This conceptual article brings to the attention of tourism scholars new possibilities to theorize dark tourism as an affective socio-spatial encounter. To do so, we frame dark tourism within theories ...of affect and, in particular, geographies of affect. We show how debates around dark tourism terminology and taxonomies, in most cases underlie considerations on felt, affective aspects of the dark tourism experience. We critically debate the concept of affect, the distinctions between affects and emotions, and the complex issue of representability of affect. Our perspective is underpinned by a necessity to consider the context and limitations that frame the affective experience of the tourist and the resulting encounters. This offers a deeper layer of understanding tourists' experiences in death and disaster places as well as the political and ethical charge imbued in such encounters.
The purpose of this research is to explore the concept of dark tourism, focusing on the conceptual approach of dark tourism, the different terms stated for its nature, the review of its historical ...background as well as its main categories. Emphasis is placed on the identification of the tourists’ general beliefs regarding the concept of dark tourism, their emotions related to visits to specific dark tourism monuments and the internal motives that serve as driving forces for visits to dark tourism spots of interest. The study investigates whether the contemporary representation of dark tourism monuments in Greece accurately reflects the historical background and the horrific events that took place in the past. The research aims to investigate whether there is a statistically significant correlation between the variables of dissonance in the representation of the sites, the motives and emotions of the tourists, and whether there is a statistical difference in the dissonance, emotions and motives based on the demographic results. The type of the research implemented is the primary quantitative research and the outcomes reveal that the overall picture of emotions is at an average level, with dark tourism eliciting both positive and negative emotions from the tourism audience.
Dark tourism and its implications have been gaining significant prominence in both the literature and in practice in recent years. Moving conceptualizations of dark tourism forward, we utilize the ...interpretative phenomenological frame to investigate the interrelationships between tourism and current conditions of society. We do this by qualitatively studying tourists' experiences while in the process of attending dark tourism oriented music festivals that prominently feature direct confrontation with abjection. Our findings indicate that these abjection-oriented festivals allow tourists to encounter blood, animal corpses and other death elements in a ritual-like context within the confines of a transitory space. Ultimately, our research reveals how dark tourism festivals featuring abjection can allow some tourists to feel closer to actual death.
The darker side of travel Sharpley, Richard; Stone, Philip R
2009., 2009, 2009-08-25, Volume:
41
eBook
This book is a contemporary and comprehensive analysis of dark tourism. Drawing on existing literature, numerous examples and introducing new conceptual perspectives, it develops a theoretically ...informed foundation for examining the demand for and supply of dark tourism experiences.
This book examines the phenomenon of war-related contents tourism throughout Japanese history, from conflicts described in ancient Japanese myth through to contemporary depictions of fantasy and ...futuristic warfare. It tackles two crucial questions: first, how does war transition from being traumatic to entertaining in the public imagination and works of popular culture; and second, how does visitation to war-related sites transition from being an act of mourning or commemorative pilgrimage into an act of devotion or fan pilgrimage? Representing the collaboration of ten expert researchers of Japanese popular culture and travel, it develops a theoretical framework for understanding war-related contents tourism and demonstrates the framework in practice via numerous short case studies across a millennium of warfare in Japan including: the tales of heroic deities in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters, AD 712), the Edo poetry of Matsuo Basho, and the Pacific war through lens of popular media such as the animated film the Grave of the Fireflies. This book will be of interest to researchers and students in tourism studies and cultural studies, as well as more general issues of war and peace in Japan, East Asia and beyond.
New research in the fast-emerging domain of tourism and animal ethics indicates that the instrumental and utilitarian use of animals in tourism is no longer accepted as a favorable norm. Some of this ...pressure is coming from the tourists themselves who are increasingly questioning the ethics of such uses. We test this premise through research on one of the most contested forms of animal-based tourism in the form of the Spanish bullfight. Our purpose was to gain a qualitative understanding of ethical issues related to bullfighting, as well as to offer insight for understanding factors that affect tourists' overall evaluation of travel experience at this attraction. The study is informed by a framework on animals as dark tourism attractions, with the central aim of investigating the attitudes of tourists toward bullfighting as one of several variables included in the framework. Emphasis was placed on looking for patterns in concepts and how they are communicated; understanding intentions of individuals; identifying propaganda and bias in communication; and understanding consequences of communication, particularly as it relates to a tourism destination's image. Employing a thematic analysis of 74 TripAdvisor posts, dated from May of 2014 through to November 2022, we found that the majority of posts reflected negative perceptions associated with bullfighting, including cruelty, unfair “fight,” and torture. In contrast, a minority of posts reflected positive perceptions, including culture, ceremony, pomp, and history. These findings have potential implications for the image of tourism destinations, such as Spain, as dark tourism attractions.
While tourist emotions elicited at dark tourism sites are well understood, little is known about residents’ experiences at local dark tourism sites. This study explores residents’ emotional ...experiences at dark tourism sites, the cognitive appraisals of their experiences and emotions, and the coping strategies they deploy to address them. In-depth interviews with 37 residents of Christchurch, New Zealand (site of the Canterbury earthquakes), reveal that residents cognitively appraised their experience at local dark tourism sites on important facets such as centrality and controllability. Visits to local dark tourism sites embodied memories of the disaster that elicit more negative (e.g., sadness) than positive emotions (e.g., gratefulness). Residents coped through seeking comfort from others or positive reappraisal of the experience. Furthermore, visits to dark tourism sites are in and of themselves a coping strategy for residents postdisaster. Implications for the development of dark tourism attractions and support for resident well-being are offered.
Despite increasing academic attention paid to dark tourism, understanding of the concept remains limited, particularly from a consumption perspective. That is, the literature focuses primarily on the ...supply of dark tourism; less attention, however, has been paid to the demand for ‘dark’ touristic experiences. This theoretical paper seeks to address this gap in the literature. Drawing upon the contemporary sociology of death, it explores the relationship between socio-cultural perspectives on mortality and the potential of dark tourism as a means of confronting death in modern societies. In so doing, it proposes a model of dark tourism consumption within a thanatological framework as a basis for further theoretical and empirical analysis of dark tourism.
•Post-disaster destination consumption is explored through dark tourism theory.•The findings move beyond the common approach to destination recovery.•Newly formed dark attributes are of key ...importance to destination recovery.•Exploring motives and travel intentions reveals new potential tourist segments.•Most tourists seek joint consumption of leisure attractions and dark sites.
Addressing the call for a better understanding of tourist behavior in relation to post-disaster destinations, this study explores the motivations and intentions of potential domestic tourists (from non-hit areas) to visit Sichuan, China in the aftermath of an earthquake. Drawing on dark tourism theories, this study offers a more comprehensive insight into the consumption of post-disaster destinations, aiming to capture the impact of the changes to the destination’s attributes on tourist behavior. The findings move beyond the common approach to tourism recovery, which solely focuses on reviving the traditional “non-dark” products. This study reveals the importance of newly formed dark attributes that emerge from the disaster as another means to destination recovery, reflected in the emergence of new tourist segments.
Based on the infamous case of the natural disaster of the Armero volcano eruption, this study aims to analyze the perception of the local community towards the development of dark tourism. In ...particular, the main central question to be addressed in this article is to examine the motivation of tourists and the perception of local residents towards the tourism activity related to this event. To this end, a qualitative methodology was adopted through observation and interview. Our results show that the main motivation of tourists visiting the Armero region is the curiosity to see other people's deaths. However, his feelings change after visiting this region, as curiosity turns to sadness at seeing the suffering of so many people. On the other hand, some locals are not pleased that their history and heritage revolve around tragedy and the dead. This study highlights the lack of awareness of this type of tourism. It is therefore necessary that governments and competent authorities implement measures to encourage the development of this type of tourism. In this way, the cultural impact of black tourism in Colombia can be improved.
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