The Darker Side of Travel: The Theory and Practice of Dark Tourism

Dark Tourism has been going on for millennia but it has only recently been defined, labeled and studied. Sharpley (tourism and development, University of Central Lancaster. Preston, UK) and Stone, also at Central Lancaster and editor of the Dark Tourism Forum, present essays that address several facets of dark tourism. These are divided into three parts. The first looks at theories of dark tourism, asking why people are drawn to sites of disasters or pay to see skinned and cured bodies at the "Body World" exhibit. The articles here wrestle with the moral ambiguities of the issue. The second section discusses the tour itself, partially from the point of view of the tour operators. These essays ask where the line is crossed between remembrance and exploitation, even by governments. The final section looks at dark tourism in practice, using examples from tours of "haunted" houses to battlefield tours, genocide tours and visits to sites associated with Atlantic slavery. Clearly, this is a topic that deserves more study, including of the psychological benefits and dangers of going on a dark tour. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Richard Sharpley is Professor of Tourism and Development at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK. He has previously held positions at a number of other institutions, including the University of Northumbria (Reader in Tourism) and the University of Lincoln, where he was Professor of Tourism and Head of Department, Tourism and Recreation Management. His principal research interests are within the fields of tourism and development, island tourism, rural tourism and the sociology of tourism, and his books include Tourism and Development: Concepts and Issues (2002), Tourism and Development in the Developing World (2008) and Tourism, Tourists and Society, 4th Edition (2008).
Philip R. Stone is a former Management Consultant within the tourism and hospitality sector, and is presently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. He teaches tourism, hospitality and event management at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He is also Founder and Editor of The Dark Tourism Forum, the premier online dark tourism subject resource facility and global alliance of scholars and industry practitioners (see www.dark-tourism.org.uk ). His primary research interests revolve around dark tourism consumption and its relationship with contemporary society. He has published in a number of international academic journals, presented at a variety of international conferences, as well as acting as Media Consultant on dark tourism to both press and broadcast institutions across the world.