Page 115 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism

92 The Americas

The relationship between time and the level of darkness of a tourism site

Lightest
Lighter Lightest Lightest
Lighter
Light
Time since event Darkest Darker Lighter Lightest Lightest Lightest
Dark
Light
Darker
Light
Dark
Lighter
Lighter
Dark
Light
More severe and significant Less severe and significant
Severity and significance of event at or associated with site
Figure 6.4 The relationship between dark tourism sites and time
Note: Here the added dimension of time acts to lighten the darkness of the original event, implying that after a critical (yet unquantified) threshold period,
a site of mass destruction and death (e.g. the AD79 eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii) becomes socially acceptable as a tourist destination.
Source: Based on Stone, 2006, p151

experienced by the residents of Pompeii had Krakatoa in 1883 and Mt Pelee, 1902, that
happened last year there would be a much higher between them killed over 60,000 people) place
level of unacceptability associated with visiting the them at the darker end. Viewing volcano tourism
site as a tourist; it would be considered very dark. through a dark spectrum lens raises some interesting
The fact that Mt Vesuvius erupted 1930 years ago and ethical questions. For example, how soon after
makes it more fascinating than macabre to view a major eruption is it acceptable to put on display
the remains of those that perished. There will the remnants of a disaster that has caused loss of
always be exceptions to such ‘rules’ and some life? In the case of Pompeii, several millennia have
types of attraction, such as, say, Auschwitz-Birkenau passed since the deaths of the town’s inhabitants
maintain a dark shade for long periods of time and any ethical or moral outrage at treating those
because the horrors that took place were of such deaths as spectacle has passed by. Similar behaviour
unimaginable magnitude and human cruelty. On at the site of a very recent disaster would be
the other hand, other events such as 9/11 have considered ghoulish at best, but no doubt would
quickly become major tourist attractions complete attract some tourists. Furthermore, a post eruption
with the customary T-shirts and guided tours. society will be under severe stress and opening up
Using the factors that Stone included it can be to tourism would undoubtedly add to this stress
suggested that volcanoes are both heritage and and may even hinder, if not physical at least
educational sites. To what extent does this type of psychological, recovery.
activity fit in with the broader spectrum of dark
tourism? Figure 6.4 shows the dark tourism Summary
spectrum as proposed by Stone (2006), where the Volcano tourism provides a bridge between the
controlling dimension ranges from light (sites natural sciences and economics. In this sense it
associated with death and suffering) to darkest could be considered a branch of applied volcanology
(sites of death and suffering). It is probably fair to analogous to hazard and risk management. Some
conclude that explosive volcanic eruptions (e.g. outstanding issues relating to volcano tourism

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