Issues and Challenges of Dark Tourism

Abstract

According to the definition, visiting any specific destination to explore and unfold the darkest event of human history is known as dark tourism. This journey involves much of the darker side of the travel which includes massacre, genocide, harlotry or flesh trade, ethnic cleansing, war, or disaster which is either natural and accidental or created by humans. Many international and domestic tourists travel around different states of India to explore its culture and community, foods and festivals, art, crafts and music, and the climate. The idea behind “dark tourism” is highly sensitive in the case of the Indian tourism context as Indian culture is much more possessive and protective compared to Western culture. The idea behind dark tourism and its utilization started in 1996; the phenomenon of this tourism mainly exists within a destination and is mainly controlled by societies and political regimes. This augmented exploration either encourages or discourages a tourist from exploring a destination for solo or group travel or restricts them due to psychological and social aspects. Many people think that dark tourism can increase interest in committing crimes and may increase the criminal mindset among individuals. The main objective of this research is to explore the major constraints and challenges of dark tourism.

Citation

Roy, B.K. (2024), "Issues and Challenges of Dark Tourism", Sharma, A., Arora, S. and Shukla, P. (Ed.) Dark Tourism (Building the Future of Tourism), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 123-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-336-120241010