ABSTRACT

Industrial heritage tourism is a well-established niche within the heritage tourism sector. Depending upon the social and economic history of the country being visited, tourists can experience a diverse range of attractions depicting aspects of the industrial past. This chapter focuses on one particular type of industrial heritage, that of coal mining. Specifically, it is concerned with exploring the phenomenon of mining tourism rather than management issues associated with operating mines as tourist attractions. This perspective is important because it can shine a light on the ways in which visitors think about and experience this form of tourism, as Pretes (2002) asks ‘why are tourists interested in mines?’