
What draws people to places marked by tragedy and suffering? Join me as we explore the fascinating and often misunderstood world of dark tourism on “The Traveling Fool.” We examine why sites like Auschwitz, Pompeii, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial attract millions each year—is it morbid curiosity or a deeper quest for understanding and connection with history? I share my personal experiences visiting Civil War battlefields and Alcatraz, driven by a passion for history rather than a fascination with death. Together, we navigate the ethical considerations of this type of travel, particularly in today’s social media landscape, and uncover how modern travel has increased the accessibility of these powerful destinations.
TRANSCRIPT
00:00
Hi and welcome to the Traveling Fool, the show where we explore the most intriguing aspects of travel, culture and history. I’m your host, Bob Bales, and today we are talking about a fascinating and sometimes controversial subject dark tourism. You may have heard the term before, but what does it really mean? Why are millions of people drawn to visit places associated with tragedy, death and the macabre? Maybe you’ve been participating in dark travel without even realizing it. I know I have Stay tuned and we’ll dive in and uncover the answers. Hi and welcome back to the Traveling Fool, and this week we are talking about dark tourism. Now, in 2024, over 1.8 million people visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, the place where more than a million people, mostly Jews, sadly lost their lives during Nazi’s World War II Holocaust. Dark tourism takes us to places where history’s darkest chapters unfolded. But is it about education, morbid curiosity or something deeper? Well, first let’s start with the basics. Dark tourism is defined as traveling to sites associated with death, tragedy and suffering. Now, these aren’t your typical beach vacations or sightseeing tours. Instead, these destinations often carry heavy emotional and historical weight, and some of the best known and most well-known dark tourism sites include Auschwitz in Poland, pompeii, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Japan, ground Zero in New York and Alcatraz in San Francisco. So how does dark tourism differ from general historical tourism? Well, it’s often about confronting the uncomfortable truths of our past. That’s if you listen to the people that have defined this. While historical tourism might focus on grand achievements or cultural heritage, dark tourism delves into the tragedies and horrors that have shaped humanity. That is the accepted definition. So, according to them, I’ve been practicing dark tourism since I was about eight years old. I remember family vacations. We were big on going to historical sites, and those included Civil War battlefields. I saw Alcatraz when I was a kid and to me it wasn’t about morbid curiosity or anything else, it was about history. I was very interested in history. I’ve always loved military history. So wherever I’ve traveled around the world, I’ve gone to military battlefields and military cemeteries and castles and dungeons and places like that, because to me it was interesting, it was all about history. But they’ve defined that as dark tourism. So let’s get into it a little more.
03:06
Why does dark tourism draw so many people? Well, it’s a phenomenon that’s grown in popularity over the years, and the reasons behind it are as complex as the sites themselves. First, there’s the human fascination with death and tragedy. Some call it memento mori you didn’t know I could speak Italian, did you or reminders of mortality. Visiting these sites forces us to confront our own humanity and the fragility of life. But, like I said, for me it’s just always been about history. For some, though, it’s even a thrill. There’s an adrenaline rush and standing in a place where it’s so charged with history and it’s deeply educational, and I think that’s what it boiled down to for me.
03:45
These sites often serve as powerful reminders of the past, teaching us lessons about war and genocide and human resilience. For example, visiting a place like the 9-11 Memorial isn’t just about remembering the tragedy, it’s about understanding its impact on the world. And then for others, it’s very personal. Maybe their ancestors were affected by these events, or they feel a cultural or emotional connection to the story. You know, standing where history happened can create a profound sense of empathy and understanding.
04:16
And, of course, in today’s world, we can’t forget social media. Platforms like Instagram have turned dark tourism sites into edgy travel destinations where you see the so-called influencers running around showing you all these sites. But you know that raises ethical questions. Are we trivializing these places by turning them into backdrops for selfies. But you know, dark tourism isn’t really anything new. People have been visiting sites tied to death and tragedy for centuries. You know, as early as the 19th century, battlefield tours were popular, with people traveling to places like Gettysburg and Waterloo to witness the aftermath of war. Even earlier, public executions in medieval Europe drew crowds as a form of grim entertainment. And today, since I’m very interested in military history, I keep up with some of this stuff. There are two very big tour companies that run World War II historical tours in Europe and the Pacific and they go to places like Iwo Jima and Normandy and all these places that famous battles or infamous battles during World War II took place, and they have no problem filling up those tours. There are people just clamoring to go. And today there’s affordable travel and global media coverage. It’s made it easier than ever to visit places like the killing fields in Cambodia or Chernobyl before Ukraine and Russia decided to make it a modern killing zone.
05:44
And since I’ve always been interested in history, I could name off dozens of places that qualify as dark tourism that I’ve visited. I’ve visited several Civil War battlefields. I’ve visited the Little Bighorn, famous battle with General George Custer. I’ve seen Alcatraz. I’ve visited Civil War forts in the South. I’ve also visited plantations. All of those could be considered dark tourism If you go overseas. I’ve visited the Tower of London. I’ve taken a Jack the Ripper tour, I’ve visited the American Military Museum in Manila. I’ve visited the very first prison in London which by any kind of modern standard would be considered torture. So I’ve visited all kinds of places that are considered dark tourism. But to me it was just learning about history and seeing places that I read about as a kid. I mean, I read about the Battle of Gettysburg and when you get to visit the battlefield it takes a whole new, different meaning. But somewhere around the 1900s or around the 1990s, I should say, the term dark tourism kind of took hold in academic circles and since then it’s become a global phenomenon.
06:53
But as fascinating as dark tourism is, it’s not without controversy and we can talk about the implications, both positive and negative. One of the biggest debates is about exploitation. Are we profiting from tragedy? For example, some sites have gift shops selling souvenirs and a lot of people find that very distasteful. And then there’s the issue of behavior Taking selfies at places like Auschwitz or Ground Zero or Hiroshima. All that comes across as incredibly disrespectful and yet you can read about it almost every month or two. There’s some idiot tourist doing it, and it’s usually somebody who claims to be some kind of social media influencer, who stands there flashing a silly grin and throwing his fingers up in front of some site with a big grin on his face, or even worse. I mean, all you have to do is Google some of these terrible tourists just disrespecting cultural locations or dark tourism sites and you’ll find a whole list of them.
07:53
Some of you may remember that several years ago I don’t know 30, 40 years ago there was an organization called the People’s Temple, run by a fellow by the name of Jim Jones in Guyana. Well, they’ve been in the news lately. He established a little area down there, he called it Jonestown and it had about a thousand people there at one time. Well, if you haven’t ever heard of it, you can read up on it. But back in 1978, 918 people died at the settlement and at a nearby airstrip where they decided to attack people who were there checking to see exactly what was going on. Like, I believe there was a US senator or congressman there Leo Ryan, I think, was his name and several others that his followers shot and killed and then went back and they all drank the Kool-Aid. You heard the term people drinking the Kool-Aid. Well, that’s where it came from. They poisoned the Kool-Aid and everybody drank the Kool-Aid and died.
08:51
Well, it’s been in the news lately because they want to turn that into a tourist site. A lot of survivors from Jonestown people who managed to leave before all this happened and escape the cult are totally against it. But the people of Guyana are thinking about doing it as a way of educating the public and, let’s face it, they want to get the money for the site. But it’s been in the news here recently, which brings up the second thing cultural sensitivity. It’s important to consider the impact on local communities. Are these sites helping to preserve history or are they becoming commercialized at the expense of their cultural and historic significance? I guess it depends on the site and who’s running them. Now, what about future trends? Looking ahead, dark tourism is likely to keep growing. With a lot of advancements in technology, we’re probably going to see more virtual tours of inaccessible sites or even augmented reality experiences that can bring history to life. The challenge is going to be balancing innovation with respect.
09:54
My philosophy has always been, when you visit places that are historically important, no matter what happened there, whether it was a battlefield or whatever happened there, it’s history and treat it with respect and as a learning experience and education. To me, that’s all they are, and a lot of people say well, how could you write about certain places like plantations? Well, because it’s history. Yeah, but they kept slaves there? Yes, they did. They also grew crops there and they did all kinds of things there. It’s history. I visited the Tower of London. The Tower of London was known for a lot of torture. It’s history, and to me, history has always been something very interesting and exciting Military history, visiting battlefields where thousands and thousands of soldiers died on both sides, whether it was Americans and Germans, or Americans and Japanese, or British and Zulus, or whatever it is. It’s history, and I think a lot of people don’t really understand and know history, and by visiting a lot of these places you can learn about it, and if you read about it, it brings it to life.
10:58
So dark tourism is kind of a window into man’s darkest moments, whether it be a battle, an oppression of a people, a prison. It’s more, though, than just about visiting a place. It’s about understanding and reflection and learning. But, like I said, it comes with the responsibilities. When we travel to these sites, we need to ask ourselves are we approaching them with respect and mindfulness that they deserve, or are you going to be like some of the people that pop up in the news and scrawl your name on the wall of a place that should not be damaged? Are you going to take a selfie in front of something where people died? Are you going to get your friends together and jump up in the air so you can make that little iconic Instagram photo at a site that is there for remembrance, or are you there to learn about the place and what happened and treat it with respect? You know I’d like to really hear your thoughts on the topic and whether or not you’ve visited any dark tourism sites or, if you haven’t, would you consider it and what your experience was like. And you can share your story with me on email. Just drop me a line at [emailprotected], and we’ll mention them maybe in a future podcast.
12:10
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