Thanatourism in Tourism Enterprise Development - Essay Example

Thanatourism in Tourism Enterprise Development Name: Course: Name: Date: Introduction Deaths, atrocities and disasters are becoming a pervasive feature in modern day tourism. Visiting sites where death occurred is thought to provide tourists with real or recreated deaths. The name for this form of tourism is Thanatourism. Thanatourism is defined as the travel to specific locations where real deaths occurred, or where there is symbolism of death. Such tourism is motivated by the yearning to have symbolic encounters with death (Seaton 1996, p. 240). For some people, they are presented with a genuine wonderment of just what there is to visit sites that hold nothing but sad memories about the past. Yet, according to Stone (2002), tourists who visit the stand back and observe the sites go for sight seeing and even purchase souvenirs to remind them of atrocities that took place on the sites (p.145). Some of the popular Thanatourism in modern day tourism include Ground Zero (the 9/11 site), the Cambodian Killing field and the New Orleans ruins (as a result Hurricane Katrina). Others include battlefield sites aptly referred as war tourism, sites where punishments and atrocities like the Holocaust were committed, slavery sites in Africa, United Kingdom and the United States and cemeteries and funeral sites (Robinson and Jamal 2009, p.522). Literature Review Robin and Jamal (2009) are two authors who have gone back in time to trace the origin of Thanatourism as we know it today. According to them, Thanatourism has its origin in Christianity, a religion which emphasizes the crucifixion, suffering and the death of Jesus Christ, who is seen as the main founder of the religion (Robinson & Jamal 2009, p. 526). Other religions like Islam and Judaism have ritualized and mythologized death, but none have put as much emphasis on martyred saints as Christianity. More to this, Christianity was person-centered through the human figure that believers thought Christ to have adopted. The crucifixion story is of special significance to Thanatourism since it made fatality the central focus of religious practices. Robinson and Jamal (2009) state that remembering the suffering of Christian martyrs was latter to be done on “holy days” from which the concept of holidays were adopted ( p. 527). During such days, people were encouraged to reflect on the suffering that the Christian martyrs went through. To make this possible, “Thanatopsis,” which generally refers to meditating on death and the process of dying, was encouraged through the use of cruciform, and paintings of the Christ in agony (p.528). Representations that kept reminding people that death was inevitable are also thought to be a source of current day Thanatourism. Apart from Christianity, Romanticism and antiquarianism are also thought to have affected the evolution of Thanatourism and its effect on modern day tourism. Antiquarianism was a concept whereby people tried to reconstruct national heritages from past ruins, while Romanticism had significant effect on a person’s subjectivity and emotional. Sharply and Stone (2009) have covered the motivations behind Thanatourism extensively. They state that unlike other forms of tourism, Thanatourism is mainly motivated by the uniqueness of death and the fact that people are always willing to learn what happens at death and after death (Sharply & Stone 2009, p. 83). More to this, the unique death element that includes every living thing with no exception whatsoever is ever drawing curious or plain adventurous minds, which seek ways of understanding or experiencing the mood surrounding sites that have a dark history. Although Sharpley and Stone (2009) largely contend that religion played a significant role in shaping Thanatourism, they state that other factors such as lifestyle, customs, fashion and aesthetics play a major role in shaping this form of tourism. According to these two authors, the way a particular society or culture reacts to death largely affects the symbolism, rituals or religious beliefs that they may attach to sites where deadly tragedies happened (p. 84). If a particular cultural group quickly comes to term with a specific tragedy, and uses the site as a memorial for things they would rather not see happen to them in future (just like is the case with ground zero), such could easily turn in a cultural tourism site, just as much as it is a Thanatourism site (Sharply and Stone 2009, p. 84) Sharply and Stone (2009) further discuss a concept they refer to as “otherness”. They use this word to describe the unselective nature of death, its universal nature, its absoluteness in all cultures and the absence of relative difference in death (p. 38). This means that death is apprehended as a universal opposition to life, which goes beyond the cultural distinctions in different parts of the world. The ‘otherness’ of death is thus cited as the main reason why there is a probability that Thanatourism will become a major reason of international travel in the future (p. 84). “Otherness” is also a common in other forms of tourism. However, Sharply and Stone (2009) states that, the distinctive factor between Thanatourism and other forms of tourism is that while the “otherness” in death resists the processes of erosion because it is beyond the comprehension of a living human being(p. 84). This is unlike the other forms of tourism, which people become familiar with and eventually the familiarity erodes the potency of the mysterious. This means that a tourist site which formerly appealed to a tourist due to its attraction simply looses its appeal as the tourist become familiar with every aspect of the site until there is no more to be explored. Views expressed by Sharpley and Stone (2009) counter suspicions that the Thanatourism is a created hype that seeks to benefit stakeholders in the tourism industry. They state that throughout history international travel mainly consisted of large groups of people going to view relics and death sites. With the entry of literally travellers, there was an increase in travel by smaller groups to death sites specifically for purposes of understanding how the different cultures treated deaths. Some of the documented prominent writers who made such travels include Evelyn Waugh, Charles Dickens, William Beckford, James Boswell and John Evelyn (p. 39). But it is not only the “otherness” of death that makes Thanatourism a sector that is appealing to more people with each passing day. Managers of Thanatourism sites are becoming more creative with the objective of giving tourists more adventure and suspense. They orchestrate additional performing features, which are incorporated in funeral museums, dungeon attraction sites, and ghost walks (Sharpley & stone 2009, p. 83). The Holocaust memorial unveiled in Berlin German in 2005 is the perfect embodiment of Thanatourism. The memorial, which was designed by an American architect sits on a gigantic field , where most visitors usually wander off to the expansive field, get lost and often times experience the uneasiness and sense of oppression, most probably experienced by the Jews who witnessed or fell prey to the holocaust. According to Sion (2005), the site is constructed in such a manner such that the dark past is manifested in the present hence giving every visitor a chance to experience the feelings that people represented by the material went through (p. 1). Yet, despite the sober mood and slabs which have a striking resemblance to tombstones, it is clear that the Holocaust memorial is intended to be used more as an admirable piece of artwork, rather than a memorial. James Young (cited by Sion 2005) states that the goal of such memorials is to provoke human feelings rather than to console; to prompt change rather than develop a fixation; to create a semblance of disappearance rather than everlasting; to demand human interaction rather than ignorance; and to invite defiance and desecration rather than remaining pristine (p. 2). It is acceptable that where a trade prospers, the forces of demand and supply are present. The growth of Thanatourism sites, as such must be in response to the growing demand for the same. However, we cannot rule out the likelihood that the growth in people interested in sites that have a dark past could as well be in response to the increasing number of such sites and the awareness creation of such sites through the mass media. However in order to understand just what is behind this latest form of tourism, we must understand what motivates a Thanatourist. According to (Sion 2005), the main reason and interests that prompt people to visit death sites include morbid curiosity, thrill or risk seeking, remembrance, empathy, self discovery and contemplation. Still, there are other people who visit death sites in search of validation, authenticity and convenience. Others on the other hand visit the sites as pilgrimages, special interest groups or as iconic sites (Dunkey 2003, p. 10). The Thanatourism sites fall into four distinct categories (Sharpley & Stone 2009). The first category refers to these that occur due to disasters or human catastrophes. In such, no human force is responsible for the disaster. The demand for such sites is created by the historical significance and usually fanned through education and mass media. The second category is sites that undergo transformation to restore their function. Originally such sites do not have tourism functions until them are launched as Thanatourism sites. Commercialisation of such sites occurs in order to provides means through which the sites can be maintained (Sharpley & Stone 2009). The third category is the created sites, which have an entrepreneurial motive behind their creative. Such include dungeons and Dracula restaurants, which are usually developed as enterprises in the private sector and hence commercialization is evident through marketing activities. The final category is the temporally themed sites, where Thanatourism features are used as part of cultural tourism. Such include the likes of exhibited human skeletons, cemetery tours or orchestrated ghost walks (Sharpley & Stone 2009, pp. 95-96). According to Dunkey (2003) however, Thanatourism involves more than just tours to death site. It incorporates fright tourism (such as the jack-the-ripper tours or a visit to the London Dungeons), grief tourism, whereby people visit cemeteries and other places associated with death, hardship tourism to places like Robben Island and Alcatraz and tragedy tourism to places like Horoshima and Ground Zero. Others include warfare tourism to war museums or battlefield tours, genocide tours such as the genocide museum in Rwanda or the killing field in Cambodia and extreme Thanatourism, which include sky burials and public executions (p.5). In conclusion, Dankey (2003) states that there is no single motivation to the thanatourist’s decision to make tours. Rather, it is a combination of distinct interests and reasons that stimulate tours. Braithwaite and Lee (2006) however states that the some Thanatourism are therapeutic to visitors and are therefore more cultural than just ‘deathly’ experiences (p.2). Since such form of tourism deals with the sites where historical conflicts occurred, they are of special significance to the tourists who visit them. Most tourists who frequent such places are concerned about the uncertainty in the world, or are troubled by historical events (Braithwaite & Lee 2006, p.2). According to Braithwaite & Lee (2006), thanatourists have several similarities with eco-tourists in that the two groups are usually well educated and often times the tourists come from the more affluent sections of the society. More to this, it is argued that just as the tourism industry responds to the concerns about environmental conservation by embracing eco-tourism, tourists concerned about the present trouble in the world today are developing a stronger interest in death sites, which include homes to dead celebrities, churchyards and even mausoleums (p. 3). Another notable characteristic of the Thanatourism is the fact that it seems to appeal more to the youth. In response to this, Braithwaite and Lee (2006) respond by stating that the youthful fascination with knowing what lies behind death may have a part to play in this (p. 3). Accordingly, the youth explore such sites with the same vigour they explore sex, health, limits or their own strengths. According to Thurnell-Read (2009), the fascination that young people have with touring sites that have a dark history is far from having leisure or recreation significance (p.27). Blake (2006) contends with this by stating that even though the term “tourist” is defined as a person who travels for pleasure or leisure, thanatourists do not fancy pleasure being associated with their travel to the death sites. Instead, they perceive themselves more as people who travel to the sites for actual and symbolic encounter with death (p.12). However, the need to establish authenticity of such sites as well as collecting experiences for purposes of using the same in as a means of developing an identity, whereby backpackers invest in cultural experiences (p. 29). By touring sites with a dark past, the youthful backpackers are able to authenticate historical and often distasteful occurrences, in addition to gaining valuable experiences. The growing popularity of Thanatourism raises many questions. One of the prominent is whether this should be marketed like other forms of tourism or not. This form of tourism is emotive and will probably be controversial should the stakeholder in the subsector decide to embrace marketing strategies that would draw even more audience to such tourism. Although some people view Thanatourism as an alternative the conventional forms of tourism, there is a general agreement among scholars that marketing death sites is likely to be perceived by the wider society as the promotion of disastrous moments in history of death (Smith & Croy 2005, p. 2005). In a notable illustration scenario, which proves the reservation that the society has about Thanatourism marketing is the Oswiecim town, which refuses to feature the Auschwitz holocaust site in its tourist brochure despite the fact that the site is visited by 750,000 tourists annually (Smith & Croy 2005, p. 200). According to Seaton 1996(cited by Stone 2006) interest in Thanatourism is not mainly determined by marketing or lack of the same. Rather, tourism that borders the “dark” human heritage is a phenomenon that is driven by the need of the people to experience what actually happened in the past (p. 146). Conclusion The main drivers of this curiosity and need to witness( with the aim of authenticating the same) among most thanatourists are the respect, morbid curiosity , reverence or superstition that most people attach to death; be it their own deaths or other people’s deaths (Stone 2006, p.147). This means that marketing is not specifically necessary to fan information about death sites. The word of mouth will do the trick, and with the increased use of technology, people will easily share their experiences with each other, consequently creating more demand to such sites. What is evident though is that there are diverse thanatourists just as there are diverse death sites. While some seek to visit sites where major disasters took place, other will want to visit sites where celebrities like Elvis Presley died. Still others will want to visit the slavery heritage sites, graveyards or even sites where death is recreated through fiction. Inasmuch as this form of tourism is unstoppable (especially because it has valuable historical lessons), it is important for managers of the Thanatourism sites to recognise the sensitive nature of such sites. Of importance is remembering that the sites represent people who lived in the past, but who still have living relatives in the present. This means that the sensitivities of people the relatives to be considered. References Blake, A February 6, 2006, Ground zero, Diana’s Althorp home, Western Mail Newspaper, p. 12. Braithwaite, D and Lee, Y 2006, Dark tourism, hate and reconciliation: the Sandakan experience, IIPT Occasional Paper, No. 8, pp. 2-22. Dunkley, R 2003, the thanatourist: fascination with death and atrocity? Oct. 2006. November 18, 2009. http://pages.123-reg.co.uk/pstone1-995478/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/riadunkleypresentationTSeventlondonoct2006.pdf Robinson, M and Jamal, T 2009, The sage handbook of tourism studies, Ed. Illustrated, Sage Publications, London. Seaton, A 1996, Guided by the dark: From the thanatopsis to thanatourism, Journal of Heritage Studies, 2(4): 234-244. Sharpley, R and Stone, P 2009, The darker side of travel: the theory and practice of dark tourism, Channel View Publications, New York. Sion, B 2005, experience and remembrance at Berlin’s memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. Sion-memorial Berlin Article. 2005. November 18, 2009 www.irmgard-coninx-stiftung.de/fileadmin/user...1/Sion_Essay.pdf - Smith, N and Croy, W 2005, Taking tourism to the limits: issues, concepts and managerial perspectives, Elsevier, New York. Stone, P 2006, A dark tourism spectrum: towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions, Spectrum review, 54(2): 145-156. Thurnell-Read, T 2009, Engaging Auschwitz: an analysis of young travellers’ experiences of holocaust tourism, journal of tourism consumption and practice, vo1, pp 26-49. Read More

More to this, the unique death element that includes every living thing with no exception whatsoever is ever drawing curious or plain adventurous minds, which seek ways of understanding or experiencing the mood surrounding sites that have a dark history. Although Sharpley and Stone (2009) largely contend that religion played a significant role in shaping Thanatourism, they state that other factors such as lifestyle, customs, fashion and aesthetics play a major role in shaping this form of tourism.

According to these two authors, the way a particular society or culture reacts to death largely affects the symbolism, rituals or religious beliefs that they may attach to sites where deadly tragedies happened (p. 84). If a particular cultural group quickly comes to term with a specific tragedy, and uses the site as a memorial for things they would rather not see happen to them in future (just like is the case with ground zero), such could easily turn in a cultural tourism site, just as much as it is a Thanatourism site (Sharply and Stone 2009, p. 84) Sharply and Stone (2009) further discuss a concept they refer to as “otherness”.

They use this word to describe the unselective nature of death, its universal nature, its absoluteness in all cultures and the absence of relative difference in death (p. 38). This means that death is apprehended as a universal opposition to life, which goes beyond the cultural distinctions in different parts of the world. The ‘otherness’ of death is thus cited as the main reason why there is a probability that Thanatourism will become a major reason of international travel in the future (p. 84). “Otherness” is also a common in other forms of tourism.

However, Sharply and Stone (2009) states that, the distinctive factor between Thanatourism and other forms of tourism is that while the “otherness” in death resists the processes of erosion because it is beyond the comprehension of a living human being(p. 84). This is unlike the other forms of tourism, which people become familiar with and eventually the familiarity erodes the potency of the mysterious. This means that a tourist site which formerly appealed to a tourist due to its attraction simply looses its appeal as the tourist become familiar with every aspect of the site until there is no more to be explored.

Views expressed by Sharpley and Stone (2009) counter suspicions that the Thanatourism is a created hype that seeks to benefit stakeholders in the tourism industry. They state that throughout history international travel mainly consisted of large groups of people going to view relics and death sites. With the entry of literally travellers, there was an increase in travel by smaller groups to death sites specifically for purposes of understanding how the different cultures treated deaths. Some of the documented prominent writers who made such travels include Evelyn Waugh, Charles Dickens, William Beckford, James Boswell and John Evelyn (p. 39). But it is not only the “otherness” of death that makes Thanatourism a sector that is appealing to more people with each passing day.

Managers of Thanatourism sites are becoming more creative with the objective of giving tourists more adventure and suspense. They orchestrate additional performing features, which are incorporated in funeral museums, dungeon attraction sites, and ghost walks (Sharpley & stone 2009, p. 83). The Holocaust memorial unveiled in Berlin German in 2005 is the perfect embodiment of Thanatourism. The memorial, which was designed by an American architect sits on a gigantic field , where most visitors usually wander off to the expansive field, get lost and often times experience the uneasiness and sense of oppression, most probably experienced by the Jews who witnessed or fell prey to the holocaust.

According to Sion (2005), the site is constructed in such a manner such that the dark past is manifested in the present hence giving every visitor a chance to experience the feelings that people represented by the material went through (p. 1).

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