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10. Whitby's Goths Weekend It was a beautiful fine Autumn day for our visit to the famous Whitby Gothic Weekend. Most friendly, and occasionally a little scary, chalked-faced, black makeup, and black-garbed 'Gothic' figures appear all over Whitby's ancient townscape. The town is taken over for this weekend in October and even English Heritage joined in the 'darkly festive' 17th Whitby's Gothic Festival. The Goths arrive from all over the country as well as many local people and what good business they provide for Whitby Town. *
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Its always like this in Whitby!
OK guys, are we Goths ready to 'promenade'?!
What Dracula and Vampires have done for Yorkshire's tourism, and Whitby's tourism in particular is incalculable! There are some very weird figures on show as wells some attractive and more modest styles of dress.
The graveyard of St Mary's Church is a popular posing spot for Goths.
The Abbey and Harbour also provide excellent backdrops for the Gothic characters on show.
The very good folk-band 'THINGAMEJIG' provided some excellent music for this richly gothic occasion.
'Goths' watching other 'Goths'!
A sailing ship adds to this ionic scene of the ruins of Whitby Abbey and St Mary's Church - in which there was a wedding on this day.
Even Goths need a break for Whitby's famous fish and chips!
Research at the University of Derby Buxton is to lift the
lid on a dark world of horror - and see
how it can boost the UK’s tourism industry.
Goths – the sub-culture which grew out of Punk Rock in the
1980s and not the ancient tribes who brought down the Roman Empire – are being
investigated by the University’s Dr Pascal Mandelartz, an expert in what has
been dubbed “Dark Tourism.”
Dr Mandelartz believes that the Goths, who are famous for
their dark clothing, black make-up and fascination with horror and Vampire
culture such as the Twilight film series, are an undiscovered sector of the market,
a worldwide phenomenon ranging from light-hearted tours of the London Dungeon
to more macabre visits to sites where famous people such as Elvis Presley and
James Dean died.
Despite their fierce look, Goths are well-known for being
gentle and law-abiding, as anyone who has been to North Yorkshire during the
bi-annual Whitby Goth Weekends will know.
But as yet no study has been carried out into their impact
as an undiscovered segment of the Dark Tourism market, said Dr Mandelartz.
“We want to ask: is dark tourism part of the Goth identity?”
Dr Mandelartz, from Germany, told a conference in which students examined how
research techniques can be used to improve the tourism industry. “Where are the
boundaries between the mainstream and the sub-culture?”
Goths were originally English followers of punk Band
Siouxsie and the Banshees, but have since spread across the globe. Whitby is
their spiritual home because it’s the port where that famous fictional
‘tourist’ – Count Dracula - first made landfall in Bram Stoker’s novel. Only
last month their official status as a sub-culture was confirmed when Greater
Manchester Police controversially decided to record attacks on Goths and other
groups such as Emos and Punks as hate crimes.
Dr Mandelartz was one many speakers including Sally Hogg,
Head of Visitor Services and Marketing at Chatsworth, who demonstrated how
professional research techniques had helped the stately home create a tourist
experience which attracted 720,000 visitors a year.
Dr Sarah Rawlinson, Assistant Director (Academic) said:
“Hearing from a top tourism practitioner about how research can boost business
is exactly the kind of real-life expertise which we at the University aim for.
“Our students study with real-life experts because our
courses are aimed at giving them real life chances.” The above text was provided by John Philips of the University of Derby, Buxton
John Phillips
01298 330461
or
Email:
j.colburn@derby.ac.uk
Pictures of North Yorkshire, England docspics photos images © Dr Phil Brown |
Count Dracula gives kiss of life to tourism
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