Kerala Police asks people to avoid visiting landslides-hit Wayanad for 'Dark Tourism'

Meanwhile, Kerala Police have issued a crucial message on its X (previously Twitter) page where it has directed people from avoiding 'sightseeing' in the disaster-hit areas.

In its message posted on X, the Kerala Police said: "Please don't go to disaster areas for sightseeing It will affect rescue operations."

 According to reports, Kerala has witnessed visitors to the disaster sites in recent times.

What is Dark Tourism?

Dark tourism (also thanatourism, black tourism, morbid tourism, or grief tourism) has been defined as tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy.

According to reports, the bizarre trend has been gaining popularity since World War II.

These tourism sites mostly include cemeteries, mausoleums, mortuaries, disaster zones, battlefields, memorials, prisons, execution sites, and crime scenes.

Some of the popular Dark tourism sites include New York's Ground Zero where travellers visit to experience  the scariest terror attack which took place on September 11, 2001.

The other major destinations include Chernobyl in Ukraine, Auschwitz Concentration Camps in Poland, among others.