Guided by the dark: From thanatopsis<i>to</i>thanatourism

Abstract Death is the one heritage that everyone shares and it has been an element of tourism longer than any other form of heritage. This paper looks at the historical development of Thanatoptic elements in travel and shows how the Dark Tourism to which this issue is devoted can be located within a historical tradition which sheds light on how it should be defined, typified and viewed today Key Words: DeathThanatopsisTourismDe Quincey