Dark tourism
(by Glenn Armstrong https://www.tlamediagroup.com/)
I first came across the term ‘dark tourism’ when I was researching
a blog that compared tourist destinations in ‘Amazing’ Thailand with Port
Moresby.[1]
I found the term on the Australian Government webpage for Hellfire
Pass in Thailand.
Some of these foreigners are engaged in a kind of
'pilgrimage'. They come to the railway as a personal journey, seeking to pay
their respects to those who died, tracing their family histories or simply
trying to learn more of this catastrophic episode in human affairs. They may be
part of a wider global phenomenon of 'dark tourism', that is, tourism which
makes places of punishment, incarceration and even genocide popular
destinations.[2]
As a history buff, the past has always had a special
interest. When I visit historical sites or read historical works, I feel
connected with the ghosts of the past. And I am not alone.
Dark tourism is a sub-set of historical tourism, places that
have a dark history have a certain fascination and ‘connectivity’ for sensitive
people. These sites attract millions of visitors, who can connect with the past
and, most importantly, learn from it.
Dark tourism destinations are everywhere. Europe, the USA,
Asia, and even Papua New Guinea are rich in this kind of history.
I have been through ancient streets and archaeological sites
in Europe, and villages and burial sites in China, where not much has changed
in hundreds, even thousands of years. I have visited Salem, Massachusetts in
the USA, where a few hundred years ago there were witch trials resulting in more
than 200 people being accused, thirty found guilty, nineteen of whom were
executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men).
Each place has a unique memory and history.
Imagine visiting the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, the path
Jesus walked on the way to His crucifixion.
When you are in tune with the past, these experiences can
hit you like a truck.
What drew my attention closer to the topic of ‘dark tourism’
was an article and infographic I found in the Khmer Times on TripAdvisor’s Best
Tourism Attractions in Asia 2024. [3]
Some attractions on the list are ancient temples in Cambodia
and Thailand, which hold historical significance. Angkor Wat in
Cambodia is definitely one place you need to visit in your lifetime.
Some places on the list are modern purpose-built
attractions, like Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay and Malaysia’s Twin Towers.
The only ‘dark’ thing about these is the obscene amount of money they cost to
build, for the sake of the tourist dollar.
Others, like Vietnam’s War Remnants Museum, Chu Chi Tunnels,
and Cambodia’s Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum are places to visit and reflect on
their deeper, darker, more meaningful history. They tell of war and human
suffering.
The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Cambodia is related to the ‘killing fields’ of Choeung Ek which are now a Buddhist memorial to the victims of the genocide that occurred in Cambodia at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.
As far as sites directly related to war, there are many throughout
the world that attract hundreds of thousands of tourists who come to learn,
reflect and pay respect.
Papua New Guinea itself has many sites related to World War
2 that hold the key to promoting ‘dark tourism’.
Then there are other places, unique burial sites, skull
caves, and relics like the bloodstones of the Sepik that have a ‘dark’ story to
tell.
Going back to TripAdvisor’s list, even well-known historical
attractions such as the Mutianyu Great Wall in China and the Taj Mahal in India
have a dark history.
The Great Wall was built as a military defence, whereas the
Taj Mahal is a mausoleum. Great photo opportunity, but spend some time to
appreciate the history.
The growth of dark tourism
Dark tourism is getting more attention lately, when you
think of relatively recent tragedies like the Holocaust, Chernobyl, and
September 11 the sites of which attract thousands of visitors each year.
However, the phenomenon is nothing new.
An article published in the Washington Post in pre-COVID
2019 quotes Philip Stone, executive director of the Institute for Dark Tourism
Research at the University of Central Lancashire, in England, who says
anecdotally that he sees the appetite for such destinations growing.
“I think, for political reasons or cultural reasons, we are
turning to the visitor economy to remember aspects of death and dying,
disaster,” he says. “There is a kind of memorial mania going on. You could call
that growth in dark tourism.”
“We’ve just got this cultural fascination with the darker
side of history; most history is dark,” Stone says. [4]
The growth in dark tourism has also possibly been encouraged
by TikTok where short, emotive videos capture the experience of ‘being
there’.
In a recent TikTok post on my Happy Gardener site, Charlie
Lynn describes the feeling of visiting Bita Paka War Cemetery, near Rabaul in
East New Britain.
“Walk around these headstones and read the inscriptions that
the families have left behind and absorb the peaceful surroundings of the area…
and you will be humbled, and you will be proud and you will go back a better
man or a better woman for the experience.”[5]
Emotion is the key here. These are places of someone else’s
past and suffering that we may relate to in the present, and learn from for the
future.
(MAIN PHOTO: School children learn about the past at the ‘killing fields’ of Choeung Ek in Cambodia)
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