Ethical Dilemmas Of Dark Tourism

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Dark tourism, also known as grief tourism, is not a popular form of tourism in most countries but has occurred ever since people have the ability to travel. Within the last ten years, dark tourism has become increasingly popular with tourists, with websites like www.thecabinet.com naming the various dark attractions around the world (Dark Destinations, 2007). The term ‘dark tourism’ was coined by Malcolm Foley and J. John Lennon to describe “…the phenomenon which encompasses the presentation and consumption (by visitors) of real and commodified death and disaster sites” (1996).
Boorstin (1964) asserted that the first guided tour in England in 1838 was to witness the hanging of two murderers. In 2002, Ground Zero drew the attention of more than three million visitors, which exceeded the number of participants who visited the observation platform of the World Trade Center prior to 9/11 (Blair, 2002).
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Tunbridge and Ashworth (1996) noticed the rough handling of sacred values for profits and entertainment which requires attention. However, this varies depending on the ‘shade’ that the site is providing, according to the dark tourism spectrum.
The idea of whether to charge visitors for entering a dark tourism site may be seen as unethical because it will be interpreted as a means to earn profit. Even though it might be the case for the lighter shade of the spectrum, it might not be the case for the darker shade of the spectrum. Dark tourism sites from the darker shade might depend upon continuous maintenance which requires money. If the site charges just enough to cover the expenses, it would be considered ethical to do so. On the other hand, if the entrance fees will to be double the expenses, it would be seen as unethical as it is earning profit in the expense of the

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