The Potentials Of Dark Tourism In Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

Dark tourism is a type of special interest tourism that involves travel to places historically associated with death, disaster, tragedy, and atrocities. Visits to such places not only for the purpose of remembrance but in the name of historical awareness where tourists may learn about violence, sorrow, and pain, in the hope of preventing future savageries and fatal. This paper examines the potentials of dark tourism in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Banda Aceh, which is located in the north-western tip of Sumatra Island, is a city that vulnerable to natural disasters such as the undersea earthquake and tsunami. Dark tourism is largely controversial but through positive points of view, this type of tourism has a lot of potentials to be developed in terms of packages, routes, attractions, and information. Besides, this paper studies the involvement of local communities especially the tsunami survivors in the dark tourism packages as interpreters. Data were gathered from site observations and interviews with tourism officials, travel agents, tour guides, tourism lecturers, and tourism volunteers. The interviews were conducted in Banda Aceh in April 2019 where some of the informants are tsunami survivors. The findings highlight that dark tourism in the city has a lot to explore and exploit. The sorrow’s vibes, gloom ambiance and the obscure secret of the attractions filled with history, opportunity, and hope that have been hidden throughout these years. In conclusion, dark tourism in Banda Aceh should be proliferated internationally.