Thana Tourism: An Exploration of the Dark Aspect of Leisure and Eerie Travel in India

Abstract

Tourism industry in India dates back to ancient times; has undergone various phases of development since then and gained a rapid momentum and immense popularity. The new genre of tourism is “Dark Tourism”—a notion less perceived, yet brimming with anxiety and intrigue. Gone is the era where tourist’s interest revolved only around destinations of romantic interest, scenic beauty and rejuvenation. The concept of “Thana tourism” or “Phoenix Tourism” has gained rapid momentum all over the world; India still being in the “Conception” stage with regards to this category of tourism. Dark tourism—also known as Thana tourism—is a booming section in the tourism industry, which involves visit to locations, concerning with bereavement and anguish. Thana tourist interest depends largely upon the level of their curiosity and sense of validation to the concept of death [1]. Human psychology plays a quintessential role in pursuing curiosity and inquisitiveness, which forms the root cause for tourists thronging towards the destinations of dark tourism. This quest for travelling to unusual places gives a tremendous adrenaline rush for tourists, creating an impact and thus attracting them to the world of “Dark Tourism—the new wanderlust”. One of the earliest origins of dark tourism can be traced towards a 19th century jailhouse in the United States of America, which gained popularity owing to its distinctive architectural design and novel practice. India has innumerable unexplored potential for the growth of dark tourism. A thorough understanding of the phenomenon of dark tourism within broader sociocultural aspect is necessary for further exploration and exhilaration of these tourist locations. Dark tourism is an “after the fact” activity and can be termed as an old theory in today’s new, fast progressing world. Turning a place of catastrophe into a tourist destination requires keeping in mind the hardcore values, ethics, sentiments and moral of the people. The focus is to showcase the plight of those who suffered, keeping their memory alive and could also serve as a way of learning from the past to evade similar debacles from taking place. Cite this Article Soni G, Anand P. Thana Tourism: An Exploration of the Dark Aspect of Leisure and Eerie Travel in India. Journal of Production Research and Management. 2017; 7(1): 1–10p.