ETHICAL: Dark, Dark, Dark Tourism

Whenever I take students to visit Lima Peru, one must-see place of visitation is Lima’s Museo de La Inquisición. (Inquisition Museum). The museum sits in close proximity to Lima’s congressional buildings and seems to be saying: “be careful not to repeat the horrors of the past.” At the museum visitors see the horrors of the Inquisition, how the inquisitors convicted innocent people, and how in the name of religion humans were tortured and murdered. Visitors go thro...

For some, it is a place of memories, and for others a thrill. Nevertheless, it was not a pretty sight to behold. As the crowd gathered for a two-hour tour of the Auschwitz death camp, where thousands of people were murdered by the day. They didn't know the horror which awaited them. They weren't prepared for the tragic story that took place half a century ago. The place was lined with ashes from the multitude of Jewish men and women who were burned inside crematoriums. The German officials simp...

For the longest time, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty have been on the priority lists of places to visit for countless visitors to the Big Apple. Now, many of travelers are considering another spot to add: The National September 11 Memorial and Museum. September 11, 2001 is definitely a memorable date for most people around the globe, as the world witnessed the awful terror attacks on some of the most important buildings in the United States. Though news channels around the ...

Tourist travels to the famed Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster exclusion zone has been officially banned by Ukraine's high court. The authorized prohibition of travel to the place was made after the Emergency Ministry lost its lawsuit filed against Ukraine's General Prosecutor's office. Last June 2011, the Generals Prosecutors office already banned all tourist entry to the radioactive zone, in which the Emergency Ministry, who is responsible for these trips, filed a lawsuit against the dec...