Terrorism and tourism in France: the limitations of dark tourism

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to discuss whether dark tourism can be developed around the sites of recent terrorist attacks in France. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature review of key terms: dark tourism; tourism; and terrorism. Findings The paper observes that dark tourism is not popular in France, and dark tourism activities are unlikely to develop anywhere nearer the places where the recent terrorist attacks happened. France remains rather conservative in some aspects related to death. Practical implications Recent events in France might challenge the leadership of the destination. The disturbing commonalities between tourism and terrorism make it difficult to figure out suitable recovery strategies that would contribute to enhancing the image of the destination without jeopardising the life of civilians. Originality/value This paper presents France as a politically unstable tourist destination. In general, this scenario is normally associated with less-developed countries or non-established tourist destinations.