Dark Tourism, an Absolute Transition, a Great Reset to Propel Reconciliation: The Case of Jaffna War Zones

Abstract

People's fascination with historical sites led to the development of the dark tourism phenomenon. Today's tourism idea has been affected by the obsession with sorrow and death, and many tourists from across the world visit regions connected to Sri Lanka. A notable case study for the growth of dark tourism in Asia is Sri Lanka, a South Asian nation that has been involved in a 26-year civil war with the Tamil Tigers and has left behind an ingenious historical relic system. There tend to be many competing viewpoints when it comes to historical battle sites, but having a particular cause to go there gives individuals a variety of feelings and experiences. This research paper reviews academic research into dark tourism over the 1996–2016 period. The way that tourists view war memorials depends on how they understand “their reality” as it is presented by the location and its inhabitants. The structure and numerous facets of the dark areas in South Asian culture, which are distinguished by a certain sort of enlightened pilgrims and ancestral ceremonial practice, are identified using a qualitative research technique. This study aimed to address those research aims by conducting semi-structured interviews with members of the general population. The researcher examines the information obtained through the interpretation and tales of the tour leader. The study advances our knowledge of dark tourism generally and in the context of Sri Lankan war zones, where the role of dark tourism in Sri Lanka's history of war has been underappreciated.

Citation

Ramanayaka, S.K.L.J. (2024), "Dark Tourism, an Absolute Transition, a Great Reset to Propel Reconciliation: The Case of Jaffna War Zones", Sharma, A., Arora, S. and Shukla, P. (Ed.) Dark Tourism (Building the Future of Tourism), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 107-121. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-336-120241009