism has entered academic discourse. Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions deaths, disasters and atrocities in touristic form are becoming an increasingly pervasive feature within the contemporary tourism landscape, and as such, are ever more providing. Auschwitz, site of concentration campdeath camp, near krakow, poland now over 1. This visual essay seeks to explore the relationship between the hiroshima peace park as a site of mass human suffering and the debates concerning representation, commemoration and place.
That is, the literature focuses primarily on the supply of dark tourism. The term dark tourism applies to the increasingly popular pursuit of visiting sites where people have suffered or died in tragic circumstances. Dark tourism, affect, affective atmosphere, emotion. Philip stone is the executive director of the institute for dark tourism research. The concept of traveling or pilgrimaging to these memorial sites, then can be considered one of the earliest forms of dark tourism stone 1567. In so doing, it proposes a model of dark tourism consumption within a. As dark tourism may be typified by conceptual shades, then so too can different kinds of memory. Guided bus tours giving tourists the eligibility to enter and take photos of the aftermath of hurricane katrina in new orleans, wandering around the radioactive fields of chernobyl, visiting the concentration camp in auschwitzbirkenau and travelling to prisons such as alcatraz island freiremedeiros, 2008, p. Less attention, however, has been paid to the consumption of dark touristic. While disturbing death may haunt contemporary imaginations, the act of remembrance and memorialisation allows darker dark tourism to occur stone, 2006.
Dark tourism and thanatourism were first proposed to an academic audience in 1996 in a themed edition of the international. Progress in dark tourism and thanatourism research. Some prefer the term thanatourism since it is more neutral and less. Despite increasing academic and media attention paid to dark tourism the act of travel to sites of death, disaster and the seemingly macabre understanding of the concept remains limited, particularly from a consumption perspective. But the demand for dark tourism spots is versatile. Developing dark tourism by will blommer dark tourism. Many people wish to experience the reality behind the media images, or are prompted to find out more by a personal association with. The types of sites are broad, and the motivations are broader, but this paper reaches past the current understandings in the field in an attempt to apply marketing knowledge to the unique dark tourism industry. The theory and practice of dark tourism, 2338, 2009.
The term dark tourism was coined by foley and lennon in the mid 1990s. Until now dark tourism has been seen as a niche market, but there is potential for improving this kind of tourism. The scientific relevance of this research question lies in the fact that the subject of dark tourism is relatively new within the academic field. Dark tourism also black tourism, morbid tourism or grief tourism has been defined as tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy. Despite increasing academic attention paid to dark tourism, understanding of the concept remains limited, particularly from. This is especially the case with regards to consumption and its implications for understanding the dark tourist. This study examines content of dark tourism websites in the us. Holocaust tourism is roundtrip travel to destinations connected with the extermination of jews during the holocaust in world war ii, including visits to sites of jewish martyrology such as former nazi death camps and concentration camps turned into state museums. To do so, we frame dark tourism within theories of affect and, in particular. Specifically, the roles of the key marketing factors of awareness and message appeal are studied and applied to dark tourism. Thus it is suggested that the dimensions of dark tourism consumption have not been extracted or interrogated only assumed. Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions. Dark tourism has been defined as the act of travel to sites associated with death, suffering and the seemingly macabre stone, 2006. However, dark tourism literature is both eclectic and theoretically fragile.
According to the quantitative survey in the house of terror, the strongest motivat. Lancashire business school, department of tourism and leisure management, university of central lancashire, preston, uk. Tarlow, 2005 or as a more precise term for dark tourism stone, 2006. Dark tourism, world heritage and hiroshima mick broderick. Death, dying and dark tourism in contemporary society. Dark tourism consumption a call for research there is an increasing plethora of sites associated with death, tragedy or the macabre that have become significant tourist attractions. As a result, the rather emotive label of dark tourism has entered academic discourse and.
The empirical data was collected using qualitative methods, primarily meansend chain mec analysis was employed. The purpose is to position the dark tourism sites on stones spectrum and identify the type of authenticity promoted by different. However, this kind of tourism already exists much longer. Attempts to reopen country to visitors have been met with criticism from some locals. Collectively, the papers explore tourist experiences at dark sites, the management of dark sites, ethical issues in profit making, and the. The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology of dark tourists through an investigation of peoples motivations to visit burial grounds.
It belongs to a category of the socalled roots tourism usually across parts of central europe, or more generally, the western. The case of fritzl offers a fascinating and recent case to go more indepth into the motivations of dark tourists. Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions, tourism 542. Dark tourism the guide to dark travel destinations around the world. Many of the dark tourism definitions are limited and apply solely to places of death and grief. Founded in 2012 and based at the university of central lancashire uclan, england, the idtr largely contributes to scientific research on dark tourism while offering guidance to industry practitioners and collaborating with the media. Towards a typology of death and macabre, authorphilip stone, year 2006 philip stone. Despite the long history and increasing contemporary evidence of.
However, despite a growing body of literature on the representation and tourist experience of deathscapes within the visitor economy, dark tourism as a field of. Thus the christian pilgrimage to the sight where jesus christ was crucified can be brought into this context robinson and dale 2009. The study included analysis of the definition of dark tourism, tourist motivations for this type of tourism, stone s typology of dark destination offers, and a portion is devoted to the role of dark tourism in contemporary society. Dark tourism as a type of special interest tourism. This positions sites of death and suffering termed the darkest form of dark.
Nevertheless, perspectives on and understanding of dark tourism remain varied and theoretically fragile whilst, to date, no single book has attempted to draw together the conceptual themes and debates surrounding dark tourism, to explore it within wider disciplinary contexts and to. Pearl harboruss arizona memorial site, hawaii, usa ca. Purpose commonly referred to as dark tourism or thanatourism, the act of touristic travel to sites of or sites associated with death and disaster has gained significant attention with media imaginations and academic scholarship. Meanwhile, visiting sites of death and disaster has developed into a worldwide phenomenon. Article submissions are invited for current issues in dark tourism research. A thanatological perspective philip stone richard sharpley university of central lancashire, uk abstract. More recently, it was suggested that the concept should also include reasons tourists visit that site, since the sites attributes alone may not make a visitor a dark tourist.
Dark tourism and the kitschification of 911 tracey. It also displays how these two terms can be combined at tourism destinations. This research extends stones dark tourism spectrum and seven dark suppliers framework by identifying nine types of dark tourists. Auschwitz functioned until 27 january 1945, when the last prisoners were liberated. The attraction of death and disaster article pdf available in annals of tourism research 294. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue of ijcthr on dark tourism. Stone 2006 again highlights that in order to understand the phenomenon of dark tourism it is essential to derive and examine the motives of dark tourists. Stone a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the requirements of the degree of doctor of philosophy at the university of central lancashire october 2010. A dark tourism spectrum clok central lancashire online. Tourists motivations for engaging in dark tourism modul. Tourists perception of dark tourism and its impact on.
Deaths, disasters and atrocities in touristic form are becoming an. Beside the matter of death, interest in culture, history or simply the desire for entertainment are possible reasons why millions of people are visiting places of dark tourism stone, 2006. Dark tourism, understood as the type of tourism that involves a visit to real or recreated places associated with death, suffering, misfortune, or the seemingly macabre, is not a new concept, even from a touristic point of view. In 2009, along with his colleague richard sharpley, philip stone. Stone 2006 has offered a useful typology of dark sites offering a literal spectrum of death sites and other macabre locations. Pdf dark tourism as a type of special interest tourism.
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