From cemeteries to tragic deaths: do you know about the dark side of tourism?

Dark tourism is visiting places where some of the darkest events of human history unfolded.

Dark tourism is also known as Thana tourism (as in Thanatos), black tourism, morbid tourism, or grief tourism. One definition is that it is tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy. 

It includes:

• genocide, 
• assassination,
• incarceration, 
• ethnic cleansing, and
• war or disaster.

Broadly, there are 6 types of dark tourism. These are:

1. War/Battlefield Tourism, 
2. Disaster Tourism, 
3. Prison Tourism, 
4. Cemetery Tourism, 
5. Ghost Tourism,  and 
6. Holocaust Tourism.

Did you know, one of the most famous destinations for dark tourism is Chernobyl in Ukraine?

The town became famous in April 1986, when a nuclear reactor exploded. Thousands of ppeople were exposed to radioactivity. Tourists visit an area known as the exclusion zone, 

In fact, Pompeii is one of the longest standing dark tourism activities, beginning 250 years ago.

Other dark tourist attractions include:

• Ground Zero, New York
• Auschwitz Concentration Camps, Poland
• Hiroshima, Japan

Why are people drawn to dark tourism?

It is often about an intention to understand others' pain or they have an educational goal. They have historical value, rather than these places being associated with death and suffering. 

People often pay respects to those who have suffered or died in tragic events, reflect on the consequences of the past, or seek to confront and process grief, loss, and mortality.

Dark tourism is thought-provoking, but for example in the case of Grenfell Tower, there's the unease of macabre voyeurism and selfie posing.

Some of the dark tourist places I've visited include:

• Ground Zero, New York
• Concentration Camps in Europe
• Pompeii, Italy
• Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France
• HM Prison Pentridge, Australia

Often, I have marvelled why I am visiting these places. Holidays are for the most part about relaxing and positive vibes. However, sometimes we go because "you have to" if you're in that city of country, or there is a curiosity about it. When I reflect on how many dark tourist destinations I have been to, it is surprising. 

Not quite dark tourism, but in the realm, is the case of the floral tributes to Queen Elizabeth II. It was unsettling to see so many people posing and taking selfies. I was reluctant to, at first, but came to realise this was a momentous occasion, a significant part of history, and I wanted to capture it, even though I'm not a selfie person, I did take some pics, though most are now gone because my phone is now deceased with no backups of the images. 

Tower Hamlets Cemetery

Tower Hamlets Cemetery

In recent months, I have been exploring Tower Hamlets Cemetery which is a popular walking area for locals and dog walkers. The YT short at the top of this blog post is from my last visit.

These spaces - cemetries, Ground Zero, prisons - they have a certain energy about them, as if we are among spirits and unseen forces. It can make you feel sombre and reflect on your own life. I confess I experienced momentary terror on my first visit by myself. As an aside, the first couple of times I went was with a friend who goes there. 

It was September or October last year, and it was late in the evening. The gate I was familiar with was shut which was disconcerting. There were few people around and when I saw that locked gate, I irrationally just wanted to get out straight away. My voice probably betrayed me when I asked a man, who was sitting nearby, if there was another way out rather than head all the way back to the south end and traverse through the cemetery again. We had a brief chat and thankfully he pointed me to another gate only a few minutes away. Relief seems an understated descriptor for my emotions. 

Tower Hamlets Cemetery is off the beaten track. It's a place full of history and a haunting beauty. 

The cemetery opened in 1841. It has over 350,000 burials, with around 47,000 monuments and headstones. 

The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park is an independent charity that looks after this  unique nature reserve and heritage site in East London. They also offer online talks and offline guided walks. You can find out more about them and the cemetery on their website. 

A final few words about dark tourism

Primarily, dark tourism visitors should be mindful and respectful of the sites they visit, as well as being aware of and following local rules, regulations and customs.

For those interested in learning more, read:

• Dark tourism, explained: Why visitors flock to sites of tragedy
• Dark tourism: when tragedy meets tourism
• Dark Tourist - Netflix

Some of my other blog posts you might like are:

• London 2022 - urban nature with birds, flowers, baby animals and Royal Family events
• Grief Is The Price We Pay For Love: Writing About Loss
• The English Coast, New York City and the Italian Coast

I also have a YouTube video I created of the Queen Elizabeth II London Green Park Floral Tribute Garden which was set up in September 2022 after her sad and unexpected passing. You can watch it on my YouTube channel and subscribe to see more of London and my other tourism adventures, which  are mostly not dark tourism by the way. :p