The Future of Dark Tourism: Enlightening New Horizons

 

This book offers critical scenarios of dark tourism futures and examines how our significant dead will be remembered in future visitor economies. It aims to inspire critical thinking by probing the past, disrupting the present and provoking the future. The volume outlines key features of difficult heritage and future cultural trauma and highlights the role of technology, immersive visitor experiences and the thanatological condition of future dark tourism. The book provides a collection of informed observations of how future societies might recall their memorable dead, and how the noteworthy dead might be (re)created and retained through dark tourism. The book forecasts a dark tourism future that is not only perilous but also full of possibilities. It is a helpful resource for students and researchers in tourism, heritage, futurology, sociology, human geography and cultural studies.

Preorder from Amazon, too.

Contributors

Philip R. Stone and Daniel W.M. Wright: Preface: Dark Tourism Futures: Thoughts, Ideas, Scenarios

Chapter 1. Philip R. Stone: Vertopia: The Future of Dark Tourism Places and Our Digital Dead

Chapter 2. Rachael Ironside and Craig Leith: Virtual Afterlife: Dark Tourism in the Hereafter

Chapter 3. Santa Zascerinska: From 'Bucket List' to 'Afterlist': (Dark) Tourism for the Afterlife 

Chapter 4. Daniel W.M. Wright: 'Beyond Human': Dark Tourism, Robots and Futurology

Chapter 5. Özge Kılıçarslan, Mehmet Yavuz Çetinkaya and Kamil Yağci: The Future of Technology and Dark Tourism Experiences 

Chapter 6. Diāna Popova, Elizabete Grinblate and Raivis Sīmansons: Bridging Virtual Reality and Dark Heritage 

Chapter 7. Richard Fawcus: 'Virtual Monument Wars': The Digital Future of Difficult Heritage

Chapter 8. Marián Alesón-Carbonell: Language as a Mediator: Commodifying Future Dark Tourism

Chapter 9. Saffron Dale, Crispin Dale and Neil Robinson: 'McDeath' – A Future of Dark Travel and End of Life Palliative Care

Chapter 10. Alix Varnajot: Enlightening Dark Tourism Horizons in a Post-Apocalyptic Arctic: A Geopoetic Approach

Chapter 11. Maximiliano E. Korstanje: 'Shrines and Rites of Passage': Toward a Future of Dark Tourism Chronicles

Chapter 12. Elspeth Frew and Clare Lade: Survivor Voices and Disaster Education: Future Commemoration and Remembrance at Dark Tourism Sites 

Chapter 13. Abit Hoxha and Kenneth Andresen: Future of Dark Tourism in Kosovo: From Divisions to Digital Possibilities

Chapter 14. Ann-Kathrin McLean: Millennials, Transitional Memory and the Future of Holocaust Remembrance 

Chapter 15. Aija van der Steina, Maija Rozite, Inese Runce and Kaspars Strods: Between Revival of Memory and Dark Tourism: The Future of Holocaust-Related Sites in Latvia

Chapter 16. Marta Soligo: 'Mirrors of Society': Cemetery Tourism Futures 

Chapter 17. Janine Marriott: 'Not the Right Sort of Visitors': Future Challenges of Cemetery Tourism

Chapter 18. Allan Brodie: 'Into the horrors of the gloomy jail': Towards a Future of UK Prison Tourism and Penal Architecture 

Chapter 19. Brianna Wyatt: 'Finding a Light in Dark Places': Lighter Dark Tourism Futures

Chapter 20. Luisa Golz and Tony Johnston: Future of Dark Tourism Festivals: Technology and the Tourist Experience

Chapter 21. Robert S. Bristow, Alina Gross and Ian Jenkins: Future Dystopian Attractions: Benign Masochism in Dark Tourism

Chapter 22. Michael Brennan: Future Directions in Death Studies and Dark Tourism

Philip R. Stone: Afterword: Back to the Dark Tourism Future

References

Index

Duncan's, on the AT 50 years ago

 When backpacking on the AT, you would frequently come across a small country store.  Duncan's was a classic example of this.  This two shots were taken by my hiking companion, Ralph, of RPH fame.

I bought a soda, ice cream and cigs for 97 cents!

The original route across the State Route 42 valley looks like this:

And if you use Google Streetview it looks like this in 2021.

Shame, but had the trail still pass this place it might still be open.

Southeast Environment and Recreation Research (SERR)

 Early Call for Papers (CFP)

Please mark your calendars for the 2025 Southeast Environment and Recreation Research (SERR) conference being held at beautiful Unicoi State Park & Lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. We are excited about having the conference back at a state park where there will be ample opportunities for outdoor adventures as well as social gatherings around the lodge campfire. Don't worry, everyone will have individual hotel-style rooms and Wi-Fi.

When: March 23-25, 2025

Where: Uncoi State Park & Lodge outside of Helen, GA

What: Sessions at SERR include empirical, conceptual, or theoretical work related to:

• Sustainable tourism
• Leisure and recreation behavior
• Management of leisure programs and services
• Methodological aspects of recreation and tourism research
• Nature-based travel and tourism
• Outdoor recreation and education
• Park, protected area, and equivalent reserves planning & management
• Parks, physical activity, and health
• Recreation economics or policy
• Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management

Who: Graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, agency planners, land managers, and researchers are all strongly encouraged to attend the conference and submit a proposal for an oral or poster presentation.

A call for abstracts will be made in the upcoming weeks. More details will be available

at: https://serrconference.org 

Personal Note:  I attended this conference in the late 1980s and found it very useful in my academic career.  

"Validation of Recreation Quality Monitoring Measurements by River Zones.” Annual Southeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Asheville, NC. February 1988.

"Monitoring Recreation Quality River Zones.” Annual Southeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Asheville, NC. February 1987.

Fourth of July, 50 years ago

 After a long hot hike, we arrived at Van Deventer LT in Tennessee. My legs and arms were scratched from all the pricker bushes along the AT.  It was a 20 plus mile day from Moreland Gap LT.

About midday, we crossed the river below Laurel Falls.

On Section 4, between Wilbur Lake and Watauga Dam Road, the guidebook said it as 1.58 miles.  My handwritten notes state "this section makes an excellent 3-4 day traverse & should be undertaken only by idiots."  That gives you a taste of the Ups and Downs.

By 730 pm we reached our home for the evening and a fireworks free evening.

Here is Ralph's pic of the leanto.

We only had 45 miles to go to reach Virginia and the town of Damascus, also a mail drop.