ATLAS SIG Dark Tourism meeting Dark Tourism and Higher Education Amsterdam, Netherlands 15-16 February 2018 Abstract Book
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ATLAS SIG Dark Tourism meeting
Dark Tourism and Higher Education
Amsterdam, Netherlands
15-16 February 2018
Abstract Book
ATLAS SIG Dark Tourism meeting
Dark Tourism and Higher Education
Amsterdam, Netherlands
15-16 February 2018
We are happy to announce the first ATLAS SIG Dark Tourism Conference in cooperation with
the Institute of Dark Tourism Research (IDTR) to be held February 15-16 at Inholland University
in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This Dark Tourism Conference tourism aims to provide a forum for
international educators, scholars, researchers, industry professionals, policy-makers, and
graduate students to present and evaluate emerging paradigms and discuss pioneering
practices within the broader cultural tourism field. Dark tourism is defined as the act of travel to
sites of death, disaster, or the seemingly macabre within the visitor economy. As such, the idea
of ‘dark tourism’ raises fundamental questions of the interrelationships between the touristic
representation of death and the cultural condition of society.
We are seeking conceptual and/or empirical-based papers that seek to shed light on the various
aspects of dark tourism and related subjects such as contested heritage, ethics, management
and marketing of ‘dark’ venues, education, visitor experiences and management, resource
stewardship and positioning these venues in a wider context. The conference will thus attempt
to foster progressive approaches within dark tourism studies, rather than to simply reproduce
well-rehearsed empirical models and conceptual applications. The overall aim of this track is to
present a new agenda for future research and theoretical exposition.
The symposium will be hosted at the Diemen campus of Inholland University and is open to
students, researchers, and industry representatives of visitor attractions that might be
considered ‘dark tourism’ venues – such as museums, themed attractions, cemeteries,
remembrance monuments and battlefields. The aim of the symposium is bring together industry
and academia to critically shine a light on the ‘darker side of travel’.
2
Contents
Keynote speakers .................................................................................................................... 5
Philip Stone ............................................................................................................................ 5
Rami Isaac.............................................................................................................................. 6
Karel Werdler .......................................................................................................................... 6
Delegates .................................................................................................................................. 7
Abstracts .................................................................................................................................12
Exploring the use of walking interviews in examining death tourism spaces ..........................12
Rodica Arpasanu ................................................................................................................12
Tourism and the memory of conflict in Medellin’s comunas....................................................12
Anne Marie Van Broeck ......................................................................................................12
The Business of Death in the Middle East ..............................................................................13
Deirdre Donnelly .................................................................................................................13
Trips to the past. Veteran tourism in former Yugoslavia .........................................................14
Siri Driessen .......................................................................................................................14
Peace Prevail Beyond Memory and History As A Demand For Past: “Constructive” War
Tourism..................................................................................................................................14
Nazli Eren, Gurel Cetin .......................................................................................................14
Digital representations of popular culture fandom in dark tourism ..........................................15
Alice Graeupl ......................................................................................................................15
Enlightening Dark Encounters: Understanding Children’s Experiences at Dark Tourism Sites
..............................................................................................................................................16
Mary Margaret Kerr ............................................................................................................16
“And along come tourists…” Accessibility and inclusion of cemetery heritage of Brežice into
dark tourism ...........................................................................................................................17
Lea Kužnik, Nina Veble ......................................................................................................17
Tour guides as interpreters of dark tourism ............................................................................18
Asaf Leshem ......................................................................................................................18
Chinese Tourists’ Perceived Value in Dark Tourism Consumption Experience ......................18
Wei Liu ...............................................................................................................................18
Tourism in Tohoku after the 2011 triple disaster: emotional and affective narratives ..............19
Anna Martini .......................................................................................................................19
Dark Tourism? Visitor Experiences at three German Memorials ............................................20
Doreen Pastor ....................................................................................................................20
Dark Tourism as a Business – New Frontiers ........................................................................21
Donna M. Poade.................................................................................................................21
3Dark Cities: A dark tourism ranking of worldwide tourism cities ..............................................21
Raymond Powell, James Kennell; Christopher Barton ........................................................21
The meaning of enduring involvement for visitor experience in dark tourism sites .................22
Martynas Radzevicius.........................................................................................................22
Viva la muerte: The thanatological framework from a Mexican perspective ...........................22
Mark Speakman .................................................................................................................22
Terror Park: A future theme park in 2100 ...............................................................................23
Daniel Wright ......................................................................................................................23
Exploring interpretation design at lighter dark tourism attractions: A review of literature and
PhD study introduction ...........................................................................................................24
Brianna Wyatt .....................................................................................................................24
4Keynote speakers
Philip Stone
Philip Stone is a former Management Consultant and
General Manager and has an extensive commercial
background within the UK private sector, which he
now combines with social science perspectives to
deliver degree education at UCLan.
Philip has a PhD in Thanatology – society’s reactions
to and perceptions of mortality. His doctoral thesis
appraised the consumption of dark tourism – that is,
travel to sites of death, disaster or the seemingly
macabre. Philip also has a first class BA(Hons)
degree in business management, as well as a Masters degree with distinction in tourism
management. Philip is also a qualified teacher and holds a PGCE, as well as having a Higher
National Diploma and a Post Graduate Diploma with Distinction.
Philip is a former Tutor at the University of Cambridge, as well as an established Media
Consultant on dark tourism. Clients include BBC TV and radio, History Television, The New
York Times, The New Scientist, The Guardian, CNN, and a host of other UK and international
press, radio, and television outlets.
Philip has also presented at many international conferences, including delivering keynote
addresses in the UK, USA, Taiwan, Estonia, Holland, and Germany. Philip has published
extensively in the area of 'dark tourism' and heritage and he is co-author/editor of numerous
books, including:
The darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism (Channel View Publications, 2009)
Tourist Experience: Contemporary Perspectives (Routledge, 2011)
The Contemporary Tourist Experience: Concepts & Consequences (Routledge, 2012)
Institute for Dark Tourism Research
The Institute for Dark Tourism Research (iDTR) at the University of Central Lancashire is a
world-leading centre for scholarship into the production and consumption of tourist sites,
attractions, and exhibitions of death, disaster, or the seemingly macabre.
The iDTR aims to advance knowledge about the contemporary nature and consequences of
dark tourism. The iDTR brings together world-leading scholars who seek to deliver
internationally recognised research that contributes to the ethical and social scientific
understanding of dark tourism and heritage, as well as to the appropriate development,
management, interpretation and promotion of dark tourism sites, attractions, and exhibitions.
5Rami Isaac
Born in Palestine, Rami Isaac did his undergraduate studies in
The Netherlands, graduate studies in the U.K. and has earned
his PhD from University of Groningen, in Spatial Sciences, in
The Netherlands. He is currently a senior lecturer in tourism
teaching at the undergraduate as well as postgraduate levels at
the Academy for Tourism at the NHTV Breda University of
Applied Sciences in The Netherlands. In addition, he is an
assistant professor at the Faculty of Tourism and Hotel
Management at Bethlehem University, Palestine. He was the
external assessor of Bethlehem TEMPUS (2004-2006)
curriculum development project in Palestine in the field of
pilgrimage, tourism and cultural industries. Currently he is the
President of the Research Committee 50 on International
Tourism, International Sociologist Association ISA (2014-2018). His research interests in the
area of tourism development and management, critical theory, and political aspects of tourism.
He published numerous articles and book chapters on tourism and political (in)stability,
occupation, tourism and war, dark tourism, violence and transformational tourism.
Karel Werdler
Karel Werdler has been involved with dark tourism
studies since 2010 and published various articles, book
chapters and the first Dutch book on this phenomenon.
He holds a BA in geography and history and an MA in
history. Before choosing for academia and higher
education he was professionally involved in the tourism
industry on several continents. At the moment he is a
senior lecturer at the department of tourism management
studies at Inholland University of Amsterdam/Diemen
and also responsible for the external relations of this
department. He was a projectleader for various
international project such as Nuffic capacity buiding Rwanda (2010-2014), the MDF training
project in Mongolia (2009-2010) and a guest lecturer at CETT Barcelona, LSBU London, ESH
Paris, Qingdao University and Shanghai Normal University. He has been a board member of
ATLAS Africa since 2003 and a Fellow of the Institute for Dark Tourism Research since 2013
and commissioned over 25 students for their thesis on dark tourism subjects.
6Delegates
Arpasanu, Rodica
Manchester Metropolitan University
United Kingdom
rodi.arpasanu@gmail.com
Miss Rodica Arpasanu is a PhD student and a part-time associate lecturer at the Manchester
Metropolitan University. Her PhD explores tourist’s relationship with mortality at sites of death and
disaster in the context of ‘dark’ tourism.
Broeck, Anne Marie van
University of Leuven
Belgium
amvanbroeck@skynet.be
PhD Social and Cultural Anthropology, KULeuven, Belgium. Lecturer in the Master in Tourism of the
Consortium Catholic University, Leuven. A strong research interest in tourism in Latin America (Colombia
and Mexico).
Cooper, Malcolm
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Japan
cooperm@apu.ac.jp
Emeritus Professor Dr. Malcolm Cooper teaches tourism economics, tourism & hospitality management,
and environmental law at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Beppu, Japan. He is working in the areas
of dark tourism, environmental and water resource management, and environmental law, and has
published widely in these fields. He has held previous appointments at the Universities of New England,
Adelaide and Southern Queensland (Australia), and Waiariki Institute of Technology (New Zealand), and
has worked in the environmental planning and tourism policy areas for Federal, State and Local
Governments in Australia, and as both a private environmental consultant and a tourism education
consultant to the Governments of Sri Lanka, China and Vietnam. He is visiting professor at
Sabaragamuwa and Ruhuna Universities in Sri Lanka, and at Nagasaki University in Japan. He is a
recipient of the Australian Centennial Medal and has published over 150 books and papers.
Donnelly, Deirdre
University of Wolverhampton
United Arab Emirates
deirdre.donnelly@adports.ae
I've been working within the Travel & Tourism for the past 22yrs, 10yrs of which has been based in the
middle east were I currently work for a ports. I've worked and lived in over 19 countries and decided
enhance my overall education level with the completion of an MBA which has enabled me to look at Dark
Tourism and more importantly how it can be developed in the Middle East.
Driessen, Siri
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Netherlands
s.r.driessen@eshcc.eur.nl
Siri Driessen is a PhD candidate at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, researching War Tourism.
Eren, Nazli
Istanbul University
Turkey
nazlieren2020@gmail.com
Graeupl, Alice
Manchester Metropolitan University
United Kingdom
a.graeupl@mmu.ac.uk
7Hieda, Mayumi
St Luke Hospital
Japan
Mainly, my work involves psychological testing, and counselling and therapy (Psychodynamic Approach,
Cognitive Behavioral Perspective, Humanistic Perspective and others) for IVF patients. I have published
in the area of medical tourism on surrogacy and transplants, as well as in clinical psychology fields.
Isaac, Rami
NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences
Netherlands
Isaac.R@nhtv.nl
Johnston, Tony
Athlone Institute of Technology
Ireland
ajohnston@ait.ie
Tony is the Head of Department of Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure. Prior to joining AIT, Tony was
employed as a Senior Lecturer in Tourism (University of Derby), a Lecturer in Development Geography
(King’s College, London) and a Lecturer in Adventure Tourism Management (University of the Highlands
and Islands). He has conducted research on thanatourism in the countries of ex-Yugoslavia.
Kerr, Mary Margaret
University of Pittsburgh
United States of America
Mmkerr@Pitt.Edu
Professor of Psychology in Education and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh (USA), Mary Margaret Kerr
studies children's experiences at dark tourism sites (Holocaust museums, 9/11 Memorials) and engages
children as child co-researchers collecting their own data.
Kužnik, Lea
University of Maribor
Slovenia
lea.kuznik@gmail.com
Lea Kužnik, PhD is an assistant professor of tourism and ethnology at the Faculty of Tourism Brežice,
University of Maribor. Her current research is focused on the exploration of various forms of cultural
heritage and their integration into a modern tourist offer. In recent years she is interested in the research
of dark tourism. She is the author of several scientific articles and a scientific monograph.
Leshem, Asaf
University of Central Lancashire
Germany
asafleshem@gmail.com
BSc Ecotourism from UCLan, MSc Integrated Natural Resource Management from HU Berlin, PhD
Candidate at iDTR UCLan. Israeli-German national, residing in Berlin, professional full-time tour guide
since 2010.
Liu, Wei
University of Essex
United Kingdom
w.liu@essex.ac.uk
Martini, Anna
University of Groningen
Netherlands
a.martini@rug.nl
Anna Martini is a PhD in Cultural Geography at the University of Groningen. Her research is on dark
tourism and affect in the region of Japan hit by the 2011 disaster.
8Meilleur, Rachelle
Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
Japan
rrmeilleur@yahoo.ca
Ostrman Renault, Tanja
University of Primorska
Slovenia
tanja.or@siol.net
Pastor, Doreen
University of Bristol
United Kingdom
dp12358@bristol.ac.uk
I am PhD candidate at the University of Bristol researching the visitor experience at German memorial
sites. Prior to my PhD studies, I completed an MA in Heritage Management at the University of
Birmingham and a combined B.Sc. (Hons) in International Tourism Management from Hochschule
Harz/Germany & Bath Spa University/UK
Poade, Donna
University of Exeter Business School
United Kingdom
D.Poade2@exeter.ac.uk
Donna is a lecturer in management at the University of Exeter and has conducted research on dark
tourism from a supply perspective investigating the management opportunities and challenges presented
by dark tourism as touristic enterprises.
Powell, Raymond
University of Greenwich
United Kingdom
r.powell@gre.ac.uk
Raymond Powell, Senior Lecturer in Tourism at the University of Greenwich Raymond is a Principal
Lecturer in Tourism in the Business Faculty of the University of Greenwich, London, UK. He is fully
engaged in teaching and research at all levels, with particular research interests in cultural tourism and
heritage; dark tourism; museums; aspects of entrepreneurship and employability. Sustainability and good
management of Tourism is at the heart of his approach to the industry. In addition, Raymond is currently
researching his PhD on the theme of dark tourism. In addition to academic responsibilities, Raymond is
also responsible for student recruitment and admission to the Business Faculty, and this aspect of the
role involves recruiting students worldwide to one of our many programmes.
Radzevicius, Martynas
Vilnius University
Lithuania
martynas.radzevicius@knf.vu.lt
Martynas is professional of creative and cultural industries. He gained MA in Management in Vilnius
university (VU, Lithuania). He is doctoral student and teacher of Culture management and Art
management study programs at VU as well as manager in several CCI companies. His research is
focused on impact of enduring involvement on experience of dark tourists.
Reus, Theo de
Travmedia
Netherlands
theo.de.reus@travmedia.nl
Press
9Slooten, Sarike van
Stenden University of applied science
Netherlands
sarike.van.slooten@stenden.com
During my ‘Master International Leisure & Tourism Studies’, I specialised myself in the area of (dark)
heritage, museum representation and identity formation. This specialisation lead to an external PhD
trajectory at the University of Amsterdam, School of Heritage, Memory and Material Culture. This
research revolves around exploring colonial representations in postcolonial and imperial museums. I
focus on the museum’s ability to be an ‘inclusive’ cultural institution that represents a contemporary
multifaceted identity. By researching three levels – the display’s material representation, the process of
museum-making and the perception of visitors – I hope to provide advice on how to create a stronger
inclusive museum exhibition. Eventually, developing a recipe for creating a multi-vocal museum display
for future exhibitions is pursued.
Speakman, Mark
Autonomous University of Guerrero
Mexico
mspeakmanuagro@outlook.com
Stone, Philip
University of Central Lancashire
United KLingdom
pstone@uclan.ac.uk
Sultana, James
University of Malta
Malta
james.sultana@um.edu.mt
A Senior Visiting Lecturer at the University of Malta. Lecturing on Culture and Tourism. In February will be
coordinating and lecturing a module on Dark Tourism. Currently reading for a PhD in Dark Tourism.
Vermeulen, Ton
NRIT
Netherlands
ton@nrit.nl
Press
Weiss, Julian C.
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg
Germany
jcweiss87@gmail.com
Werdler, Karel
INHOLLAND University
Netherlands
Karel.Werdler@INHOLLAND.nl
Wright, Daniel
University of Central Lancashire
United Kingdom
dwright3@uclan.ac.uk
10Wyatt, Brianna
Napier University Edinburgh
United Kingdom
brianna.wyatt@napier.ac.uk
Brianna Wyatt is a PhD candidate at Edinburgh Napier University. Her research focuses on interpretation
in dark tourism. Her other qualifications include an MSc in Heritage and Cultural Tourism Management,
an MA in Humanities, an MA in Museum Studies and a BA in History.
Young, Craig
Manchester Metropolitan University
United Kingdom
c.young@mmu.ac.uk
Prof. Craig Young is Professor of Human Geography at MMU. His interests include 'Dark Tourism' and
corpse encounters. He was I on the ESRC Research Seminar Series 'Encountering Corpses' and has
researched dead bodies including Romanian Communists and King Richard III. He supervises a PhD on
death in Dark Tourism. He is also involved in 'Dark' or 'spooky' tourism development in Manchester, UK.
11Abstracts
Exploring the use of walking interviews in examining death tourism spaces
Rodica Arpasanu
Manchester Metropolitan University
United Kingdom
rodi.arpasanu@gmail.com
Over the past decades, the increasing popularity of death tourism correlated with growing
academic interest in death tourism research. Largely, empirical studies have so far relied on
‘detached’ research methods to the detriment of alternative sources of data. Considering that
death tourism spaces abound with sensory and emotional stimuli, it becomes apparent that the
sensory, emotional and embodied elements hold significant relevance for death tourism
research. This article draws on the experience of conducting six in situ walking interviews with
research participants during their visit at death tourism site. The empirical data was collected at
the Heptapyrgion fortress, a former prison in Thessaloniki, Greece. Walking interviews, a
‘hybrid’ between interviews and observations enables the researcher to listen, ask questions
and observe participants as they interact and make sense of spaces and their experience. This
paper will discuss how our understanding of death tourism experiences can be enriched if death
tourism research is approached through the lens of the sensing body. The findings suggest that
material and sensorial stimuli are as important as visual cues in initiating and shaping how
research participants navigate and engage with the site. In this sense, the empirical insights
resulted from in situ walking interviews at Heptapyrgion fortress indicate that visitors’
experiences are both diverse multifaceted. The multiplicity of visitors’ experiences arises from
the ongoing choreography of temporal stimuli and sensorial experiences, embodied practices
and emotions which are both situated and can transcend the material and spatial boundaries in
which they were experienced. Further developments in this empirical direction not only can
move death tourism research beyond the visual gaze, uncover different empirical angles from
which to explore visitors’ encounter with mortality at death tourism sites, but it can also add
considerable epistemological value to understanding the process of mediating mortality in the
contemporary society.
Tourism and the memory of conflict in Medellin’s comunas
Anne Marie Van Broeck
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Belgium
amvanbroeck@skynet.be
Tourists have discovered Medellin, Colombia, once the most dangerous city in the world, now
considered as one of the most innovative ones according to The Wall Street Journal and
Citigroup (Camargo, 2013). Several (young) tour operators are seeing opportunities to diversify
the city's tourist offer showing “the New Medellin” and the transformation as a result of the
politics of “social urbanism”. As a consequence, nowadays tours are offered to several formerly
marginalized neighborhoods, which were up till now mainly characterized by poverty &
vulnerability and marked by different types of urban armed conflict. In several of these popular
neighborhoods, an economic dynamic is beginning to emerge around these tourist routes,
bringing some economic benefit to the local community. Members of the local (neighborhood)
communities are getting more and more actively involved in this tourism development which can
be understood as “phoenix tourism”, a process associated with tourism development in a post-
conflict setting, where the local community who was involved in the conflict is included,
12integrated and empowered, provided with tools and infrastructure, resulting in social
reconciliation, community revitalization and urban regeneration Causevic, 2008). Recently also
the Subsecretary of Tourism of the City showed interest in the development of community
based tourism in these neighborhoods, defining it as " the economic activity of tourism that
takes places from within the rural or urban community itself and that generates benefits for this
community in a sustainable, organized and participatory way, fostering the recognition and
preservation of the cultural identity and diversity, the natural heritage and the historic
memory."(Alcaldia de Medellin, 2017) We present in this paper the tourism development in three
barrios (Moravia, La Independencia en Villa Tina) and the participation of the local community,
in particular in the tours in their barrios. Within the framework of commodifying memories of
conflicts, we inquire the place for stories about the conflict in these new touristic products. What
do these tours narrate about the armed conflicts? Does tourism give the opportunity to
reconstruct and interpret the violent past? We argue that the commercial tours at present often
follow the official discourse pointing out to the positive aspects of the transformation or a
simplified version of the violent history. While more and more the local communities are
participating and telling the story, conflict might surge more as a topic. Nevertheless we point
out that also some other elements might need to evolve before this becomes reality. The paper
presents a snapshot, a temporary image, of the tourism development in a very dynamic
situation.
The Business of Death in the Middle East
Deirdre Donnelly
University of Wolverhampton
UAE
deirdre.donnelly@adports.ae
Considered as one of the most controversial sectors within the travel and tourism industry, the
Business of Death or ‘Dark Tourism’ stretches the limits of both contemplation and practice by
industry professionals, marketers, strategists, operators, and consumers. Given the sensitive
nature of this particular type of tourism, there are widespread concerns that Dark Tourism
crosses the line into explolation. Namely, that it is a step too far in the pursuit of commercial and
business profiteering, especially given the high number of tourists to dark sites around the
world. These include physical locations such as Auschwitz, which pulls in over 1.4 million
visitors a year (Sion, 2014), and touring exhibitions like ‘Bodyworlds’ - first public anatomical
displays of real human, and sometimes animal, plastinates. Since 2015, ‘Bodyworlds’ has
experienced “unparalleled success” with over 40 million visitors in more than 100 cities (Worlds,
2017). Throughout this paper, the reader will explore the viability of introducing this niche
interest into the Middle East, the potential opportunities and challenges that lay in attempting to
roll out dark tourism across the region, as well as whether governments and the public may
accept it or if this niche market is a long way off from the more accepted Western attitude
towards the same opportunities, challenges and consumption. The author will strive to answer
these questions through the gathering of qualitative and quantitative data from both primary and
secondary sources. As an initial observance, however, the author believes that there is a lack of
understanding or appetite for such business opportunities, whether currently or in the future
unless handled and communicated in a way that demonstrates an understanding and
commitment to honour cultural and religious sensitivities. The recommendation of the author is
for a more thorough and comprehensive study to be carried out on a governmental level to
determine whether citizens would be open to welcoming dark tourists, and what is the best way
to roll out such highly-sensitive tourism offerings. Another factor that needs to be taken into
consideration is the world’s current social, economic and political climate and how this affects
tourists’ choice in destination and activity. In relation to the Middle East’s ongoing political and
13security instability, it is possible that this type of travel and tourism opportunity would be met
with resistance until there is social and political calm as well as strong security installed both for
internal and external stakeholders. In the meantime, there is nothing preventing responsible
bodies in the region from preserving, recording and archiving interpretation tools such as
images, artefacts, and historical accounts about events and places that might facilitate future
interest in Dark Tourism in its many ‘shades’ and platforms.
Trips to the past. Veteran tourism in former Yugoslavia
Siri Driessen
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Netherlands
s.r.driessen@eshcc.eur.nl
Each year, more and more people visit former war sites. Trips to military cemeteries, battlefields
or historical war landscapes have become highly popular, resulting in the exploitation of these
places as touristic attractions that provide moving experiences of the past. This popularity has
not only risen among ‘general’ visitors of these sites, but also among people with very personal
connections to war and conflict. As part of my PhD project called ‘Touching War’, I research
Dutch military veterans who have undertaken ‘return-trips’ to the areas in former Yugoslavia
they have served during the 1990s. Trips where they spend about a week in the region,
sightseeing and visiting familiar places, and meeting locals. Why do veterans undertake such
return trips, and what meaning do they ascribe to their trip? My research is based on a series in-
depth interviews with Dutch veterans who recently returned to former Yugoslavia. In my
presentation, I will focus on the motives to undertake such return-trips as well as the reported
effects of these return trips on the lives of veterans. In doing so, I will highlight themes like
(conflicting) war memories, trauma, guilt, and the tangible past.
Peace Prevail Beyond Memory and History As A Demand For Past: “Constructive” War
Tourism
Nazli Eren, Gurel Cetin
Istanbul University
Turkey
nazlieren2020@gmail.com
The primary aim of this study is to understand war tourism normatively and explain how can it
be used to promote peace among societies. War is regarded as the greatest tragedy of history.
Peace can be depicted as the Atlas bearing the historical weight of world. In that case what is
there between war and peace? Is there nothing or all is there? This research is in favor of the
latter and argues that tourism is the most humanist phenomena between them for reducing
hostility and preventing war nemesis among societies after or during war times. War-lands are
thought to be more concerned with present and future than with past. They exhibit how the
countries handle the past during present. The purposes of war tourism have been multifaceted.
But mostly tourism in war-lands is used to commemorate national glory, heroification of
prevailing figures and memorialization of events as if war is perpetuated. This study argues that
the main purpose of war tourism could be to query the socio-psychological roots of ongoing war
phenomenon. Taking on a peacemaking mission could war tourism ironically contribute/promote
to reciprocal conscience and empathy among the war descendants? In the light of the argument
peace only possible by peaceful means, tourism is offered as a potential means for constructing
peaceful relations among belligerent parties or post war-torn societies. Even it may also be a
14means to ward off prospective conflicts. Because tourism is a communicator and shaper of
societal perceptions as both a constructed and constructing phenomenon. The study asserts
there is no benefit on constant mourn cause of wars. Instead we need to overcome war-related
social identities related stereotypes and hate. Characteristics of wars and therefore war lands
are manifold in the world. So that the framework of the research is limited by only total war
lands. Because total wars are the beginning of that society has entered deep into the war and
people in each war front become war victims atrociously. Thus their memories stay alive
throughout generations over descendants. Here it is aimed to indicate how living memory
separated from the history, also how the distinction between the sites of memory (lieux
memoire) and the real environments of memory (milieux de memoire) -created by French
historicist Pierre Nora- are important for war tourism normativeness. Accordingly the study aims
to inquire a normative war tourism approach intended for a more peaceful future. Max Weber’s
methodology of “ideal type” is used to examine empirical reality of existent war tourism lands.
Ideal type is means for verstehen (understand) and explain both static and dynamic
phenomena. Ideal type is described as researcher’s utopia artificially created by compassing
and enhancing certain aspects of social reality indeed opposite of empirical types. Three
questions are sought for the idea towards normative approach. What is war tourism for? What
are the characteristics of war tourism? How normative can a war tourism be? Based on this
approach a conceptual model is proposed which argues that place meanings of war-lands are
socially negotiated in each country but those meanings could unite in a responsible common
sense. Referring to this approach the study offers “constructive” war tourism concept as an ideal
type to examine war tourism reality. Worldwide war tourism lands are examined as case
studies. In conclusion it is argued whether past war lands could be future peace places of war-
torn societies by converting of negative perceptions with sharing a common grief reciprocally or
not. Besides the research put forth that; a shared sense-grief created by intractability and
empathy in past total war lands is the main point of any process of opening minds to
reconciliation, peace and societal healing among societies. Touring the past wars through place
should remind that all wars are massacres in each social memories beyond the issues of who
fights, who doesn’t and who are war’s victims and who its perpetrators are. It is believed that
humanity should share common grief caused by wars and “constructive” war lands could help to
unite people in that sense by tourism.
Digital representations of popular culture fandom in dark tourism
Alice Graeupl
Manchester Metropolitan University
United Kingdom
a.graeupl@mmu.ac.uk
While certain aspects of dark tourism have been well covered in the literature (e.g. Lennon and
Foley, 2000; Sharpley and Stone, 2009; etc.), the notion of popular culture within dark tourism is
discussed less often. This aspect of dark tourism involves travel to honour and mourn celebrities
in the popular culture realm, specifically music, whose death has affected their fans deeply and
driven them to travel to relevant sites. Examples of such celebrities include but are not limited to
Kurt Cobain, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and more recent losses like David Bowie,
Prince and Chris Cornell. These sites – with the possible exclusion of cemeteries – are
positioned on the lighter end of Stone’s (2006) Dark Tourism Spectrum. Most likely perceived by
many participant as memorial tourism, the argument can be made that due to the deliberate
nature of (some of) these deaths, it should be placed on the dark tourism spectrum. The
importance of fandom and more specifically the fandom community as an influencing factor in
tourism decision-making will be highlighted and related to motivations of dark tourists using
Seaton’s (1996) Thanatourism continuum. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the
15online representation of this aspect of dark tourism expressed through social media images and
posts of participating tourists, preferably from Generation X and Y. Research and data collection
for this study will be undertaken through the lens of social media by utilising Internet-mediated
research like e.g. web content analysis (posts) and semiotic analysis (images). The data
collection will focus on social media channels including visual channels such as Instagram and
YouTube as well as verbally articulated ones like twitter, Facebook and dedicated blog posts.
The research aims to show the significance of not just travelling to and visiting a site
commemorating a celebrity, but most importantly how said act is then presented to the fandom
community and the outside world in general. As this study is in its early stages and still ongoing,
expected outcomes will show the importance of fandom, being part of the fandom community,
expressing appreciation and paying homage to respected and late popular culture icons through
social media representations.
Enlightening Dark Encounters: Understanding Children’s Experiences at Dark Tourism
Sites
Mary Margaret Kerr
University of Pittsburgh
USA
Mmkerr@Pitt.Edu
The proposed presentation will introduce a new theory of understanding children as tourists,
with a specific focus on young visitors at dark tourism sites. Following an overview of the theory
and research methods, we will share findings from multiple studies conducted recently with
children at dark sites.
Background: Although thousands of children tour painful heritage sites worldwide, tourism
research largely overlooks their experiences. This oversight is understandable. Research
involving youth requires child psychology expertise, ethical safeguards and data collection
measures unfamiliar to most who study adult visitors. Moreover, new tourism scholars may
hesitate to study such an unexplored field (Author, 2016, 2017a, 2017b, 2017c, & 2018). To
overcome these obstacles, our multidisciplinary research team with expertise in child
development, child trauma, and education collaborates with historians and heritage tourism
professionals.
Theoretical implications: We contend that children’s experiences at dark tourism sites differ
considerably from those of older visitors. Several factors explain why adult dark tourism theories
fail to explain children’s experiences:1) children lack the agency to select their destinations,
rendering current motivational theories largely inappropriate for explaining their travel choices;
2) young visitors explore sites in uniquely youthful ways such as play; 3) young children lack a
complete understanding of death, and may not even grasp a memorialized event; 4) children’s
interpretations may be unduly influenced by adult influences such as the school curriculum,
adult-oriented exhibits and interpretation, or adult expectations about children’s deportment at a
memorial (Author, 2017a, 2017b, & 2018). Together, these characteristics support an emerging
new theory better suited to child visitors at dark tourism sites.
Methods: Our recent studies have included data collection at dark sites such as war memorials,
Holocaust museums, terrorism-related memorials, disaster sites, and cemeteries. Our research
has evolved by using multiple qualitative measures. We first analyzed children’s memorial
tributes at a 9/11 memorial (Author, 2018). We then expanded our research to include recorded
observations of young tourists and analyses of their visitor comments (Author, 2017a, 2017b, &
2017c). Lastly, we included over 100 adolescents as co-researchers in our studies. These
teenagers recorded their own data through motor coach conversations with their peers,
photographs, audio recorded notes, and handwritten journals (Author, 2017b).
16Indicative findings: As our published findings document, young children often explore dark sites
through play and express happiness, reflecting their incomplete understanding of death.
Culturally specific references such as flags and mottos appear often in their comments and
artwork. Older children show considerable understanding of human suffering, expressing
empathy for surviving families as well as emergency personnel. Adolescents report new
understandings and emotions about historical events following their visits to memorials and
cemeteries, while also offering practical evaluations of their visits and suggestions for improving
interpretation or exhibits (Author, 2017a, 2017b, & 2017c). The implications of this emerging
research are new theoretical conceptualizations, guidance for educators and parents planning
travel, and information that could benefit tourism industry professionals.
“And along come tourists…” Accessibility and inclusion of cemetery heritage of Brežice
into dark tourism
Lea Kužnik, Nina Veble
University of Maribor
Slovenia
lea.kuznik@gmail.com
Dark tourism in Slovenia is practically unknown and very poorly developed compared to the rest
of the world and it is mostly limited only to tourist sites related to the First and Second World
War. The theme is therefore a novelty in Slovenia as well as in the Slovenian professional and
scientific literature. The research for the article is ethnographic. This is an exploratory research
with multi-method approach with the main research technique, unstructured interview. In our
research, we want to explore whether dark stories of cemeteries exist in the municipality of
Brežice and have the potential for dark tourism. The main research question is: Do the city of
Brežice has dark stories connected with cemeteries that can be included into dark tourism? In
obtaining stories and searching for dark places we first analyzed the literature and existing
documentation in museums (old newspapers articles, photographs) of the places and stories
that can be defined as dark. On that basis, the first identification of potential dark stories in
connection with cemeteries was made. The main goal of the research was to describe dark
stories of cemeteries as much as possible in detail. Furthermore, the method of fieldwork was
used as we visited all the potential places to discover the related stories as well as the method
of observation with participation in a guided tour of The Brežice Cemetery with many dark
stories which are not very well known. More detailed information and descriptions of dark stories
of cemeteries were obtained with the technique of unstructured interview as we interviewed two
curators in The Posavje Museum Brežice and The National Museum of Contemporary History -
Brestanica Branch. In the context of dark tourism we can highlight a monument in the main
Brežice cemetery as it is connected with the tragic railway accident from the year 1910 where
three young people were killed. Their remains were found many kilometers away. Before the
funeral, they were collected and assembled in a coffin where they were also photographed.
Another story could be attractive to a potential dark tourist as well. It is a story about married
Ivanšek couple brutally murdered with an ax in their house in the woods in the suburb of Brežice
in the early morning hours of 1933. A detailed article on the murder was published in the local
newspaper Slovenski gospodar. Many other stories related to cemeteries were identified in the
municipality of Brežice that have a potential for the inclusion into the dark tourism.
17Tour guides as interpreters of dark tourism
Asaf Leshem
The Institute for Dark Tourism Research, University of Central Lancashire
United Kingdom
asafleshem@gmail.com
In the current chapter of Berlin’s turbulent history millions of tourists visit the city every year,
engaging on the one hand in ‘regular’ tourist activities such as shopping and entertainment and,
on the other hand, visiting sites and museums which offer opportunities to experience the ‘dark’
elements of the city’s history. To show and interpret these events, there are more than 30
museums and dozens of monuments representing what has collectively become known over the
last two decades as Dark Tourism. In Berlin, the atrocities and tragedies of (mainly) the
Holocaust and the Berlin Wall are also presented by several hundred tour guides and museum
docents, providing their own interpretation to the tourists, in so doing potentially presenting a
new angle on a story or influencing tourists’ knowledge and views. The aim of this study is to
appraise critically the interpretive role of the tour guide in the dark tourism experience. More
specifically, it seeks to analyse critically the nuances of tour guides’ interpretation, to identify
where tour guides’ interpretation plays a mediating role in the dark tourism experience, to
identify factors involved in tour guide’s interpretation and how they might influence tourists’
experience, and to identify and explore parameters causing tour guides to interpret events in
one way or another. Thus, the research seeks to address a gap in the academic understanding
of the role of the tour guide in the dark tourism experience, thereby contributing to the body of
literature of dark tourism and tour guide research, and providing a unique insight to local people
on how their history is presented to visitors. The research employs ethnographic data collection
methods, including observing guides during tours, engaging in informal conversations with
guides in various social situations, and more formal semi-structured single and dyadic
interviews. As a tour guide myself, I employ autoethnographic writing methods to appraise
myself in the same manner I appraise my colleagues. To date, I have had several conversations
/ formal interviews with guides, and have observed twenty tours, mainly on the topics of the
Third Reich and The Berlin Wall/The Cold War. Preliminary findings show a list of diverse
parameters by which guides decide how to make interpretations suitable for their guests. An
analysis of three levels of interpretation is made (word, anecdote and narrative). The research
shows how most guides will find a way to convey a message or an agenda that they consider
important (e.g. enlightening people to the number of Sinto and Roma murdered systematically
by the Nazis in the war), but not at the expanse of customer satisfaction. Adapting to the
findings so far, in the next stages of the research I aim to create a typology of tourists to dark
tourism sites in Berlin. In order to complete the research and validate the findings so far, a
further 20 observations are planned. In addition to that, additional interviews will be conducted,
particularly with guides I cannot observe for various reasons.
Chinese Tourists’ Perceived Value in Dark Tourism Consumption Experience
Wei Liu
University of Essex
United Kingdom
wei.liu@surrey.ac.uk
Dark tourism has grown to be a major part of the visitor economy worldwide, with an increasing
number of people traveling to visit the sites which commemorate natural or man-made
disasters. However, promoting such sites as potential dark tourism attractions is still rare in
China. Moreover, despite the increasing academic investigation of tourist experience at dark
sites, most studies have focused on western tourists and sites. It is still unclear how Chinese
18tourists may understand and respond to their domestic dark tourism experience. Therefore, the
purpose of this research is to propose a theoretically integrated approach to understanding dark
tourism consumption that does not necessarily belong to the western tradition. To achieve this,
the present study explores dark tourism experience value in the Chinese context on the one
hand, and on the other hand propose an integrated model to complete understanding of the
relationships between internalized cultural values and norms, place attachment driven by
environmental psychology, and post-experience evaluation. This study takes a quantitative
approach based on a structured questionnaire survey in Wenchuan, China, a well-known dark
tourism destination revitalized and innovated from the devastating 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake
in 2008. The findings of this study provide the holistic view of dark tourism consumption
experience in Chinese context, identify the epistemic benefits perceived by the Chinese tourists,
and reveal among domestic Chinese visitors to the post-disaster destination a strong
association between collectivism and perceived obligation and responsibility. This study
contributes to the theoretical development of tourism experience in general as well as enrich the
literature in the dark tourism area. In addition, it draws some practical implications on
responsible and culturally sensitive management and marketing of dark tourism attractions.
Tourism in Tohoku after the 2011 triple disaster: emotional and affective narratives
Anna Martini
University of Groningen
Netherlands
a.martini@rug.nl
Crises and disasters are considered times of intense difficulty or danger and are often deeply
affective and emotional experiences. In the last decades, tourism stakeholders looking for
'alternative' tourism forms have capitalized on the potential of dark places, which are becoming
more popular every passing year. This includes some of the rural towns in Tohoku, the region
most damaged by the Japan Great Eastern Disaster of March 2011. As expected, the disaster
resulted in a dramatic downturn of foreign tourists, who cancelled their trips after the news and
in fear of being bombarded by radiations as soon as they would set foot to Japan. From 2012
onwards, some of the towns in Tohoku decided to develop tourism projects, inviting Japanese
and foreigners to visit and take a look at the situation so that the disaster and all the death and
pain are not forgotten. In my presentation I will consider three towns that have developed
different strategies and plans to use disaster tourism as one of the forms of recovery, from both
the disaster and the depopulation issues that were pre-existing in the area. The towns
considered are Rikuzentakata, Kuji, and Matsushima. All three have turned to tourism as a
means to regain income after the disaster and overcome the trauma by sharing the disaster
experience with visitors. Rikuzentakata has been active in the media both national and
international. It is marketing itself as “Hiroshima of the North”, a hub for all people interested in
this disaster, especially foreigners. Kuji’s popularity is due to the development in 2013 of a
dorama (morning soap opera), a part of which shows how the main characters react and
experience the 2011 disaster. The town, partly destroyed by the tsunami, has seen tourism
increase dramatically, as fans from all over Japan and abroad come to Kuji. The third town
considered, Matsushima, was a tourism spot long before the disaster. After the disaster, to
attract also tourists interested in post-disaster areas, they merged the historical and cultural
narratives of pre-disaster tours with stories and facts about the disaster. Although hit by the
same disaster, these towns have constructed different narratives that evoke emotions, affects,
and imaginaries that would appeal to tourists. My contribution analyses the narratives of tourism
workers, who are now making an effort to imagine, model, create and negotiate the disaster-hit
towns of Tohoku as tourism destinations. On the other hand, it investigates how foreign tourists
who decide to visit Tohoku after the 2011 triple disaster perceive and experience place. Tourists
19engage continuously with complex embodied, affective and deeply emotional nets that can
surface vividly and poignantly in dark places, through atmospheres that are created and
marketed by tourism stakeholders, from the Japanese government, to local communities. All
material has been collected using ethnographic methods such as participant observation and in-
depth qualitative interviews, as well as using archival material and online websites, blogs and
social media.
Dark Tourism? Visitor Experiences at three German Memorials
Doreen Pastor
University of Bristol
UK
dp12358@bristol.ac.uk
The term dark tourism was firmly established in 2000 with the launch of Lennon and Foley's
influential book "Dark tourism - The attraction of death and disaster". At the heart of this concept
lies the perception that visitors are fascinated with death and are therefore attracted to those
sites (Stone and Sharpley 2008). Dark Tourism however has neglected the impact of the
cultural background on the visitor experience. An East German visitor to a memorial site who
grew up with the overarching GDR narrative of the antifascist fight in relation to the Nazi period
will experience a memorial site differently compared to a West German visitor. In addition, Dark
Tourism has not created a distinction between the experience of the 'perpetrator nation' and the
'guest nation', i.e. is a German visitor who states that "he needs to confront this history" a Dark
Tourist? My research project addressed this gap in knowledge and I have therefore conducted
visitor research at four German memorial sites: Flossenbürg concentration camp located in
Bavaria, Ravensbrück concentration camp memorial located in the former East of Germany, the
House of the Wannsee Conference Berlin and the former East German Stasi prison Bautzen II.
For this paper however, I would like to concentrate on Flossenbürg, Ravensbrück and the
House of the Wannsee Conference. The visitor research consisted of exit interviews at all sites
with a sample size of 100 and participant with a sample size of 25 at each location. Participant
observation was a unique methodology and has never been employed in this context enabling
me to gather an extensive set of qualitative data with regards to visitor behaviour at the
memorial sites. The visitor research has demonstrated that visitors are mostly interested in the
historic remnants of the site (e.g. the crematorium) and any intervention (e.g. modernisation of
exhibitions spaces) has a negative impact on the visitor experience. In fact, both Flossenbürg
and Ravensbrück were considered to be largely inauthentic sites with frequent comments such
as "it looks too nice." Moreover, visitors are expecting an 'experience' and therefore display less
interest in formal exhibitions. At the House of the Wannsee Conference, more visitors
experienced an emotional reaction and claimed the house represented a 'dark' atmosphere
which is surprising as no atrocities have taken place on site. I therefore argue that visitor seem
to be more emotionally affected by imagery, even if the rest of the site is perceived to be largely
inauthentic. In addition, there is a strong influence of what Sznaider & Levy (2006) call
cosmopolitan memory. Visitors seek a validation of their preconceived images rather than a
historically scientific exhibition which will challenge the memorials in the future. As one young
visitor said to me in Flossenbürg “Auschwitz was much more impressive, you could see the hair,
the shoes and even the scratch marks on the wall”.
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