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Internet drives growth of death tourism
The growth of the Internet has led to an increase in the number of people participating in ‘death tourism’ and visiting sites of mass destruction such as Auschwitz.
Professor John Lennon, of Glasgow Caledonian University, told delegates at the Institute of Travel and Tourism Conference in Barbados that many people had a fascination with the dark side of human nature.
“We see that in films and books. The sights of mass killings, of the death sites of presidents are significant tourism sites.
“The availability of data on the Internet has increased the interest in this type of tourism. Put, for example, ‘atomic tourism’ into google and you come up with all kinds of information.”
Lennon said reliable statistics on the number of people visiting sites of mass destruction was notoriously difficult to find, but said Auschwitz received up to 750,000 tourists per year, with the number steadily rising.
He said people went to these areas as part of a holiday, rather than making it the focus.
“It’s usually a one and a half hour project. People have a guided tour and then they have to go for lunch or go shopping.”
Lennon said the most famous dark sites were the Taj Mahal in India and the pyramids in Egypt, which he described as tombs, Auschwitz and the sixth floor warehouse in Dallas, from where JF Kennedy was shot, which attracts 500,000 people a year.
But Lennon said visitors to places like Auschwitz were often not seeing a recreation of history because, over the years, most buildings had been replaced or refurbished for tourists.
“These camps were not built to last the test of time and are constantly being changed. The barbed wire around the camps has been replaced half a dozen times and even the ‘halt’ sign at the entrance is new.
“You see people visibly moved when they cross the boundary into a camp, but they don’t realise that the boundary has been changed and they have actually been in the camp for some time.
“There is also a souvenir pottery shop and restaurants in the camp.”
Report by Jeremy Skidmore
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