What motivates people to visit dark tourism sites?

Tourists' interest in places associated with death and tragedy may also be related to educational goals [9]. Curiosity and the need to learn and understand are entwined. Dark tourism develops curiosity and satisfies the desire for knowledge of past suffering and pain [26].



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Although an 'official' term did not exist until 1996, dark tourism is not a new practice. People have been visiting sites of death and tragedy for centuries. Early examples include viewing public hangings and decapitations, or spectators at gladiatorial games in the Colosseum.

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Dark Tourism Destination #1: Chernobyl, Ukraine A huge area, known as the exclusion zone, is now open for tourists to explore.

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The consensus between the literature researchers is that dark tourism has a typology depending on the visitors' motivations and sites, namely War/Battlefield Tourism, Disaster Tourism, Prison Tourism, Cemetery Tourism, Ghost Tourism, and Holocaust Tourism.

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All tourists to Auschwitz are usually seen as dark tourists [26], an approach that overlooks the possibility that the reasons for visiting and the experiences sought might be completely devoid of interest in death. In a study of visitors to Auschwitz, Biran et al.

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According to research published in Digital Journal, the global value of the dark tourism market is set to reach $43.5bn by 2031. A significant demographic contributing to its rise in popularity is Gen Z. 91% of Gen Z surveyed in Travel News in 2022 had engaged in some form of dark tourism.

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This former prison island in the Bay of San Francisco, USA, is one of the world's premier (and most popular) dark-tourism attractions.

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Homicide sites, death sites, and former residences of deceased celebrities can all be tourist attractions (Lennon & Foley 2010, 4). Chernobyl as the place of massive catastrophe, which lead to deaths and terror is therefore suitable to be called a dark tourism destination.

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The Dark Tourism market is estimated to reach US$ 30 Billion in 2022. As per the report, sales are forecast to increase at a robust 2% CAGR, with the market valuation reaching US$ 36.5 Billion by 2032.

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While the tourist motivations to visit sites of a sensitive nature may be diverse, dark tourism remains a morally relevant issue that involves a questioning of moral judgment (Rojek,1997; Stone, 2009). It has always raised issues of how morality is collectively conveyed and individually constructed.

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Based on Maslow's (1943) five-level hierarchy of needs, Pearce (1988) proposed the TCL model, which lists five travel motivations associated with relaxation, stimulation, relationship, self-esteem and development or fulfilment.

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There are several reasons why people travel. The basic travel motivations can be divided into four classes: the physical motivators, the cultural motivators, the interpersonal motivators,and the status and prestige motivators. Several tourist motivations are listed in travel literature.

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There are seven socio-psychological motivations, including: escape from a perceived mundane envi- ronment; exploration and evaluation of self; relaxation; prestige; regression; enhancement of kinship relationships; and, facilitation of social interaction. The two cultural motivations are novelty and education.

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