Disaster Tourism Update: Chernobyl Shuts Down, Congo Volcano Draws Crowds

From Forbes.com: Disaster Tourism Update: Chernobyl Shuts Down, Congo Volcano Draws Crowds
Less than a year after the Ukrainian government invited visitors to tour the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant meltdown, a Kiev court has officially ended the practice, according to a brief report by the Voice of Russia. And why would anyone want to tour the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history anyway? It seems disaster tourism—an industry in which a perverse curiosity draws travelers to creepy, scary or depressing disaster sites over beaches, museums or ski slopes—is alive and well. Other popular spots on disaster tourism hit lists:

1. Democratic Republic of Congo: Intrepid explorers are flocking to a corner of this war-ravaged country, where rebel groups still terrorize much of the population. The spectacle tourists have come to witness, though, is a natural one: that of Mount Nyamulagira, in Virunga National Park, which has been erupting since early November. The park is offering tours and overnight tent stays, and now presents the Mikeno Lodge, with 12 thatched-roof bungalows going for $200 to $450 a night.

2. Christchurch, New Zealand: Since it was rocked by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake and endless aftershocks this year, Christchurch has seen its share of visitors who want to view the destruction—via bus, walking or Segway tours around the perimeter of affected areas, notes a report in the New Zealand Herald. In addition, helicopter and small-plane tours are allowing a bird’s-eye view of the damage.

3. New Orleans, LA: “Katrina tours” of areas including the Lower Ninth Ward have become a popular industry since the 2005 hurricane and flooding, and various versions are still on offer, including the Post Katrina Tour via van, Gray Line Hurricane Katrina bus tour and Ninth Ward Rebirth Bike Tours.

4. Japan’s Tohoku region: Since the devastating Tohoku Earthquake, tsunami and subsequent level-7 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiishi nuclear power plant in March, Japanese tourists have been making cross-country treks to the region to snap photos of the mass destruction, with a favorite stop including a lone 200-year-old pine tree in what used to be a forest in Rikezentakata, according to a report in the Telegraph.

5. Ground Zero: It’s been over a decade since the attacks of 9/11, but tourists still flock to Lower Manhattan to stare at the construction zone where it all happened. Guided tours of the area, plus the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, provide focus.