Interest in so-called “dark tourism” has been around for a while, long enough for commentators to debate whether visits to historic memorials, such as Germany’s concentration camps or Cambodia’s Tuol SlengGenocide Museum, should even be mentioned in the same breath as excursions to allegedly haunted houses and gruesome murder sites. But whatever moral standpoint is taken, tourists looking for macabre experiences, whether educational or hair-raising, are driving up demand for “attractions” that are not all sweetness and light.
The global dark tourism market was estimated at $31.89 billion in 2023 by industry analysts Grand View and is expected to grow 2.9% a year to 2030. Described as a “niche segment”, its expansion is being driven by tourists seeking “historically significant, emotionally impactful, and culturally enlightening” activities that “provide a deeper understanding of human history, the consequences of conflict, and the resilience of societies in the face of adversity.”
Murder houses in the USA
Witness the Lizzie Borden House, a 19th-century, green wood-panelled detached property in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA, and the site of a horrific double murder in 1892, when 32-year-old Lizzie was accused of killing her father and stepmother with an axe. The property has long operated as a guest house filled with murder-related paraphernalia and is open for tours, during which visitors are regaled with tales of ghostly activity.
Similarly, the white-weatherboarded “Villisca Axe Murder House” in small-town Iowa, has turned the infamous axe murders of eight people, including six children, in 1912, into a money-making enterprise. Visitors can stay overnight in the house which has been so accurately restored to its condition at the time of the still-unsolved crime, that it has been placed on the US’s National Registry of Historic Places.
Japan’s “incident homes”
There are of course dark tourism destinations all over the world, including in Japan. Leaving aside sites that commemorate the sobering history of the Holocaust, there is such a cult for “incident houses” or Jikkobukken that there are whole websites and blogs dedicated to them.
Jikkobukken are homes where tragic events such as murders, suicides, or accidental deaths have occurred. Strong beliefs about the way restless spirits (reikon) linger after their deaths exist in Japan, to the extent that the country’s real estate agents are obliged to declare such incidents by law when trying to sell a property.
Some legends go back centuries, such as that of Himeji Castle (Himeji-Jo) in Hyōgo prefecture, close to Kobe, said to be part of the inspiration behind the Japanese terror film, The Ring.
For something a little less horror-filled, one traditional Japanese inn, or ryokan, located in Iwate prefecture, is said to have a good spirit in the form of a young boy who brings good luck to those who see him.
Dark history tours in Europe
Back in Europe of course, there’s no shortage of spooky castles, but human history takes place on the streets too. Destinations as diverse as Dublin and Florence operate “dark history” tours, delving into their city’s most lurid murders, scandalous crimes, and stories of torture, grave-robbing and even cannibalism.
