Would you be interested to visit a place that is categorized under dark tourism?
Dark tourism is defined as tourism directed to places that are identified generally with death and suffering. So you see,
dark tourism encompasses not just sites of paranormal activities but also places where great deaths and disasters have occurred. Take for example the site of the Chernobyl accident in Ukraine or the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.
Dark Tourism: Taking The Journey Through Gloom
People love a good thrill
Let's face it, there’s something about the dark and gruesome that many people find fascinating and intriguing. We all love the feeling of suspense and thrill, sometimes even beyond the threshold of our tolerance.
Oftentimes, we find ourselves holding a Stephen King masterpiece and involuntarily flipping through the pages, even if our mind is telling us to do otherwise. How many of us, for example, have indulged in a horror movie, alone in our room, just to get our hearts pumping fast? I love doing this and I'm sure many of you do, too.
Some even take it a step further, like visiting abandoned houses and buildings, and even cemeteries alone. The adrenaline rush is undoubtedly addictive.
Perhaps that is also why dark tourism has gained popularity among travelers worldwide. Or perhaps because history becomes even more interesting when it has dark undertones.
Dark tourism and society
Some people may think that dark tourism is just a fad or a passing fancy, but it is a legitimate branch of tourism. The fact that there is an academic center dedicated to it — the Institute for Dark Tourism Research (iDTR) of The University of Central Lancashire - proves that dark tourism somehow holds importance in the realm of travel and tourism.
iDTR promotes ethical research into the social scientific understanding of
tourist sites of death, disaster, or the seemingly macabre. The iDTR brings
together researchers who seek to deliver internationally-recognized research
that contributes to the ethical and social scientific understanding of dark
tourism and dark heritage.
iDTR Executive Director Dr. Philip Stone said that dark tourism, from an
academic perspective deals with history, remembrance, memorialization, and
intrigue. Dark tourism is essential for society because “the ordinary dead
becomes significant with life because that is how we connect with them, the idea of connection and the idea of putting ourselves in other people’s shoes,
that’s really important,” Dr. Stone added.
Conceptually, dark tourism has been in existence for a long time but the term was coined only around 1996. But if we would think closely, people have long been visiting places of death such as the place of Jesus Christ’s passing, for example, or the Catacombs of Paris. The Great Pyramids of Egypt, while considered architectural wonders are, first and foremost, enormous royal mausoleums.
Top 5 dark tourism sites in the Philippines
Sunny and the tropical Philippines is known for its pristine beaches and blissful
islands but is also home to spots that fall under the category of dark tourism.
It’s not a new concept in the Philippines as Filipinos have also long been
enthralled by ghost stories and other hair-raising tales.
But more than this, as I have mentioned earlier, dark tourism is also a walk
back in history and an appreciation of art and heritage.
Here are some top sites in the Philippines that can be categorized under dark
tourism:
1. Intramuros
Intramuros is a Spanish-era walled settlement that is also the original site
of old Manila, an ancient Tagalog colony along the banks of the Pasig River.
The land, bequeathed by the former native rulers to the Spaniards, eventually became the seat of education, government, and religion during the Spanish colonial era. The wall was constructed to protect the city from natural disasters as well as attacks from pirates and other invaders.
At only 0.67 square kilometers in land area, Intramuros is best explored by foot. As a starting point, one might want to visit Manila Cathedral (Minor
Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception), a neo-Romanesque cathedral that was established in 1571.
Other sites that are worthy of a visit in Intramuros are San Agustin Church, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fort Santiago, Palacio del Gobernador, Casa
Manila, and Aduana Building ruins, to name some.
In the daytime, Fort Santiago is a beautiful historical park that houses antiquities from the Spanish colonial era. It tells a different story by nighttime though because of horrid events during World War II where hundreds of soldiers and civilians were tortured and killed in Fort Santiago.
Before the war, Fort Santiago also served as a prison. Some say that noises
can be heard from the empty dungeons of Fort Santiago during nighttime.
Also inside Intramuros is the seemingly innocent ruins of St. Ignatius Church at the former Ateneo de Manila. Little do people know that on that site, over
60,000 people died during the Liberation of Manila.
In 1932, a large fire gutted the buildings of the old Ateneo, which almost reduced the complex to ashes. This site is considered today as one of the most haunted places in Metro Manila.
2. Corregidor Island
Corregidor Island (Fort Mills) is a small tadpole-shaped rocky island located
at the entrance of Manila Bay and served as a military defense post during
World War II.
It was considered to have played an important role during the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Geographically, the island is more proximate to Manila but it is under the jurisdiction of Cavite.
The only route going to the island is via a one-hour ferry ride from Manila
Bay. One may explore the island by foot or by bike or via tranvias through the guided tours conducted by Sun Cruises. The island is divided into four areas: top side, middle side, bottom side, and tail side.
The section with the biggest land area is topside. This is the location of
the Army headquarters, barracks, officers’ quarters, most of the artillery
batteries, the Pacific War Memorial, and an old Spanish lighthouse.
The middle side contains the officers’ quarters, barracks, hospitals, quarters for non-commissioned officers, and schools. The hospital, reputed to be haunted, is a favorite site for ghost-hunting tours.
The bottom side is the lower part of the island that serves as the neck that connects the head and the tail of the island. The Malinta Tunnel, the last stronghold of the Philippine and American military forces, is located here.
This tunnel was originally intended as a bunker but it was eventually
converted to a 1000-bed hospital.
Most of the islands parks and memorials are located at the tail side of
Corregidor Island. The Filipino Heroes Memorial, with its 14 rich murals, is located here at the tail end.
At night time, Corregidor falls eerily silent. Most caretakers on the island would warn guests to be very careful especially when taking walks in the dark. Many soldiers, after all, lost their lives on this very island during the last major world war.
3. La Loma Catholic Cemetery (Campo Santo de La Loma)
While not really a known tourist spot, visitors are allowed to enter La Loma
Catholic Cemetery, especially if they have relatives interred here.
If you plan to take pictures, you might want to secure a permit from the admin
office first because when we went here around 10 years ago, we were
apprehended by a security guard who told us that we needed a permit to take
photographs.
The La Loma Catholic Cemetery is the oldest in Manila, opened in 1884, and is located in Caloocan City, with its southern portion under Manila’s
territory.
It was originally known as Cementerio de Binondo since the area was then under the jurisdiction of Sta. Cruz, Manila. In the olden days, the cemetery was known for its intricately-designed wrought-iron gates supported by equally stunning stone columns with elaborate carvings.
Throughout the cemetery, one may find mausoleums and tombs that are decorated
in Gothic and neo-classical styles; no doubt works of art.
The focal point of La Loma Catholic Cemetery is the old St. Pancratius Chapel,
a funerary chapel that is no longer used since 1964 when a new chapel was built near the main road. The old baroque chapel is much grander, with its façade of lavishly-carved stone reliefs.
A few years ago, a friend and I went to La Loma Cemetery to take snapshots of
the works of art within the property but we were driven away by a guard who
told us that it was prohibited to take photos unless we secured a permit. We
had no way of verifying if it were true so we had no choice but to
leave.
4. Manila North Cemetery
Just like the La Loma Cemetery, the Manila North Cemetery is not really a
mainstream attraction typically visited by tourists. However, urban explorers often go here because there are many famous personalities such as presidents and movie actors buried here.
Manila North Cemetery is also one of the oldest burial grounds in Metro
Manila. It used to be part of La Loma Cemetery but it was created to be exclusively a Catholic cemetery. Mausoleums with varying degrees of architectural details can also be seen inside the cemetery.
Perhaps one of the distinguishing marks of this memorial park is the number of
notable personalities – mostly politicians and film stars – who are buried
here.
Interestingly, there are group plots inside the cemetery, namely, American
Association, Armed Forces of the Philippines Cemetery, Boy Scout Cenotaph,
Firemen's plot, Jewish Cemetery, Masonic burial grounds, Mausoleo de Los
Veteranos de la Revolución, Military and police plot, Thomasites' plot, and
Veterans of Foreign Wars.
5. Baguio
The Summer Capital of the Philippines’ chilly winds is perhaps not only due to
its altitude, but also because of the many haunted spots in the City of
Pines.
Probably the most famous of these eerie places is the Diplomat Hotel, an
abandoned lodge that is said to be the site of many dreadful events during
World War II. Many guests have attested to many hair-raising experiences inside the property, including videos of ghosts and spirit possessions.
Other places to visit in Baguio for a dose of goosebumps is Loakan Road,
Laperal White House, Teachers Camp, and the site of the old Hyatt Hotel.
Epilogue
You might have already experienced going to a dark tourism site but you may not have realized it. In any case, since dark tourism is not confined to haunted places, chances are it's a lot more common than we think since many of the historical places that we know of have death or some form of suffering associated with them. In the end, dark tourism also involves a lot of lessons about history and maybe even art.
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Really interesting post. It is like how people want to visit old prisons.
ReplyDeleteYup, exactly. Places like that really fuel one's curiosity. Thank you!
DeleteOh man, this is spooky. But I love places like this, especially during Halloween. We're going to a scary event this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI would visit these type of places for the history. I would not visit them at night.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the thrill seekers too, I could relate to that. But I won't dare to get near to these places when it's evening. Haha
ReplyDeleteI actually love this kind of stuff. I would love to visit any of these places you have listed. I think it would be neat to see them.
ReplyDeletePeople travel for many reasons. Some food, history, culture, fashion, and, as you stated, dark tourism. I prefer to travel for food and culture.
ReplyDeleteOh fun!! I would take this tour in a minute. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post I have to admit I am interested by dark tourism the history is especially is something that fascinates me about so many of these locations.
ReplyDeleteI visited some of these places already but didn't really know the story behind it. I will not intentionally visit places like this just for the thrill of it.
ReplyDeleteWe went to the Ohio Reformatory in Mansfield and it was so creepy I walked out. Some places do have bad vibes.
ReplyDeleteI've seen "Dark Tourist" on Netflix with David Farrier and it is very interesting. Definitely some fascinating locations.
ReplyDeleteDark and creepy locations are as transfixing to visit as more traditionally beautiful locations. I find there is even beauty in darkness.
ReplyDelete