William Valdez is not your typical travel junkie. Over the past decade, he had only been interested in visiting destinations that have been tormented by disasters.

“I love travelling in general, but I’ve always been fascinated by the places that have recovered or are undergoing a disaster. I know people must think I’m absolutely nuts, but I like getting up close to the action. It gives me a different kind of feeling than going to places like Disney,” said Valdez, the 25-year-old from Etobicoke.

According to Kevin Smith, a tourism management professor at Humber College, this travel niche known as disaster tourism, is the act of visiting a site “that experienced some form of disaster.” These disasters range from natural causes — such as earthquakes and hurricanes, to human caused tragedies, such as damages attributed by warfare.

A local sign criticizing tourists for visiting the ruins of the Lower Ninth Ward, a neighbourhood in New Orleans that was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Smith said disaster tourism is not as uncommon as people perceive. “It is the rise of people looking for places to see that fulfills something more than relaxation.” While these places are far from traditional vacation destinations, Smith also said that people travel to these places to “follow their own personal interests.”

For vacationers like Valdez, disaster tourism has become a growing alternative market for personal excitement and exploration. He said his interest in becoming a disaster tourist began as a teenager, when specialized tours and memorials became available to the public.

“When I was a teenager, I took a bus tour with my cousins to see the disaster zones of Hurricane Katrina. It was really interesting; like you’re in a set of a disaster movie and to see the things that are still standing is shocking, because these things are real. It goes beyond your expectations like nothing you’ve ever seen,” said Valdez.

He further said that visiting disaster sites are not about “glorifying the dead”, but instead is about learning about the things that happened in the past.

“It’s not about fear or celebrating the dead or human evil; it’s the story of evolution. If anything, these places teach me more about discipline and how precious life is. We live in an amazing time. That’s why I drag my family and friends to visit these places,” he said.

He also credits specialty television programs and documentaries as a reason he’s been obsessed with this travel niche.

“We live in such a great time because there’s coverage on these things now. It’s even better that shows like Chernobyl (on HBO), or Dark Tourist (on Netflix) have brought attention to these places,” said Valdez.

Delonix Villegas, a WestJet travel consultant, said that the growing interest in disaster tourism is also influenced by the media’s extended coverage of the sites.

“The media is a huge factor. During the eruption of Kilauea in Hawaii last year, we got so many calls regarding flight packages surrounding the volcano. I didn’t realize how big this thing was until I took in how huge this event was, and then it all sort of made sense. I answered about 10 calls a day just asking about that, and maybe a few emails as well,” said Villegas.

Villegas said that when a disaster occurs, news outlets don’t take into account that these places are being marketed to curious tourists.

“When a disaster like a volcano or a human tragedy happens, there always seems to be so much media coverage on that area. What happens is that the area ends up getting promoted and that’s where all the marketing comes from, without them realizing it,” said Villegas.