I confess. I have a rather morbid fascination with ghost stories. My boyfriend’s tried to get me to change my ways. Numerous times. But every so often I still find myself huddled under a duvet scouring a second copy of ghost stories. And that got me thinking…

Macabre tours attract tourists in the thousands overseas. They’d rather go on a “Jack the Ripper Tour” that a historical of London. Now I don’t know what that says about a western mentality – but if you can make money from it – who cares?

You see, this market is relatively untapped in South Africa. Sure, we have the occasional ghost tour but that’s it. And there are dozens of macabre themes you could turn into a never-before-seen, blockbuster tours. And I promise you, you’ll get the local and not just tourists waiting to snap up tickets. Here are just a few themes to get you started:

* Famous murders
* African myths and legends.
* Apartheid ghosts.

This is something you could do to. Easily. 

I mean it, this requires NO set up costs, NO overheads, NO risk and you can do it whatever time it suits you. 

Now before you get writing to me suggesting I lay off the magic mushrooms, consider this... 

Dig around a little, and unearth the ghoulish tales in your area. People will LOVE being told about it. So much so, they’ll pay R200 a head for a 1-2 hour tour. And if you can get 20 people to roll on up, that’s R4,000 in your pocket for barely an evening's work. 

Here's how to get your guided tour business off the ground, and how to get people flocking to it...

* Get on the Internet and do the prep work. Or go to the library, or get out and about and speak to people who've lived around the area all their lives. 

It’s your job to dig beneath the surface and uncover the scandals and horrors of yesteryear. Just think about it – what dramas work best on TV? The murder mysteries, the tragedies, the ghost stories, that's what. Find out what took place and when, and start forming a map of your tour. 

* Get in people's faces. Contact your local tourist board and any websites that feature your town. Sell your idea to them, and get their support by highlighting how your business will help get your town on the map and up tourism. See if you can run and ad in their literature. 

* Make sure you're different! You've got to push the boundaries a bit, and do things or cover things in ways that other similar services don't. This is vital if you're in a big city, where you’ll be competing with larger operators. 

* Your tour must be gripping. If you just walk round reading out the facts, you’ll send everyone to sleep, and no one will recommend you. So bring your facts to life, and make sure they interest YOU. Your words MUST entertain. You want to see people's faces screw up in horror when you recount a grisly tale. 

Now, if this idea grabs you, there is one cost you’ll have to stomach; you'll need public liability insurance. 

But other than that, could be a great little money- spinner. Well worth giving some thought.