Due to the fact that Italy didn’t have anywhere to keep the mentally ill, in 1922, the island was transformed into a mental asylum. The highly disturbed could be kept isolated from the mainland. The hospital was large and had a very impressive bell tower. Right when the asylum opened patients immediately began reporting sightings of the ghosts of the plague victims. Patients would be kept up at night because they were able to hear the tortured cries of the suffering spirits. These complaints were often ignored by the hospital’s staff because patients were already considered mad.(Alfons) In addition to the ethical issues of the asylum, in the 1930’s the head doctor made a name for himself by experimenting on his subjects. His goal in his practices
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Thanatourism is derived from the Greek word Thanatos and is when death is personified. The tourism activities mainly seen at historical sites with controversial pasts are the attractions and presentations of death, disaster, memorial sites. “Dark tourism” is a concept that began gaining popularity in the mid-1990’s to early 2000’s. It has transformed war and places of tragedy into tourist and travel destinations. Some examples include the Auschwitz Museum in Poland, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Alcatraz Prison off the coast of San Francisco, California, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima. Japan. (Kington) Throughout the documented history of human civilization, countless man-made and natural devastations have occurred in which millions of people have sacrificed their lives and have lost their loved ones. These areas of disasters, memorial sites, and controversial heritage sites have been promoted in a different light than they should be. (Sheppard) The emphases on death and eeriness of a place cause for a personified collective phenomenon. In the process of geographic development, the notion of “dark tourism” has many benefits, as well as many social and moral …show more content…
On one hand, this recent form of tourism allows for overnight economic success and for a better understanding of the history of a place. “Dark tourism” is also directly linked with educational tourism and can give visitors with a deeper look into the past. On the other hand, “dark tourism” is a way for travel companies to personify death and loss. When it comes to places like Venice, Italy, tourism plays a key role in economic stability. From 1980 to 2009, the population of Venice has gone from 120,000 to an exceptionally lower census of 60,000. (Kington) Allowing for tourism to expand to the island of Poveglia would cause for the revision of it’s deterring demographic. Furthermore, dark tourism typically involves traveling to sites associated with tragedy and death. Unsurprisingly, those who have suffered from catastrophes often do not appreciate tourists observing their grief or the fact that travel companies are using misfortunes to make a profit. Although dark tourism can educate people on the history, grief tourists are commonly criticized because people presume they objectify the hardship of others and using it for their own personal gain. Haunted destinations like Poveglia are not publicized to meet peace and closure for the unrestful souls, but rather for the sake of the thrill.
Thanatourism is derived from the Greek word Thanatos and is when death is personified. The tourism activities mainly seen at historical sites with controversial pasts are the attractions and presentations of death, disaster, memorial sites. “Dark tourism” is a concept that began gaining popularity in the mid-1990’s to early 2000’s. It has transformed war and places of tragedy into tourist and travel destinations. Some examples include the Auschwitz Museum in Poland, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Alcatraz Prison off the coast of San Francisco, California, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima. Japan. (Kington) Throughout the documented history of human civilization, countless man-made and natural devastations have occurred in which millions of people have sacrificed their lives and have lost their loved ones. These areas of disasters, memorial sites, and controversial heritage sites have been promoted in a different light than they should be. (Sheppard) The emphases on death and eeriness of a place cause for a personified collective phenomenon. In the process of geographic development, the notion of “dark tourism” has many benefits, as well as many social and moral …show more content…
On one hand, this recent form of tourism allows for overnight economic success and for a better understanding of the history of a place. “Dark tourism” is also directly linked with educational tourism and can give visitors with a deeper look into the past. On the other hand, “dark tourism” is a way for travel companies to personify death and loss. When it comes to places like Venice, Italy, tourism plays a key role in economic stability. From 1980 to 2009, the population of Venice has gone from 120,000 to an exceptionally lower census of 60,000. (Kington) Allowing for tourism to expand to the island of Poveglia would cause for the revision of it’s deterring demographic. Furthermore, dark tourism typically involves traveling to sites associated with tragedy and death. Unsurprisingly, those who have suffered from catastrophes often do not appreciate tourists observing their grief or the fact that travel companies are using misfortunes to make a profit. Although dark tourism can educate people on the history, grief tourists are commonly criticized because people presume they objectify the hardship of others and using it for their own personal gain. Haunted destinations like Poveglia are not publicized to meet peace and closure for the unrestful souls, but rather for the sake of the thrill.