Dark and toxic tourism in the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Abstract

With the development of ‘dark’ and ‘toxic’ tourism, interest in death, sufferings or disasters has grown significantly and there is a need to achieve an in depth understanding of tourists experiences at such sites. This paper is an attempt to explore and understand tour guides interpretations of tourist's experiences at the one of the most infamous sites of dark and toxic tourism – the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The paper shows how different types of tourists visit the Zone at different times of the year. It further explores the site interpretations of the tour guides and the increasing influence of the media and video games in the construction of the touristic experience. It is concluded that the benefits and impacts of forms of dark and toxic forms of tourism for local communities and the environment must be further researched.