Argyropoulou, Maria

2018-04-12T00:00:22Z

https://repository.ihu.edu.gr//xmlui/handle/11544/29006

Dark tourism: An examination of visitors’ motivation for traveling to places of death and disaster using the case study of Ground Zero, New York

Tourism

Dark tourism--Psychological aspects

free

School of Economics, Business Administration and Legal Studies, MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management

People are enthralled with tragedy and death. This fascination has entered the field of tourism with death sites becoming more and more popular and attracting millions of tourists from every corner of the world. Gettysburg, Oklahoma City, Arlington National Cemetery and the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg are only a few attractions in the long list of dark tourism sites. The ever growing fame that surrounds these sites had led a few scholars to start investigating the phenomenon. Pioneers were Lennon and Foley who named it dark tourism, Seaton who proposed thanatourism and Rojek who introduced his black spots theory. However little is still known as to what motivates individuals to visit such gloomy sites. Interpreting visitor motivation in these sites is essential due to their vulnerability. A few of them are slowly deteriorating thus tourists do have responsibility for their maintenance. However not only tourists but also the administration teams with proper tools can effectively manage all stakeholders and help in the conservation of the sites. Despite the fact that many people feel attracted to all things death related there is a whole range of factors that extend from an interest in morbidity to history and education. This survey begins with a composition of possible visitor incentives. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a commercialized attraction that matches the terms of a dark tourism site as scholars have found. Then with the use of a questionnaire research we hope to shed light to visitor motivation in Ground Zero and other dark tourism sites.

Mavragani, Eleni

IHU