Exploring why people visit landslide-hit places after disasters

Visiting areas hit by disasters isn't just about sightseeing—it's a mix of curiosity and something deeper. A recent study looked at why people travel to places like Kerala, India, just months after deadly landslides. Four months after the July 2019 disaster, researchers asked 438 visitors about their reasons. They didn't focus on just one thing. Instead, they checked four common travel motives: seeking new experiences, looking for fun, wanting to learn, or bonding with others. They also measured a less talked-about feeling called "benign schadenfreude"—basically, taking pleasure in someone else’s bad luck without wanting to cause harm. The results were surprising. Most travel motives had a positive effect on the urge to visit, but fun wasn’t one of them. Instead, people driven by curiosity, learning, or spending time with loved ones were more likely to want to go. However, the strongest push came from schadenfreude. Those who felt this way were even more drawn to disaster sites, especially when the experience felt new. This suggests that disaster tourism isn’t just about adventure or education—it’s also about something more complex. It’s about feeling a strange satisfaction when things go wrong for others.But why does this happen? Humans are naturally drawn to the unusual. When a place changes dramatically after a disaster, it becomes a kind of "forbidden" attraction. People wonder what it looks like now and what stories it holds. Learning about the event or seeing how communities rebuild can also make visitors feel more connected to others. Yet, there’s a shadow side. Schadenfreude shows that not all curiosity is innocent. It’s a reminder that not everyone visits these places with pure intentions. The study used advanced modeling to understand these patterns. It found that 59% of the reasons people wanted to visit disaster sites could be explained by this mix of motives. But the research had limits. It only looked at one place and one time. It also focused only on the "light" version of schadenfreude—not the darker kind where people take joy in harming others. Future studies should check if these findings hold true in other cultures or after different kinds of disasters. For places managing these sites, the lesson is clear. Tourism after disasters needs careful handling. Authorities must balance allowing visitors to learn with protecting the dignity of those affected. Too many tourists can feel invasive. Too few might miss an opportunity to educate. The challenge is finding the right middle ground.