‘Rough’ and ‘wild’ Ottawa a hit with visitors increasingly interested in ‘dark tourism’

As the leaves fall and temperatures drop, the tourism season is drawing to a close for most local businesses. But for those that deal in the dark and macabre, the next few weeks are expected to bring one last flurry of activity. 

It’s been a solid season for The Haunted Walk, which offers ghost tours and paranormal investigations at some of Ottawa’s most haunted locations, as founder and CEO Glen Shackleton told OBJ on Wednesday. 

“I think the interest is only growing and we’ve had a very good year,” said Shackleton. “We’ve had a huge amount of visitation, particularly Canadians visiting their own country, and I think that’s been a boost to everybody.”

Due to the timing of Halloween, Shackleton said tourism operators in the spooky space enjoy a longer season than their non-spooky counterparts. In the spring, Haunted Walk sees an influx of school groups eager to learn about the city’s dark history, while the summer attracts international tourists. 

But autumn, he said, is always a highlight. And this year, he said the company already has tours booked into mid-November. 

“In the fall, we get a fair bit of tourism, but also a lot of locals,” he said. “It’s more what we call VFR tourism — meaning visiting friends and relatives — where you have guests from out of town and you bring them on a tour. So we’re busy right into November with a high demand for ghost tours.”

From the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and ByTowne Museum to Beechwood Cemetery, Shackleton said Ottawa’s haunted haunts are drawing more attention than ever as dark tourism takes off across North America. 

“Ottawa has this kind of juxtaposition,” he said. “If somebody goes to New Orleans to visit, they know it has a reputation for being a spooky city. Ottawa doesn’t necessarily have that. But when you do look at the history of the city, it’s really rough with a lot of wild stories. Ottawa is considered to be a beautiful place with amazing culture. But when you bring the spooky, it works really well. It just gives people something that contrasts with their expectations.”

While certain destinations have long leaned into their haunted nature, Hilary Becker said more and more cities, even those with squeaky-clean reputations, are digging up their dark histories and showing them off for tourists. 

“Dark tourism is the act of travel to sites associated with death, suffering and the seemingly macabre,” said Becker, who has a unique specialty: he is professor of accounting at Carleton’s Sprott School of Business who studies the business of dark tourism in some of the world’s most haunted destinations. 

“Every country has (dark stories) and we’re seeing an increase in interest as a component of tourism. We’re seeing more in the social media aspect of it. We’re seeing more haunted ghost shows on TV and podcasts surrounding true crime. It’s becoming more mainstream. People are even spending more on Halloween and it’s becoming more adult-oriented. It just seems to be becoming more of an interest to people.”

While tourists may not come to Ottawa for its ghosts, Becker said visitors are more likely to seek out activities that give them a thrill or a peek behind the dark curtain. 

And while some may seek the adrenaline rush of a haunted house, he said, others look for haunted tours to learn about history and heritage. 

Either way, he said tourists are looking for something a little different these days. 

“We are definitely much more contemplative, thinking about our own death, especially since COVID hit,” said Becker. “We’re also seeing a greater change in the tourism industry in general. People are more interested in experiences than in the locations they’re going to. It has been a fundamental change in tourism that a number of countries are facing: how to become more authentic in the way they present things.”

While there are always peaks and valleys in the tourism sector, Becker said, overall, dark tourism is on the rise.

“We’re definitely in a growth phase,” he said. “It’s growing in the public consciousness, about understanding dark stories and people questioning and saying, ‘I want to experience that,’” he said. “The more people that engage with this stuff, the more they become interested in it.”