Dark tourism: Growth potential of niche tourism in the Free State Province, South Africa

Abstract

Dark tourism involves tourists visiting sites of death, disaster and depravity. Well known dark tourism sites include Chernobyl in the Ukraine, the 9/11 Memorial in New York, and the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Battlefields of World War I and II are also excellent examples of dark tourism sites. Dark tourism has become a niche tourism sector with great potential for future tourism growth. In South Africa, the FSGLTA acting as the marketing arm of the Free State, targets to increase its tourism numbers and therefore are looking for means of growing the tourism arrivals towards the province. Dark tourism has been identified as one of their ways to grow tourism. The main objective of the paper is to reveal the niche tourism potential of the Free State by focusing on the South African War (1899–1902). The broader aim is to establish the typical profile of South African War enthusiasts.