Dark Tourism
Millions of us visit destinations associated with death, destruction and tragedy every year. Why?
Millions of people every year visit sites of death, tragedy and destruction, from nuclear disaster zones to genocide memorials. Why do we go? Is it an effort to understand the darker parts of our history, or are we just indulging our morbid curiosity?
Mary-Ann Ochota becomes a dark tourist herself to try and find out, visiting the former Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland. She also goes to Grenfell Tower in west London, the scene of a deadly fire that tore through a residential apartment in the summer of 2017. Since the night the fire started, people with smartphones congregated to capture the moment and they are still coming. Mary-Ann speaks to local residents to find out about the impact and ethics of their visits.
We also hear from Peter Hohenhaus, who is perhaps the ultimate dark tourist, having visited around 700 dark sites all over the world.
(Image: Teenage tourists at Auschwitz, Credit: Getty Images)
Last on
Clip
-
Would you take a selfie at the site of the Grenfell Tower fire?
Duration: 01:42
Broadcasts
- Mon 6 Nov 2017 13:32GMT91热爆 World Service except News Internet
- Mon 6 Nov 2017 20:06GMT91热爆 World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, UK DAB/Freeview & Europe and the Middle East only
- Mon 6 Nov 2017 21:06GMT91热爆 World Service Australasia, East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
- Tue 7 Nov 2017 02:32GMT91热爆 World Service except News Internet
- Mon 13 Nov 2017 06:32GMT91热爆 World Service South Asia
Get the podcast
Subscribe or download individual episodes for free
Why do we look the way we do?
Tattoos, trainers, jeans, hair, ties ... why?
Podcast
-
The Why Factor
The extraordinary and hidden histories behind everyday objects and actions