So are the motivations: it can be purely educational (much of Auschwitz's visitor contingent is of that sort), it can be downright voyeuristic (see ethical issues), but mostly it's kind of in between. One element is certainly that many dark tourism destinations make visitors confront their nightmares ; e.g. what would you do if you found yourself in a civil war breaking out all around you – or if a nuclear power station blew up next door?