The human curiosity knows no bounds! While aspects of tragedy, pain and death seem to shock us, sometimes the morbid nature of these very same things seem to attract us. Probably this attraction to the dark side of things has led to the emergence of dark tourism. And now tourism professors predict that the city of Wuhan will become a popular dark tourism destination. You get no points for guessing why!

Recently, a new study, conducted on travel needs and trends during the COVID-19 outbreak, revealed that Wuhan has been named as the No.1 destination Chinese citizens wanted to visit after the crisis was over. The study was conducted by the Chinese Tourism Academy in Beijing. And its results were based on 15,163 questionnaires and 20 million social media posts.

Now, despite being a vast metropolis, Wuhan has always been overshadowed by popular Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an. But as per the new survey, Wuhan has now overtaken Beijing as the top domestic city for tourism. And given the fact that it is the birthplace of the pandemic, it could very well evolve as a popular dark tourism destination. Just like Chernobyl, Pearl Harbor and Ground Zero in New York.

And perhaps the most popular site for dark tourism lovers in the city would be the Huanan seafood market. This wet market is considered to be Ground Zero of the coronavirus pandemic and will be definitely make it on the itinerary of every traveler attracted to the city.

The Significance Of The City Of Wuhan

Apart from being known as the city where it all started, Wuhan has always been significant city in China’s history. Not many know that it was the former capital of China and was one of the nation’s main transport hubs. In 1911, it also happened to be a setting for the revolt that helped end the country’s last Imperial dynasty.

The capital of Hubei Province is also home to a variety of cultural, historic, and natural attractions. One of its iconic sights is the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, which helped form Wuhan from the merger of three neighbouring cities. The Yellow Crane Tower, East Lake and Hubei Provincial Museum are also some of the other famous tourist attractions.

So it looks like Wuhan’s rich history, combined with its new-found fame, could turn it into a rather popular destination for dark tourism!