“Dark Tourism is the most educational form of travelling possible”

Dark Tourism is tourism that is associated with death, disaster or tragedy. Recently this area of tourism has sparked the interest of the media and general public. The motivations and reasons of why people visit these sites varies greatly. The main attraction to dark locations is often their historical value and curiosity rather than their associations with death and suffering.

A true Dark Tourist is always respectful at sites and is aware of what is appropriate.

Some popular Dark tourism Sites are:

• Concentration Camps and Memorials ( Auschwitz, Dachau, Mauthausen)
• Sites of Nuclear Disasters (Chernobyl, Fukushima)
• Memorial Sites (Ground Zero NYC, Hiroshima Peace Memorial
• Cemeteries & Crypts
• Dungeons & Former Prisons
• Historical Battlefields
• Historical & Heritage Sites
• Museums & Education Centres
• Sites of Executions and Witches

Why is Dark Tourism Important?

• Learn about the past and try to not make it our future. This is more important that ever in our particularly divisive political environment
• A way to understand a culture/time in history and observe it with respect and an open minded curiosity
• Remind you of the important aspects of life and an opportunity to open up uncomfortable and difficult conversations and to pay respect.
• Takes you out of your comfort zone and at the same time providing education and understanding for future generations.