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The concept of “Gothic tourism” has recently been proposed within the discipline of English Literature. Such tourism is claimed to be a distinct form of special interest tourism grounded in familiarity with the Gothic, distinctive aesthetics, and experiences of frights and scares. It is increasingly common in towns and cities around the world. This paper aims to examine and critique the concept of Gothic tourism, and consider its similarities with existing forms of urban tourism.

This is a conceptual paper and no empirical data are presented.

Gothic tourism is not as clearly differentiated from other forms of tourism as has been claimed. In particular, Gothic tourism can be conceptualised as a particular form of “lighter” dark tourism, but it can also be considered as a form of literary tourism. A conceptual model is presented which places Gothic tourism at the nexus of dark and literary tourism.

This study is a conceptual exploration of Gothic tourism. Further empirical research is required to test the ideas presented in this paper at established Gothic tourism attractions.

This study examines the recently proposed (but little-researched) concept of Gothic tourism and considers its relationships with other forms of special interest tourism. It also illustrates the broader issue of how typologies of special interest tourism do not necessarily correspond with the motives and experiences of tourists themselves, or of the providers of tourist experiences.

The purpose of this study is to explore the paranormal tourist experience on ghost tours, taking into account the participants’ perceptions and their prior knowledge of the paranormal, in order to determine the principal components of the future of paranormal tourist experience.

The study is divided into two phases. The first phase is based on participant observation during a ghost tour. The second phase is based on a previously published framework for paranormal tourism. It introduces a qualitative adaptation of the orchestra model to look in-depth at how experiences with paranormal tours might shape the future of tourism as a major subtype.

Paranormal tourism has external (situational-enchantment, historical, mystical, ghostly and unsolved mysteries) and internal (affective, cognitive, sensory, behavior and relationship) components that are inter-linked. Future paranormal tourist experiences (FPTEs) must be focused on enhancing these aspects in order to offer an immersive experience.

Consequently, this paper proposes the FPTE model.

This paper aims to examine the direct and indirect effects of tourists’ value on satisfaction and loyalty intentions in dark tourism.

This 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).

The 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.

This 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.

This 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.

A theoretical framework and a practical case is presented, which introduce a new methodology for the creation of tourism products based on cultural heritage. After discussing selected definitions of cultural tourism, a first approach towards classifying cultural heritage based tourism is defined. The author emphasizes that one of the most crucial component of tourism development is policy, which has been analysed in order to shed light on the most important issues related to it. Thus, a conceptual chart on the creation of tourism products is drafted, outlining the elements that have to be taken into consideration in order to successfully stimulate ‘cultural consumption’ or exchange between hosts and guests. A case study shows the opportunities to create new tourism products using cultural heritage resources: “Barcelona's Cultural Identity Itinerary”, which is based on cultural centres and associations as the basic cultural resources, but also includes among others, museums, art galleries, historic sites and monuments within the itinerary.

This paper aims to review developments in dark tourism research over a 20-year period from its inception in 1996. This paper also considers the reasons why people visit dark tourism sites and the different perspectives of site operators, tourists and academics.

This paper uses a round table discussion with three participants – all researchers who played a significant role in developing the early concept of dark tourism. The paper also explores a number of questions about past, current and future research interests and developments.

It was observed that dark tourism site operators and visitors tend to view the act of remembrance as a significant reason for visiting a site associated with past atrocities. This perspective is rather different from the original concept of dark tourism – viewed by many as a form of pilgrimage tourism.

The review reveals a gap between aspects of the literature on dark tourism and the reasons why these sites remain popular with tourists. Site operators and visitors say that motives for visiting are more commonly associated with an act of remembrance and a sense of pilgrimage than a desire to view a site associated with pain and death.

This viewpoint provides a 20-year perspective on research in dark tourism based on a conversation between three of the most eminent researchers in the field.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology of dark tourists through an investigation of people's motivations to visit burial grounds. This research extends Stone's Dark Tourism Spectrum and Seven Dark Suppliers framework by identifying nine types of dark tourists.

A comparative case study approach was selected where 23 interviews were conducted at three burial grounds. Interview transcripts were analysed in order to identify emerging themes in motives and experiences of dark tourism consumers. The sites selected were Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, London, St Mary's Graveyard, Whitby, and Weaste Cemetery, Salford.

From this research a Dark Tourist Spectrum has been formulated which presents a typology of the dark tourist. The spectrum identifies different categories of visitors identified at the burial grounds, ranging from “darkest” to “lightest” tourists.

Limitations of the research regard time and resource constraints. This affected the sample size of participants for interview and the selection of sites as case studies.

This study begins to fill the gap in research on people's motivations to visit sites that lie within the mid‐shades of Stone's Dark Tourism Spectrum, specifically burial grounds. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of dark tourism consumption with a new model presented in the form of a Dark Tourist Spectrum.

Visiting cathedrals is one form of cultural tourism. The motivations of these visits are of worldly nature. Cultural heritage and architecture are the main points of attraction. However, on the spot visitors are usually touched by religious feelings.