Abstract
Dark Tourism is literally coming out of the shadows as a growing area of the tourism industry. Originally known for its relation to morbidity and death related human suffering, today it encompasses a continuum from the very-dark to light-dark, including cemetery, ghost, vampire and voodoo. The present paper sheds light on the unexplored possibilities for Dark Tourism opportunities in Cuba, to engage both the tourist to better understand Cuba’s history and the Cuban society, and for the Cuban people and communities to educate tourists and share their stories, ideologies, and beliefs. Using a case study of the parallel dark tourist city of New Orleans, which has a similar dark past of war/revolution, ghosts, slavery, and voodoo/Santeria religions, this paper explores the benefits of concerns of Dark Tourism as a tourism product.
Presenters
Hilary BeckerAssociate Professor, School of Business, Carleton University, Ontario, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Changing Dimensions of Contemporary Tourism
KEYWORDS
Dark Tourism, Ghost Tours, New Orleans, Cuba
