Disaster tourism is not a new phenomenon, but it remains one of the most controversial parts of the tourism industry. This article will define disaster tourism, explain why it is a type of tourism and where the form of tourism takes place. It will also provide examples of disaster tourism across the world.
What is disaster tourism?
Disaster tourism is the act of visiting locations that have been subjected to man-made or natural environmental disasters. It is considered a sub-sector of dark tourism.
Disaster tourism destinations can attract tourists for decades, such as Chernobyl (until tours were suspended following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022), or they can be popular mainly in the aftermath of a disaster, such as New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or Kathmandu after the 2015 earthquake. Disaster tourism is closely related to dark tourism.
Disaster tourism definitions
Disaster tourism falls within the wider field of dark tourism, so it helps to begin by defining the term ‘dark tourism’.
An early definition defined by John Lennon and Malcolm Foley (2000) define dark tourism as “the representation of inhuman acts, and how these are interpreted for visitors”.
In a more recent publication, Kevin Fox Gotham defines dark tourism as “the circulation of people to places characterized by distress, atrocity, or sadness and pain. As a more specific component of dark tourism, “disaster tourism” denotes situations where the tourism product is generated within, and from, the aftermath of a major disaster or traumatic event”.
Disaster tourism is considered a sub-sector of dark tourism and although scholars have reflected on this form of tourism, it has received less separate academic attention. There is no single standardised definition of the term ‘disaster tourism’.
However, authors with a focus on dark tourism and disaster tourism have attempted to define the form of tourism. According to Wright and Sharpley, broadly speaking, disaster tourism has been defined as a practice of visiting locations at which an environmental disaster, either natural or man-made has occurred.
Despite the scarcity of literature addressing the concept of disaster tourism, the body of research is growing. This text on post-disaster and post-conflict tourism, for example, appears to be the first of its kind, addressing the disaster tourism sector from a tourism management perspective. Disaster tourism is also addressed, in part, in texts on tourism crisis and disaster management, such as this one.
Motivations of disaster tourists
Research has shown that people are drawn to places of disaster for a variety of reasons.
According to a study by Dorota Rucińska and Maciej Lechowicz (2014), based on the work of M. Pirveli (2008), there are 7 different reasons for undertaking disaster tourism.
| Motivations for disaster tourism | Specific motivations for disaster tourism |
| Need to change location | Space and time compression. |
| Recreational needs | Individual preferences. |
| Cognitive needs | Global interest in the world. |
| Need for human contact | Contact with people harmed by natural disasters. |
| Need for new experiences | Experiencing emotions. |
| General social needs | Expansion of social awareness. |
| Additional tourism conditions | Economic status, need to aid others. |
As you can see, some people choose to partake in disaster tourism activities because they have an interest in learning about the world, others want to expand their social awareness or connect with people who have had traumatic experiences.
Some people are in search of authenticity and this is their primary motivation for becoming a disaster tourist. They want to experience the disaster area first hand, without intermediaries such as the media, who may not portray the event or situation accurately or fully. There are many ways that tourists can experience disaster tourism in an authentic way such as this, such as visiting a disaster zone that has reopened to visitors or, before the war in Ukraine, taking a Chernobyl tour.
Other people simply want to be near danger. Some tourists seek out dangerous experiences or places, which is sometimes known as extreme tourism, and this can also be a motivation for visiting a disaster area. Others travel to help: disaster relief organisations such as All Hands and Hearts (formerly Hands On Disaster Response) recruit volunteers to support recovery efforts, which overlaps with volunteer tourism.
Have you ever heard of the term rubbernecking? It describes drivers slowing down to look at an accident on the other side of the motorway. Well, this principle also applies to the concept of disaster tourism, whereby individuals wish to take a look out of curiosity.
For a first-hand (and often humorous) account of visiting unusual and dark destinations, Dom Joly’s travel memoir The Dark Tourist explores why people visit such places and what the experience is like.
How tourism benefits from disasters
The aftermath of a disaster can open a door for the tourism industry. Museums may open up to educate tourists about the disaster. There could be organised tours about the disaster. There could also be entertainment based around the disaster. This may sound strange, but think Titanic, Auschwitz or Chernobyl.
Increased tourism in the area can help bring in much needed income. Disaster tourism can increase visitor arrivals and support local economies financially through an increase in hotel bookings, restaurants, etc.
Disaster tourism can help rebuild and reform broken communities and provide a means of support for facilitating infrastructure development, especially when a community notices a decline in other forms of tourism, i.e. leisure tourism.
The money raised through tourism can also be used to help rebuild the host community. In Kathmandu, for example, entrance fees paid by foreign visitors to heritage sites such as Kathmandu Durbar Square have helped to fund the reconstruction of temples damaged in the 2015 earthquake.
An increase in tourism of this nature can also provide a boost in income to the tour operators, airlines and other stakeholders of the tourism industry.
Video: Why disaster tourism is (mostly) a good thing
The problems with disaster tourism
There seems to be an inherent conflict between the terms ‘disaster’ and ‘tourism’. Tourism is typically associated with leisure, with inevitable connotations of happiness, fun and enjoyment. This is in direct contradiction to a disaster, where sadness, stress and struggle are likely at the heart.
In fact, many would argue that tourists should not visit disaster sites at all, particularly if this is during the immediate aftermath. Problems can include poor tourist behaviour or a lack of respect towards the local community and its peoples.
Tourists may also be a hindrance instead of a help. They may get in the way of lifesaving efforts or put themselves in unnecessary danger.
Tourists may also use up resources which should be prioritised for those in need, such as food and water.
In her blog ‘Women on the road’ Leyla explained how her visit to Lebanon in the 1980s made her realise why indulging in disaster tourism could be a ‘tragic mistake’. Leyla explains how the problems with disaster tourism may not appear obvious at first.
The World Tourism Organization (now UN Tourism) and the World Meteorological Organization produced a Handbook on Natural Disaster Reduction in Tourist Areas, which guides destinations and DMOs on how to prepare for natural disasters and reduce their impacts.
The ethics of disaster tourism
So, is it really ethical to visit sites of sorrow? Or to photograph people who are in moments of grief?
Many communities welcome disaster tourists as they raise awareness about the issue, in turn helping to attract further aid. Others, however, may argue that disaster tourists are more trouble than they are worth. Following the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina, for example, local residents criticised tour operations for making financial gains from their disastrous misery. More recently, after the August 2023 wildfire in Lahaina on Maui, Hawaiian officials urged visitors to stay away from West Maui so that resources could go to residents, and social media has made it easier than ever for people to share images taken at disaster sites.
Here is a list of some of the behaviours demonstrated by disaster tourists, which have been deemed offensive or inappropriate:
- Photographing people in moments of sorrow
- Smiling and laughing around those experiencing hardship
- Treating people as if they are museum exhibits
- Making inappropriate remarks
- Wearing disrespectful clothes
- Using inappropriate language
- Committing to disaster tourism for personal gain (e.g. personal satisfaction, to enhance CV etc)
- Making money from others’ hardships
- Talking loudly about unrelated issues
- Showing general signs of disrespect
Disaster tourism examples
There are a variety of examples of disaster tourism; ranging from hurricanes to nuclear disasters. Some well-known examples are summarised below.
New Orleans (Hurricane Katrina)
Hurricane Katrina, which struck in August 2005, was one of the deadliest hurricanes ever to hit the United States, killing more than 1,800 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. It caused around $125 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in US history.
In the aftermath, disaster tourists travelled to New Orleans to see the damage, and bus companies began running ‘Katrina tours’ through flooded neighbourhoods such as the Lower Ninth Ward.
Local residents were particularly aggravated by disaster tourists. Vanessa Gueringer expressed in a report by The Telegraph that “We’re fed up and tired of them coming through the neighbourhood like we’re some sideshow”
“After all the suffering we have been through, we deserve more respect than this.”
This is a good example of how disaster tourism can be unwelcome and unethical.
Kathmandu (earthquake)
Nepal experienced one of its deadliest earthquakes in April 2015, with almost 9,000 deaths, around 22,000 injured and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed. Nepal’s tourism industry slumped overnight, and a blockade of the border with India later that year caused severe shortages of fuel, food and medicine.
International visitor numbers to Nepal fell from around 790,000 in 2014 to 539,000 in 2015.
Although the earthquake destroyed much of Nepal’s unique cultural heritage, tourism has since recovered- Nepal welcomed more than 1.1 million international visitors in 2024.
Most of these tourists do not visit Nepal for the purpose of being ‘disaster tourists’, but disaster tourism forms part of the wider tourism experience. The damage, and the ongoing work to rebuild ancient temples, buildings and homes, can still be seen in parts of Kathmandu and the surrounding valley.
Bikini Atoll (Nuclear test site)
Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was used by the United States as a nuclear test site, with 23 nuclear devices detonated there between 1946 and 1958, including the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test in 1954. The atoll’s residents were relocated and have never been able to return permanently, as studies have found that it is still not safe for permanent habitation.
Bikini Atoll was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, recognised as a symbol of the dawn of the nuclear age.
Tourism to Bikini Atoll has always been very limited. Its main attraction is the ‘ghost fleet’ of warships sunk during the 1946 tests, including the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga and the Japanese battleship Nagato, which has made it a bucket-list destination for experienced scuba divers. Visits are only possible on rare, specialist dive trips.
More information about Bikini Atoll can be found on the Bikini Atoll website.
Iceland (volcanic eruption)
The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull has been described as “one of the integral catalysts that transformed Iceland’s position as a travel destination, pulling the country from its financial slump into prosperity.”
Despite the volcano’s ash cloud causing immense disruption to air travel across Europe, the eruption put Iceland on the map for many travellers and contributed to a boom in tourism in the years that followed.
Later eruptions have also attracted visitors, including the Holuhraun eruption (part of the Bárðarbunga volcanic system) in 2014-2015 and the Fagradalsfjall eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2021, which hundreds of thousands of people hiked to see. A series of eruptions near the town of Grindavík since late 2023 has led to evacuations, including of the nearby Blue Lagoon, and shows the challenges of managing volcano tourism safely.
Thailand (tsunami)
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed around 230,000 people, making it the deadliest tsunami in recorded history. 14 countries were affected, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Maldives, Myanmar, Somalia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, the Seychelles and South Africa.
Thailand was one of the worst affected countries, with more than 5,000 deaths and thousands more missing. The resort area of Khao Lak was hit hardest, and many of the victims were foreign tourists. Unsurprisingly, the tourism industry declined sharply immediately afterwards.
There were no resources or health facilities available for locals, and international help was required urgently. The lack of facilities and resources meant that disaster tourism was not a practical choice and the only form of tourism desired by Thailand was volunteer tourism and those coming with assistance and means of aid.
Disaster tourism has not been a major driver of tourism to the affected destinations since then, but it often forms part of a wider tourism experience. Visitors to Khao Lak can see Police Boat 813, which was carried around 2 km inland by the waves and is now a memorial, and the Aceh Tsunami Museum in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, opened in 2009.
The 2012 film The Impossible, based on a Spanish family’s experience in Khao Lak, brought the story of the tsunami to a global audience.
Brothers Rob and Paul Forkan, who were orphaned by the tsunami while living in Sri Lanka, told their story in the book Tsunami Kids. They went on to found the fashion brand Gandys, which supports orphaned and vulnerable children through its foundation.
Disaster tourism: Conclusion
In summary, disaster tourism is a small, but growing industry. More people are becoming aware of disaster tourism, both in an academic and a community sense, which has brought with it a greater awareness of the associated negative impacts.
Whilst there are some benefits of disaster tourism, the negative impacts tend to outweigh these. Tourists are often a hindrance rather than a help, they behave inappropriately and they can use up scarce resources.
There are many other examples of disaster tourism around the world. Some useful sources of further information are listed below.
Disaster tourism: FAQs
Below are answers to some of the most common questions about disaster tourism.
What is disaster tourism?
Disaster tourism is the act of visiting places that have been affected by a natural or man-made disaster, such as an earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic eruption or nuclear accident. It is considered a sub-type of dark tourism.
What are some examples of disaster tourism?
Examples include tours of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, visits to Chernobyl in Ukraine (before tours were suspended in 2022), trips to see volcanic eruptions in Iceland, tsunami memorials in Thailand and Indonesia, and diving the sunken fleet at Bikini Atoll.
Is disaster tourism ethical?
It depends on how and when it is done. Disaster tourism can raise awareness and bring much-needed income, but visiting in the immediate aftermath can hinder rescue efforts, use up scarce resources and cause distress to local people. Respectful, well-managed visits once recovery is under way are generally seen as more acceptable.
Why do people go on disaster tourism trips?
Motivations include curiosity, a desire to learn and understand what happened, the search for authentic experiences, the thrill of visiting dangerous places, and a wish to help or show solidarity with affected communities.
What is the difference between dark tourism and disaster tourism?
Dark tourism is the broad term for visiting places associated with death, suffering or tragedy, such as battlefields, prisons and genocide memorials. Disaster tourism is a specific type of dark tourism focused on places affected by natural or man-made disasters.
Further reading
- Tsunami Kids – An account of the Forkan brothers’ experiences being orphaned in Sri Lanka during the 2004 tsunami
- For the Good of Mankind – An account of Bikini Atoll and Jack’s first-hand experiences as a member of the Peace Corps
- The Darker Side of Travel – A summary of the conceptual themes and debates surrounding dark tourism
- The Dark Tourist: Sightseeing in the world’s most unlikely holiday destinations– A humorous memoir whereby Dom sets out on a quest to visit those destinations from which the average tourist would, and should, run a mile
- Post-Disaster and Post-Conflict Tourism: Toward a New Management Approach– Innovative strategies that could be adopted by disaster destinations to encourage travel and tourism
- What is dark tourism?
- Ethical tourism explained
- Volunteer tourism explained
- The Palgrave Handbook of Dark Tourism Studies– The definitive reference text for the study of ‘dark tourism’.
