부산대학교 도서관

Modern travel-tourism can be traced back to historical pilgrimages to "sacred or enchanted" places that were imbued with an aura of holiness, mystery, or the supernatural. Such excursions did not focus solely on sites in nature, special buildings, or religio-cultural festivals but included quests to see holy persons, relics, and people with real or imaginary 'magical powers'. We discuss the nature of the general attraction to sacred spaces, which can be classified either as natural occurring places or created holy spaces. While this fascination is an expression of a continuation of ancient traditions, the business of dark-paranormal tourism has thrived within today's secular societies arguably due to humankind's loss of spirituality. This dark side of the unknown--including the great mystery of death--attracts many people on a superficial level via activities like the commercialization of Halloween, 'Black' guides, ghost tours, and paranormal entertainment media. Modern illusionists performing in more 'real-world' environments likewise operate in the twilight between trickery, doublebluffs, and more rarely, the truth. Against this background the ongoing tourist attraction of the 'paranormal, trickery, and horror' can be interpreted as the pursuit for a lost magic and spiritual worldview--a search in the proverbial dark for some form of cosmic light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]