Does emotional engagement matter in dark tourism? Implications drawn from a reflective approach

Abstract

Despite the burgeoning research in dark tourism, there is still no universal acceptance of its definition. Past research is criticised for focusing on the motivation rather than the nature and consequences of the dark tourism experience, specifically their phenomenological and contextual basis. This study contributes to the field by adopting a reflective autoethnographic approach for providing a better understanding of dark tourism experiences. The study critically reflects on the researcher’s immersive experiences at three USA dark sites (Ground Zero, Gettysburg and Ellis Island). The findings reveal that emotional engagement (type and intensity of emotions elicited during the dark tourism experience) plays an important role in probing and helping visitors to generate meaning through their dark tourism experiences. The study expands the literature on dark tourism experiences by proposing an adapted dark tourism typology framework whereby emotional engagement is used as an explanatory theoretical concept to better identify and understand the nuanced types of dark tourism experiences. In addition, by adopting a multi-disciplinary and experienced-focused approach, the study also contributes to dark tourism research by providing a theoretical underpinning and practical evidence on the sources and processes helping visitors to generate meaning, which is deemed central to immersive dark experiences.