TOPIC – KEYNOTE
Dark Tourism and the Moral Responsibilities of Travellers
Dark Travel is an increasingly popular sub-field of travel. Many of us are morbidly fascinated by cemeteries, places where murders or disasters took place and memorials to some major historical lows in human history are frequently visited by mainstream travelers. But what are the moral responsibilities, if any, that such fascination entails? To what extent are there boundaries one should not cross and what are they? Using case studies of some considerable dark travels across the globe, this talk will aim to highlight the issues and sensitise the audience to the moral difficulties of dark tourism. While there may be more questions following the discussion than there will be answers, we believe that this subject is increasingly relevant given the prevalence of conflict as well as climate change and their effects on modern life and travel
BIO
Harry Mitsidis was born in London in 1972 to a Greek father and a South African mother. He was brought up in Athens, Greece, taking an early interest in aviation and the cinema. After completing a Masters in sociology from Oxford University as well as an MBA – which served to make him certain he did not want to work in a corporation – travel gradually took over as the main focus of his life. He completed his last independent country in 2008, and founded NomadMania in 2012. In 2023, he completed his second visit to all 193 countries and continues travelling intensively around the more obscure corners of our planet. He is the author of the factual travel mystery The Curious Case of William Baekeland, with his recent comedy-thriller Welcome to the Hotel NomadMania is his first published book of fiction.
Learn more about Harry and listen to this podcast.
