The once murky and ordinary area of Chernobyl in a remote northern corner of Ukraine has become synonymous with the worst case scenario in a nuclear accident. Until the 2011 Fukushima meltdown, Chernobyl was undoubtedly the worst nuclear disaster in history. Now both are contending for bagging the top spot as the world’s most popular “dark destination”.
Tourists are now increasingly becoming interested in these ‘forbidden zones’. In 2011, Chernobyl was officially declared a tourist attraction and some in Fukushima are calling for the plant to be eventually turned into a tourist centre.
Thirty people died in the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl mishap and figures on radiation-related deaths are also a highly contested matter. According to the website dark-tourism.com, the average Chernobyl tour consists of a day trip from Kiev with a short stop at a viewpoint near reactor four. Only a handful of tourists are allowed inside the plant itself. Most tours will pass along the main road from Chernobyl town and the ghost town of Pripyat. Although vehicles are prohibited from stopping, the huge power plant is clearly visible en route.
Many tourism experts are cautious of what this fascination with the menacing might mean for society. But others welcome the revenue it creates and see it as a way of turning a disaster into something productive.
