Academic literature on the topic 'Dark tourism'

Dark tourism is an appellation defining travel to a diverse array of tourist sites that portray death, disasters, or calamities. For over 25 years, dark tourism as an international subject of scholarly interest has drawn together multidisciplinary discourse, where the dominion of the dead collides with contemporary touristic consumption. In turn, dark tourism has opened scholarly scrutiny of our significant Other dead and how societies deal with difficult heritage. Consequently, dark tourism is about polysemic touristic encounters with our memorialized dead, where a fine line exists between commemoration and commercialism. Dark tourism is inherently political and dissonant, as (re)presentations of our dead are imbued with sociopolitical bias and where remembrance is politically engineered and hegemonically orchestrated. Whereas heritage may produce narratives for dark tourism, it is the tourist experience that consumes such messages and co-constructs meaning making. Indeed, dark tourism displays our fights, follies, failures, and misfortunes, and subsequent tourist experiences of our ‘heritage that hurts’ mediates a sense of mortality at places of fatality.

The article emphasizes that the issue of «dark» tourism is insufficiently studied in scientific sources, but it is already attracting interest in science and society. A short author’s analysis of the materials of modern scientific research and research on theoretical and practical aspects of the development of «dark» tourism in the world by foreign and domestic scientists was carried out. The resource base for the development of «dark» tourism in the world was studied. A list of 57 potentially popular tourist «dark» places and objects («dead cities» and places of alienation, medieval castles, dungeons, catacombs, thematic museums, prisons, barracks, hospitals, cathedrals, ancient settlements, cemeteries, sanctuaries , anomalous zones, places of power, objects or territories of natural phenomena and disasters, battlefields and battles, etc.), which can be used in the development of new tourism products. According to monitoring data, a map scheme of «dark» tourism objects has been completed. Geographical (by macro-regions of the world) and thematic (by objects belonging to specific types of dark tourism: mystical tourism, necropolis tourism, thanatotourism and disaster tourism) structuring of these objects was carried out, and regularities in their geospatial organization were revealed. The most interesting objects of dark tourism in the regions of the world are highlighted and a brief description of several destinations is given. It is noted that the study of objects of «dark» tourism can be useful in the process of forming strategies for the development of tourism in countries and regions, in the arrangement of infrastructure of the appropriate profile (quest rooms, amusement parks, thematic entertainment centers), in the organization of cultural events, contests, quests, festivals , educational excursions in mystical places to popularize them among tourists and attract additional investments, in the activities of tourist enterprises that plan to expand the existing range of tourist programs. The importance of further research on dark tourism is emphasized, as it is designed to stimulate humanity to realize the scale of disasters, to recognize the need for a peaceful relationship between people, science, military and nuclear technologies, which sometimes endanger the existence of the entire human civilization, and which makes clear the errors of these events and tragedies of the past and present.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the knowledge gap in the field of dark tourism by understanding the phenomena of phoenix tourism, which focuses on the transformation and rebirth of places following death and disasters. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds on existing theoretical understanding of dark tourism and disaster recovery to explore destination image recovery within the tourism industry. It uses phoenix tourism as a lens to understand the social, cultural and economic context of post-disaster tourism destination recovery and rebranding in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Findings A presentation of post-disaster strategies and recommendations are given with attention to the re-branding of images once associated with death and darkness to enhance a destination’s resilience. Practical Implications For local policymakers, tourism leaders, researchers and community developers, this research describes strategies that facilitate rebranding dark tourism sites, such as areas of rebirth or “phoenix tourism”, to enhance destination recovery image and to promote a more disaster- and risk-resilient tourism industry. Originality/value This paper bridges the knowledge gap by defining and contributing to the theoretical understanding of phoenix tourism as it identifies the what, how and why elements of the phenomena of phoenix tourism. Furthermore, the authors propose how to overcome negative destination images to preserve, present or redefine an image of a tourist destination “overcoming”, and eventual “rebirth” serves to re-calibrate resilience of the tourism industry and regional redevelopment.

This article presents the operationalization of violence in dark tourism through repeated visits to a prominent state-operated tourist site in southern Vietnam called the Cu Chi tunnels complex. I argue that this operationalization occurs because dark tourism plays on the violent performances of the extraordinary and everyday. In making this argument, I encourage both a recuperation of the exceptional aspects of the dark tourism experience and a continued appreciation of dark tourism’s routine characteristics. A performative relationship between the remarkable and the familiar brings the operationalization of violence more closely into conversation with dark tourism in Asia, a field and a region more attuned to memorialization and commemoration than with tourist enactments of violence.

Known for its significant potential in the tourism industry, Indonesia fails to promote dark tourism destinations as one of their main pillars of national tourism. As some countries were bold enough to create tourist attractions out of the catastrophes that hit them during their history, Indonesia holds one of the most death obsessed culture in the world, but it is not a strong dark tourism destination. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential of dark tourism destinations Indonesia has, the motivation of “dark tourists” consumers and the approach of Indonesians towards dark tourism. Keywords: dark tourism, macabre tourism, zombie tourism

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of tourists’ value on satisfaction and loyalty intentions in dark tourism.Design/methodology/approachThis research was conducted using the data collected through a questionnaire survey from 403 tourists visiting a dark tourism destination in India. Data were analyzed using CFA and SPSS macro (Process).FindingsThe findings confirmed that tourists’ values have significant direct and indirect effects on loyalty intentions via satisfaction in dark tourism. Among specific value, the strongest direct and indirect influence of emotional value in dark tourism is the unique finding of this research.Practical implicationsThis study would help the marketers, government, local authorities and relevant stakeholders operating in dark tourism to formulate policies and strategies to better serve this niche tourism.Originality/valueThis research is the first-known attempt to reveal the uniqueness of tourists’ perception of value in dark tourism. It could significantly add to the literature and practice of dark tourism.

This work aims to address whether knowing what dark tourism is (or not) impacts rumination on sadness, self-hatred, hostility, psychological vulnerability, and tourist wellbeing, as well as practices and motivations for dark tourism. A quantitative approach, based on a survey of 993 respondents, reveals that women and more educated participants know more about dark tourism; people who know what dark tourism is have visited more Holocaust museums, sites of human tragedy and natural disasters, concentration camps, and prisons; show more curiosity, need to learn and understand, and need to see morbid things. A model was found showing that gender, age, know/do not know dark tourism, and motivations (curiosity, the need to learn, the need to understand, and pleasure) explained 38.1% of a dark tourism practice index. Most findings also indicate that rumination on sadness, self-hatred, hostility, and psychological vulnerability are associated with darker practices. Greater wellbeing was not found in participants who knew in advance what dark tourism was. Interestingly, participants who visit tragic human sites present higher values in hostility and tourist wellbeing than those who do not. In summary, people who visit more dark places and score higher on negative personality characteristics have higher values of tourist wellbeing.

Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to discuss whether dark tourism can be developed around the sites of recent terrorist attacks in France. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature review of key terms: dark tourism; tourism; and terrorism. Findings The paper observes that dark tourism is not popular in France, and dark tourism activities are unlikely to develop anywhere nearer the places where the recent terrorist attacks happened. France remains rather conservative in some aspects related to death. Practical implications Recent events in France might challenge the leadership of the destination. The disturbing commonalities between tourism and terrorism make it difficult to figure out suitable recovery strategies that would contribute to enhancing the image of the destination without jeopardising the life of civilians. Originality/value This paper presents France as a politically unstable tourist destination. In general, this scenario is normally associated with less-developed countries or non-established tourist destinations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present contrasting approaches to the descriptive case study of tourism to the buried city of Plymouth, Montserrat, an example of the marketing and burying – the supply and demand – of apocalyptic dark tourism on the island. Design/methodology/approach A case study mixed-methods methodology is adopted, and findings are derived from tour guiding fieldwork, guide and tourist interviews, and an analysis of travel writing and tourism marketing campaigns. Findings Dark tourism is viewed as a contentious and problematic concept: it attracts and repels tourism to the former capital Plymouth, Montserrat. After 20 years of the volcano crisis, the islanders, government and Tourist Board are commemorating resilience living with the volcano and regeneration in a disaster scenario. Marketing and consumption approaches to dark tourism elucidate different facets to the case study of “the buried city” of Plymouth, Montserrat, and the Montserrat Springs Hotel overlooking Plymouth. The disjunct between these two types of approach to dark tourism, as well as the different criteria attached to working definitions of dark tourism – and the range of interests in apocalyptic dark tourism into the city and its surrounds – show some of the problems and limitations with theoretical and scalar discussions on dark tourism. Research limitations/implications The paper’s implications are that both supply and demand approaches to dark tourism are needed to fully understand a dark tourism destination and to reconcile the disjunct between these two approaches and the perspectives of tourist industry and tourism users. Originality/value This is a descriptive dark tourism case study of a former capital city examined from both supply and demand perspectives. It introduces the apocalyptic to dark tourism destination analysis.

This study looks at some primary points in the discourse of virtual dark tourism (VDT) formation. Derived from the spectrum of sound branding (SB), virtual reality (VR), coupled with augmented reality (AR), the case is used as a tool to support the claims of VDT. Findings suggest viewpoints for making death sites exclusive, and offer valuable clues to the design of VDT formation as an option to include death sites as market offerings of dark tourism. Guided by social constructionist research philosophy, coupled with semiology and compositional interpretation, the analysis offers valuable clues to position sites built around the narratives of death. Not only does it verify elements of unique and emotional selling propositions in the typology of death sites, but it also signifies the emerging state of the art on the nexus between VDT and SB. Specifically, dark themed songs coupled AR are used as tourism drivers for designing Trunyan Cemetery, Bali. Overall, this review shows preliminary designs for prototype death sites. Several issues and directions for future research are discussed.