Disaster Tourism: An Alternative Way for Sustainable Development of the Wenchuan Earthquake-stricken Areas in Sichuan

The Wenchuan Earthquake had greatly challenged the sustainability of tourism industry in Sichuan. A year after the quake, the west Sichuan gripped by disaster tourism saw an increasing number of quake-related attractions and exhibitions reputed for remembrance, attracting thousands of people to visit. While the act of tourist traveling to quake ruins is becoming a pervasive cultural activity and economic event, there is hot debate for the role that disaster tourism played in the wake of post quake recovery. Disaster tourism as an alternative approach for the recovery of tourism industry could also have some negative impacts to the area being visited. Considering the fact that Disaster tourism is not a new phenomenon in some western countries, however, is still a fresh new idea in China, the definition of disaster tourism was reviewed, compared with grief tourism and dark tourism. After studying the impacts that earthquake had to Sichuan in general and particularly to the tourism industry, this paper endeavored to provide some practical strategies for the sustainable development of the disaster tourism. The findings would hopefully have some significance for the healthy and sustainable development of disaster tourism in the earthquake stricken mountainous region in Sichuan.