Dark Destinations A Journey through Dark Tourism And Death Adventures

By Davis Truman

"Dark Destinations: A Journey through Dark Tourism and Death Adventures" explores the world's most intriguing and morbid travel experiences. In this thought-provoking book, readers embark on a chilling journey to destinations associated with death, tragedy, and the macabre. From haunted locations and infamous crime scenes to eerie catacombs and bone-chilling museums, this book delves into the darker side of tourism, offering a unique perspective on the allure of morbid curiosity and the stories surrounding these ominous places.

As you turn the pages of "Dark Destinations," you'll discover the fascinating history, legends, and motivations behind these eerie spots, making it a fascinating read for anyone intrigued by the mysteries of the human psyche and the allure of the macabre.

• Language: English
• Publisher: vincenzo nappi
• Release date: Oct 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223351481

Book preview

Chapter One

Introduction

THE HUMAN TENDENCY to pursue pleasure and avoid pain is one of the most well-grounded assumptions in psychology and consumer studies. However, consumers' desire to acquire and consume emotional experiences that produce negative emotions is also recognized in the literature, the mainstream media, and the entertainment industry. People consume violent images and talk, read, and write death-related articles. They consume displays of death in their leisure time or visit sites associated with death and suffering during their excursion trips, even if they are disturbed and disgusted by scenes of death and violence. Among the forms of tourist experience involving the consumption of negative feelings, those associated with death have arguably been an element of tourism longer than any other, often through religious or pilgrimage observances. Various terms have been used to conceptualize the growing interest in sites associated with events of human death and suffering, for example, 'thanatourism' and 'morbid tourism.' Scholars have commonly used the term 'dark tourism' to describe the act of travel to any site of this form of remembrance, education, or entertainment.

Significant advances in media and technology have exposed societies worldwide to the latest news of death, conflict, and suffering unprecedentedly. Dark tourism is an increasingly pervasive feature within the contemporary visitor economy. This type of tourism contributes to economic growth and creates an avenue to reflect on the experiences of societies. Dark tourism attractions are gaining popularity, whether as a main attraction or as part of a more extensive recreational trip. Tourists are not only searching for insight into issues or generally seeking knowledge but are also eager to explore these elements excitingly and thrillingly. The notable touristic consumption in dark tourism includes visitor attractions, museums, memorials, organized tours, special events, and exhibitions, and it has become a focus for mainstream tourism providers. Visiting such sites plays a significant part in tourist experiences and the development of these sites as tourist destinations.

Visiting places associated with death is not new; it has been featured in the touristic landscape since the pre-modern age. Examples of such tourism include visits to churches and shrines, the Roman Colosseum, the volcano-buried city of Pompeii, former World War One (WWI) battlefields, the Killing Fields in Cambodia, and Ground Zero in New York. These phenomena are examples of what is commonly called 'dark tourism.' The term was first coined in the article by Foley and Lennon (1996) called 'Heart of Darkness.' They define dark tourism as visiting the sites of death and disasters or sites interpreting such events for remembrance, education, or entertainment.

Tourism destinations are marketed and communicated through brochures, advertisements, travel books, and the Internet. Turning a site of death into a destination attraction is not always as simple as other tourist places. The term' destination attraction' seems problematic for concentration camps, post-disaster areas, or sites of recent death. Dark tourism destinations can perform as museums that portray relevant histories and cultures. In other words, the sites can focus on the public learning role to serve a wide public. The self-directed learning format of a museum differs from the directed format of the classroom, underlining the significant role of the exhibits. Artifacts are the principal medium of presentation. Artifacts are 'the props that recreate the past as a lived context.' Displays are set up for the visitors to see, learn, stay longer, and return to the Museum. Visitors must be motivated and engaged by the provided exhibits at the site. For example, analyzing three war-related museums in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Germany, the findings reveal that the Museum of Communism in Prague, representing scenes from life under state socialism, focuses on authentic and rare objects. Hohenschönhausen in Germany contains former prison buildings largely left as they were found or reconstructed based on eyewitness testimony. The Museum has no multimedia displays or symbolic representations. The originality of the Museum makes the site appear to be 'frozen in time,' making it easier for the visitor to empathize with the victims. Finally, The House of Terror in Budapest portrays its dominant narratives using multimedia presentations such as video interviews with eyewitnesses and telephones through which the visitor can listen to archive recordings, photographs, and documentary footage. The Budapest Museum contains symbolic displays of different aspects of occupation periods. This Museum is a good illustration of the new kind of Museum, the function of which has gradually evolved from passive to interactive and from the authenticity of the object in the Museum's collection to the authenticity of the visitor's experience.' Modern visitors look for instant illuminations, flip events, and blockbuster exhibits rather than meticulous objects.

Much of the appeal of events is that they are unique, and visitors have to be there to engage in the 'never the same' experience. Dark tourism events not only 'brand' a destination but also portray a symbolic meaning that connects the present with the past through a historical event. Exhibits, activities, and events are predefined or 'planned interpreted,' aiming to assist the visitor in understanding and connecting with the site. The exhibits, activities, and events create a new reality. A site must weave these three elements to illuminate the history and delight the visitor.

While the purpose of museums and memorials remains education, preservation, commemoration, or remembrance, the operationalization and promotion of activities increasingly aid the tourism destination. Experience staging involves activities and exhibits; several dark tourism sites now incorporate gift shops, cafés, or venues for hire. As dark tourism sites continue to increase, the opportunity to increase footfall and commercial revenues could be the difference between success and failure. Shops at dark sites' dress themselves as necessary educational resources to profit from their emotional and contentious matter'. The attempt to repossess the experience by purchasing souvenirs implies a sense of nostalgia, existential loss, or the formation of political subjectivity. Souvenirs in the earliest forms of religious pilgrimage indicate a 'travel status' and are evidence of an actual pilgrimage undertaken.

Experience staging manifests both substantive and communicative