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Dark Tourism, a term unfamiliar to many, refers to the tourism of “places historically associated with death and tragedy” (Wikipedia). As the Washington Post puts it, dark tourism involves visiting the sites of where “some of the darkest events of human history unfolded,” such as genocides, natural disasters, mass killings, and assassinations. More widely known examples of this form of tourism include Chernobyl, Anne Frank’s house, the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre, the Killing Fields, and Auschwitz. However, as dark tourism involves the commercializing of places where heart-breaking tragedies once occurred, it can become “very ethically murky territory,” as New Zealand journalist David Farrier told the New York Times (The Week). Controversy surrounding this topic has been on the rise recently, and many articles have been published debating the ethics of dark tourism. Is it the “commercialization of death” as the executive director of the Institute for Dark Tourism Dr. Philip Stone said, or is it an act of remembrance, learning, and respect towards those who have passed away? This essay aims to unravel the ethics surrounding dark tourism, of whether it is a disrespectful and unnecessary resurfacing of the tragic past, or a way of reconciling the past and healing wounds through remembrance and tribute.

There are reasons for the argument that dark tourism can be disrespectful, especially if the tragedy was fairly recent or proper measures were not enforced for tourists to visit in a respectful and reverent manner. These sites are sensitive, as many people still hold emotional ties to these specific places and the events that occurred there, and it is neither compassionate nor right to both family members and the deceased to act immaturely or disrespectfully at these sites. For example, giggling, speaking loudly, or joking around all fall under actions that would cause dark tourism to be viewed as unethical and significantly decrease its popularity and acceptance. As the Washington Post puts it, “Bad conduct by tourists at sensitive sites — smiling selfies at concentration camps, for example — has been widely shunned on social media.” Therefore, it is the duty of authorities to properly implement procedures and guidelines for visitors, and it is the duty of visitors to be reverent and mature in their conduct. Therefore, there does exist the risk of dark tourism leading to potential disrespect of historically important and emotionally meaningful places.

Despite the possible drawbacks, dark tourism is actually more beneficial than harmful to society. This is because although there are definitely cases of rudeness and misconduct within dark tourism, with proper staff training and management, these actions can quickly be addressed and be significantly minimized. Rather, the true purpose of dark tourism is to remember the past, so that humanity does not repeat its mistakes of the past, but also to do justice to those who suffered and died. As The Week puts it, “What is endorsed here [with dark tourism] is respectful and enlightened touristic engagement with contemporary history and its dark sites/sides in a sober, educational and non-sensationalist manner.” Most importantly, visiting these sites is, in a sense, a way of paying ritual respects to those who suffered, to those who died, just as many countries commemorate and honor veterans and soldiers who died in battle. The act of visiting these places and spending the time to learn their stories, and to remember them, is an act of honor, of sympathy. It is the least people of this day can do for those who suffered years ago; to bring light to their pain and share what they went through to the rest of the world.

Moreover, the industry of dark tourism presents opportunities of learning. Events and actions that are only read about in history books can be viewed in real life through people’s own eyes. Seeing what those people went through brings history to life and ingrains it in peoples’ minds like no other. Dark tourism is about understanding the human race, experiencing history, and learning from the past, so that those massacres, genocides, and other horrific events are never witnessed again. As Lennon of Glasgow Caledonian University remarks, “I think they're important places for us to reflect on and try to better understand the evil that we're capable of” (The Week).

From a personal viewpoint, learning about the world’s dark history and visiting sites where tragedies once occurred was a much more eye-opening experience than a harmful one. Recently I was given the opportunity to travel to Poland, where I firsthand encountered many sites of dark tourism, especially concerning Jews in Poland and their persecution. Poland is truly a beautiful country with a long history, yet a history of difficulty, suffering, and injustice. One of the first museums we visited was the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which detailed the heroic and courageous actions of Poles against the Nazi regime occupying the area. These Poles’ actions failed, but marked the beginning of nationalism and patriotism in Poland, and sparked the eventual road to freedom from Nazi Germany. These Poles’ efforts failed, yet were not in vain, and therefore this museum remembers their courage and their lives dedicated to the freedom of their homeland.

During my time in Poland I was also able to visit several museums depicting the lives of Jews in Poland. These museums expertly portrayed how Jews once lived ordinary and hard-working lives in Poland, keeping their own Jewish traditions alive through religious practices yet also significantly contributing to Polish society and economy through their work and skills. However, it also showed how opinions towards Jews began to shift as Nazis gained power and influence in Poland, and their increasing persecution in their own cities, such as by cutting off their beards, which is extremely humiliating for Jews. These museums competently depicted the gradual rise in discrimination towards Jews, beginning with less noticed things like forcing Jews to wear David’s star, to much more graphic and horrific actions such as deporting thousands of Jews to concentration camps, men, women and children alike. Seeing firsthand the stories of polish Jews through images and videos, looking at little 3d designs and models of their cities, walking through recreations of their homes and synagogues, and reading their words through quotations on the walls were all very impactful and enlightening, and gave me a deeper level of understanding than I could have ever reached through merely textbooks and videos. All in all, visiting these museums and learning about the past, even if it is a depressing past, was very eye-opening.

Another significant place that I visited during this time was Auschwitz. Although the entire tour was very dark and impactful, there was one room in particular that struck me to my bones. It was a room that on one side had hanging pictures of warehouses filled with hair of Jews, which had been cut off after they died in the gas chambers. This hair was used for many different purposes, including to make cloth and also for making uniforms. I was sick to my stomach by the grotesque and purely malicious actions of the Nazis, using even the last remnants of the Jews they murdered for their own financial gain. However, the sight that I saw when I turned around was what brought me to tears. When I turned around, I saw a glass enclosure that ran the entire length of the room, and was completely filled with human hair. It was several tons of human hair, going down deeper than the eye could see, and reaching nearly up to the ceiling. I remember standing there in utter shock. I was speechless. Perhaps it was the fact that I was seeing a part of those Jews, for their hair is, or was, an actual part of them and their physical body, or perhaps it was the sheer mass of it all that shocked me and brought me to tears. I remember the moment I realized that every tangled braid inside the glass represented a person. A woman.

This is the power of dark tourism. Textbooks and videos cannot even come close to the impacting people on the same depth as being there in person, and seeing it in person. Now that I have visited those museums and Auschwitz, I have a much deeper understanding of Jews’ history and suffering, and a more profound sense of sympathy, awe, and respect for these people who suffered, who were murdered unjustly. I now know, through my own experience as well as through research that dark tourism plays a much greater role than attributed to it, and benefits society profoundly. It serves to remember those who were lost, who suffered, who were treated horrifically. It is an opportunity to learn about history, to get a glimpse in real life of what it was really like, to immerse oneself fully in that time. It is a crucial and necessary step towards recovery by recognizing suffering and doing justice to those who have passed by sharing their stories with the rest of the world in as fullest detail and accuracy as possible. Dark tourism is not an unnecessary and disrespectful reopening of a healing wound; rather it is the attempt to properly understand and remember the past in order to mark the beginning of healing, the beginning of restoration.

Works Cited

King, Abi. “Is Dark Tourism Ethical? What You Need to Know.” Inside the Travel Lab, 30 Jan. 2024, www.insidethetravellab.com/is-dark-tourism-ethical/#Powerful_Dark_Tourism_Examples. Accessed June 28, 2024.

Knispel, Sandra. “The Ethics of Dark Tourism.” News Center, 8 Aug. 2023, www.rochester.edu/newscenter/the-ethics-of-dark-tourism-destinations-europe-547462. Accessed June 28, 2024.

Us, Devika Rao Week. “What Is Dark Tourism?” Theweek, 29 Nov. 2023, theweek.com/culture-life/travel/dark-tourism-ethics-travel. Accessed June 28, 2024.

---. “What Is Dark Tourism?” Theweek, 29 Nov. 2023, theweek.com/culture-life/travel/dark-tourism-ethics-travel. Accessed June 28, 2024.

Wikipedia contributors. “Dark Tourism.” Wikipedia, 15 Apr. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_tourism. Accessed June 28, 2024.