Leon Mcanally

International Tourism Management BA (Hons) *

• Year of graduation: 2017
• Current job title: Self-published author

After taking an interest in Dark Tourism at West Suffolk College, I chose this course at the University of Northampton as after researching different universities, I found that this one touched on Dark Tourism as well as other niche markets.

The aspect of the course I enjoyed the most was learning about what motivates people to visit Dark Tourism sites and the issues in which Dark Tourism locations face – both from the lack of respect by tourists and the media focus on these places. I also enjoyed learning about the LGBT tourism market and the pink pound effect on tourism companies.

Studying this course helped my career as it made me look at situations from different perspectives. It also allowed me to publish the first Dark Tourism guidebook to span the whole of the UK with over 300 locations.

I’ve shown that I’m able to think outside the box when it comes to dealing with issues and situations within my workplace. Writing my book has allowed me to see that there are many Dark Tourism sites across England that may not firstly be considered under this term, however they can in fact be classified as this. I plan to work with attractions that can be classified as Dark Tourism to increase visitor numbers by making tourists more aware of these sites and acting as a Dark Tourism consultant for tourists planning their travels.

The skills and knowledge gained on my degree that’s most useful in my current role is an understanding that the factual history of places that may be linked to death, suffering and tragedy, is a driving factor of Dark Tourism. This has allowed the definition of Dark Tourism as historical sites and places associated with death, suffering and tragedy – whether these are places where violence and killings have taken place, or natural or man-made disasters have occurred. However, it’s pivotal that these places inform visitors of their factual history so, as a country, we can historically preserve our history in the right manner, and it can be used as a learning tool for society.

The advice I would give to undergraduates interested in this career path would be if you have an interest in a particular subject, e.g. Dark Tourism, the course may appear to only touch on this, so you should also look for opportunities within the coursework to focus on your subject area of interest as much as possible. Much of my work focused on Dark Tourism, which allowed me to continue to pursue a career in this after I finished university, as I’d learned new skills and developed as a person.

*UON no longer offers International Tourism Management BA (Hons), but you can study tourism as part of the Hospitality Management BA (Hons) course.