Suicide Tourism

Abstract

The purpose of this short communication is to deliver a theoretical perspective of suicide tourism within the context of Leiper’s tourism system. Based on the theoretical model, it may be argued whether travel for suicidal purposes meets the requirements to be regarded as a form of tourism. Despite this, the term is widely used in both academia and in the media. The author urges the academic community to provide directions to tourism stakeholders on how to assist those who choose to travel to specific locations to take their own lives. The exposure of places as “suicidal hot spots” should be avoided by the media. This may give the impression of a pseudo-idyllic form of tourism activity with the participant’s own life, while it involves the risk of triggering people’s inquisitiveness of capturing and sharing the macabre moment on social media and help visitors act as observers of the death of others.