Dark Tourism — Mixed Views From Tourists and Residents
“Dark tourism is frequently described as having a spectrum of darkness. At the darkest end of the spectrum, sites are categorized largely on the basis of recent and actual suffering and death … At the lighter end of this spectrum, tourism products are associated with ‘fright tourism.’” (Powell, 2020)
Dark Tourism has been a point of contention for the past several years. Heritage sites with a history of human death or suffering can be called Dark Heritage Sites. These sites have received mixed opinions from the public and the residents. Some tourists and residents support maintaining these heritage sites as they value having them.
“Many of the comments reflect evidence of knowledge gained. To some, the knowledge shared resulted in them gaining different perspectives about Africa in general and about the TAST in particular.” (Abaidoo and Takyiakwaa, 2019)
“Residents referred to the historical sites as “heritage,” reflecting that they accepted the facilities representing the colonial past as a part of the heritage with historical values and with a need for conservation.” (Choung and Choi, 2020)
Meanwhile, for others, these sites are nothing more than an unnecessary reminder of the past or are perceived to have no real value to modern times.
“I want Sorokdo to disappear from this region. The image here is bad because of the traditional image of Sorokdo, and visitors think people here are all patients.” (Choung and Choi, 2020)
“T13 perceived that dark tourism sites “have nothing to see.” He added, “I came here simply because it is cheap, not because I wanted to see the patients. I am not interested in the place where the lepers were treated. It’s uncomfortable.” (Choung and Choi, 2020)
The consensus on these types of sites is mixed. In my opinion, these dark heritage sites should be maintained. They remind us of the horrors the human race has experienced and is capable of. If anything were to change, more effort should be put into educating tourists and residents on the importance of these sites. That way, tourists visiting these sites will know their historical significance, and residents can better connect to the region’s heritage.
