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The goal of this study is to identify the problems of marketing military heritage as a tourism resource as well as to show how studies are linking the tourism industry with military historical sites to valorize epic wars and great tragedies as tourism development resources.

In this study, evaluation of recently published research papers, articles and publications on military tourism is conducted.

While most DMOs (Destination Management Organizations) and tourism organizations have been slow to acknowledge the potential benefits of military heritage tourism, the examples offered show how stakeholders can help promote military heritage tourism.

The study has suggested managerial implications that will aid in the integration of stakeholder participation in the development of military heritage tourism.

This paper examines the constraints and potential benefits of military heritage tourism, as well as collaboration between stakeholders and military historic sites.

The aim of this paper is twofold: to provide empirical evidence of the knowledge-sharing process within virtual communities interested in war heritage sites and to compare user-generated content (UGC) in virtual communities with destinations’ official communication about war heritage sites to identify, original and consumer-oriented narratives.

This study uses field research to investigate selected war heritage sites and to assess the destinations’ on-site communication; in-depth interviews to learn about the destination marketing organizations’ approaches to communication; and netnography with content analysis of text and pictures to evaluate the online knowledge shared within virtual communities on the investigated war heritage sites. A comparison between users-generated content and official destination management organizations’ (DMOs) communication was carried out.

The results show that the destinations under investigation have invested significantly to develop war heritage tourism, but they still struggle to attract tourists. The comparison between DMOs communication narratives and users-generated content shows that DMOs fail to use emotional involvement and accurate historic knowledge which seems to be at the basis of UGC narratives. Indeed, history passionates posts, pictures, comments and exchanges are emotionally engaging and DMOs could benefit from the user-generated content approach to improve institutional communication on war heritage sites.

Further studies could survey history passionates, both online and offline, as to better explore the relationship between contributing to virtual communities’ content and visitation patterns of war heritage sites. Incorporating more emotionally engaging narratives, DMOs could enhance their communication and create virtual spaces where knowledgeable tourists can share information and experiences.

This paper contributes to the understanding of online knowledge sharing in the context of war heritage tourism. The comparison between UGC in virtual communities and official destinations’ narratives shows the potential of spontaneous knowledge sharing versus structured online communication and how the latter could benefit UGC.

The purpose of this article is to expand the discussion pertaining to Vimy beyond traditional historic and military circles and to illustrate that the site is a significant tourism attraction featuring evolving management and interpretation approaches. This is achieved by describing the commemoration of First World War sites and the evolution and transformation of visitor typologies at these sites. The conversation is framed within a discussion of the role of heritage dissonance in management. Since this article was written at the onset of the centennial of the Great War, an examination of the management of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which includes a tourism perspective, is timely.

Consisting of participation observations and a review of literature, documentation, government reports and Web sites describing the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, this analysis is complemented by site visits and discussions with key personnel involved in the management of the site.

Because this article precedes the upcoming centennial of the Great War, an examination of the management of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which includes a tourism perspective, is timely. The discussion and conclusion sections provide a suggestion of how dissonant heritage can be addressed, and present an argument for the inclusion of new technologies in the management and interpretation of First World War memorials and the celebrations associated with the centennial of 2014-2019 in order to embrace new visitor types.

This is a conceptual paper examining past and current management strategies of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. No participants or manager was interviewed or surveyed.

Strategies to improve future management through the engagement of tourism researchers, new technologies and by addressing dissonant heritage are provided through literature review and on-site visits.

Currently, the management of the Vimy Memorial caters largely to a certain segment of Canadian population. The findings suggest that by addressing other components of Canadian society and even other combatants, the management and interpretation of the site could be greatly diversified and could eventually become a battlefield like Gettysburg or Gallipoli, where all combatants are recognized and honored.

This is the first paper examining the management of the Vimy Memorial from a tourism perspective.

The paper deals with battlefield tourism and war monuments in the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Poland. The care of these monuments and their use in tourism today takes place separately and it is interesting to see how the same potential can be used in different ways. One of the aims of the paper is to draw attention to this fact and at the same time to present the possibilities of how to improve the use of this heritage by mutual cooperation.

It is based on field research of the care of military-historical monuments. At the same time, it presents, in the form of retrospective studies, basic experiences from abroad – specifically the construction of thematic trails in Slovakia, Slovenia (The Walk of the Peace) and Poland (The First World War's Eastern Front Trail).

The paper points out aspects such as the care of battlefield tourism sites, cross-border cooperation in the creation of tourism products, the creation of a strategic conceptual framework for the protection of World War I monuments, their presentation to tourists, cooperation between the state, local government and the third sector.

There was no systematic research in this area in Central and Eastern Europe.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential of Penang in being a dark tourism destination in Malaysia with the influence of urban tourism development.

A systematic review was conducted to serve as a foundation by highlighting the number of dark tourism studies conducted in Southeast Asia (SEA).

The results projected a total of 23 dark tourism studies conducted within the SEA region. These papers revolve around the following key themes that were conducted in these countries: tourists’ behaviour (motivation, satisfaction and experience), nation building and narratives, dark tourism development (management, marketing and implications), theoretical underpinnings and the role of dark tourism. Amongst these, it was found that tourists’ behaviour is the most studied with eight papers while the least is on nation building and theoretical underpinnings of dark tourism with three papers each.

The lack of dark tourism studies in SEA results in insufficient existing literature which justifies the need of exploring Penang as a potential dark tourism destination.

This paper builds on prior dark tourism studies that are significantly related to urban tourism but takes a step further by exploring the Asian settings. Specifically, into Malaysia which is more than just an SEA country, but a multicultural one which is rich and diverse with its culture and heritage that leads to many unique tourists’ destinations. This paper extends the geographical scope of the dark tourism literature as it focuses on Penang in Malaysia.

The question of whether tourist destinations established in the aftermath of a disaster will attract visitors remains unanswered. This study attempts to answer this question by examining the effect of nation identity on tourists' loyalty in dark heritage tourism through place attachment using the social identity and attachment theory.

In this quantitative study, data were collected from 622 tourists through a survey method at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, India. Data analysis was performed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling.

The findings of the study suggest that tourists' national identity is a very important variable, not only in retaining the tourists at a destination but also in increasing their attachment towards that particular destination. Place attachment is found to be a predictor of tourist loyalty at a dark tourist destination. Finally, results of the mediation analysis show that place attachment mediates the relationship between national identity and tourist loyalty.

The findings of the study contribute to the research knowledge about a dark heritage tourist destination by exploring the role of national identity in explaining the place attachment and tourist loyalty towards a dark heritage tourist destination. The practical implications for site managers have also been discussed.

The study used the social identity theory and attachment theory to come up with an empirical model of place attachment for a dark heritage tourist destination. This study adds value to understanding national identity, place attachment and tourists' loyalty by exploring their inter-relationship. The focus on diverse characteristics of place attachment is what makes this study unique.

Over a century of state-sponsored construction of monuments, historic mythmaking and nationalist framings of WWI has ensured that it has become notoriously difficult to present the heritage of the Great War in an inclusive and non-selective way. In this paper the authors present a strategy and technology-driven solutions to overcome the selective heritage curation of modern conflict.

Building on a suite of tools, applications and cultural heritage management plans developed by the In Flanders Fields Museum (IFFM), this paper explores the challenges of preserving and curating conflict heritage. The authors investigate the philosophy, cultural heritage management strategies and exhibitions used to curate the heritage of the Ypres Salient (Belgium).

The paper argues that historical aerial photographs integrated in multimedia exhibits present themselves as a fascinating source bringing the landscape within the walls of the museum. Mobile augmented reality (AR) applications developed by the museum go one step beyond and bring museum techniques to the landscape.

This paper presents a strategy to present, manage and curate the entirety of conflict heritage from the modern period. Faced with growing politicisation and memorialisation of modern conflict, it is extremely important that inclusive heritage management and curation is insured. The reflections on different curatorial techniques used by the IFFM can contribute globally towards a better heritage engagement.

An innovative and meaningful framework enables a more historically nuanced visitor experience to key heritage sites throughout the Ypres Salient.

Ensuring a non-selective heritage experience is especially pressing today. Over the past century canonised and national narratives have prescribed our understanding of the First World War across Europe and beyond.

Adopting a critical stance towards the proliferation in AR apps and applying theories from anthropology and phenomenology has been developed combining AR with arboreal landscape relics.

The emerging challenges of the tourism market determine a strategic and urgent need to introduce the sustainability paradigm into destination planning in order to pursue balanced development and achieve or maintain a long-term competitive advantage. This chapter focuses on destination governance to build projects on the principles of sustainability by involving local stakeholders in decision making. The discussion on the application of an embedded governance model relates to marginal rural areas of Central European countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovenia), where the European Project Listen to the Voice of Villages leverages sustainable tourism to improve the welfare and quality of life of local communities.

This study aims to survey the existing body of knowledge about digital innovation within museums. Academic and practitioner interest in digital innovation has been piqued as technological advances that enable the rapid personalisation of information to cater towards increasingly sophisticated end-user expectations. Yet, the literature on digital innovation in the museum environment appears fragmented and lacks theoretical grounding.

Drawing on a systematic scoping review of 199 articles published during 2010–2021, this paper provides an initial indication of the size and scope of current research literature on digital innovation of museums.

This literature review elucidates the status quo and future directions of digital innovation in museum space. An integral conceptual framework is proposed to provide a comprehensive lens to steer future research and practice in this area in a theoretically grounded and systemic manner.

This study mixes both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the literature to produce an up-to-date understanding of extant research by illuminating inspiring processes, foregrounding commonly encountered challenges, framing theoretical and practical implications and proposing avenues for future research.

本文旨在考察有关博物馆数字创新的既有知识。当前学界与业界对于数字创新均抱有浓厚的兴趣, 因为技术进步使信息能够快速个性化, 以满足日益复杂的终端用户需求。然而, 关于博物馆数字创新的文献显得零散且缺乏理论基础。

基于对2010至2021年期间发表的199篇文章的系统性范围性综述, 本文初步描绘了有关博物馆数字创新的既有文献的规模和研究范围。

本文献综述阐明了博物馆数字创新的现状和未来方向, 提出了一个整合的概念框架, 从而期望以一个全面的视角引导该领域今后开展基于理论和系统化的研究与实践。

本研究综合了文献的定量和定性分析, 以呈现对既有研究的最新理解：包括阐明激发过程, 突出常见挑战, 框定理论和实践影响, 并提出未来研究的途径。

Este estudio tiene como objetivo examinar el conocimiento existente acerca de la innovación digital en los museos. El interés del mundo académico y de los profesionales por la innovación digital se ha visto avivado por los avances tecnológicos que permiten una rápida personalización de la información para satisfacer las expectativas cada vez más sofisticadas de los usuarios finales. Sin embargo, la bibliografía sobre la innovación digital en el entorno museístico parece fragmentada y carece de base teórica.

A partir de una revisión sistemática del alcance de 199 artículos publicados entre 2010 y 2021, este documento proporciona una indicación inicial del tamaño y el alcance de la literatura de investigación actual sobre la innovación digital de los museos.

Esta revisión bibliográfica dilucida el statu quo y las direcciones futuras de la innovación digital en el espacio museístico. Se propone un marco conceptual integral que proporcione una lente comprensiva para dirigir la investigación y la práctica futuras en este ámbito de una manera teóricamente fundamentada y sistémica.

Este estudio mezcla análisis cuantitativos y cualitativos de la bibliografía para producir una comprensión actualizada de la investigación existente iluminando los procesos inspiradores, poniendo en primer plano los retos comúnmente encontrados, enmarcando las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas y proponiendo vías para futuras investigaciones.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the history and dark tourism attractions associated with a case study of the Thai-Burma Railway in the city of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The paper considers how history has been abridged and distorted at a number of attraction sites in order to exploit the dark tourism commercial potential. The role of film media is considered as a critical element of the site narrative and the reality of the tragic past of this place is discussed within the context of Thailand’s role in the Second World War. Kanchanaburi, through the urban attractions that constitute the primary motivations for visitation, distorts and exploits its dark history for commercial and ideological purposes. Where accurate the Second World War interpretation was identified, it was maintained by balancing the requirements of national governments and institutions with acceptable levels of ambiguity and non-controversial perspectives on this urban location’s dark past.

The paper draws on literature, historical documents and tourism publications related to the Second World War and the incarceration and forced labour associated with the Thai-Burma Railway and the city of Kanchanaburi. Fieldwork incorporating tourist attraction and commemorative site visitation was undertaken in Northern Thailand in January 2017. Curators, managers, operators and tourist authorities were contacted in advance of the fieldwork by e-mail to request interviews. The sites identified were the primary sites visited by tourists, and no related Second World War site in the area was excluded. For those interviewed in relation to the subject area, a standard questionnaire based on a rolling database, relevant to particular sites was utilised. Interviews were taped and transcribed.

The city of Kanchanaburi is defined by a heritage that has changed over time. Many factors imbue the meanings and content of place. This is a function of a plethora of competing Influences and agendas; political, economic, cultural, demographic and historical. Yet, this destination is defined by the dark history of the Second World War which is associated with this place. The visitor attraction sites considered in Kanchanaburi provide multiple narratives around the Second World War events. They offer a range of content driven by influences as diverse as simple commercial gain to the complex interaction of political, economic and ideological agendas (cf. Gegner, 2012). In each case, the interpretation is used to articulate heritage through objects, artefacts, audio recording, place or imagery. These elements exist in environment(s) of their creation; the Second World War heritage of Kanchanaburi is developed in a nation that has only a partial and selective acceptance of its role in this conflict. The visitor attractions examined in this research and their content have all re-constructed and re-represented the past. Historical memorialization remains embedded in interests that are global, commercial, ideological but rarely neutral. The interpretation of the Thai-Burma Railway and the narrative of the many victims is associated with the construction merit respect, commemoration and consideration that is value free and not distorted by ideology or commercial imperatives.

This paper provides a foundation for further consideration of how such contested dark heritage is viewed not least by visitors and users. Development of research in this area would provide a valuable source of data on: consumer profiles, motivations and orientation. Relating this data to nationality and origin would provide useful comparative data to that offered by operators and managers of key attractions. Furthermore, the prevalence of social and digital media as primary tourist information source could be measured against the continued (and possibly declining) importance of the filmic narrative. Furthermore, deeper evaluation of nature and content of interpretation is merited, given the range of approaches and content observed. At a political and policy level, the treatment of this part of Thai history and the degree of sensitivity around interpretation is linked to how a nation confronts its difficult past. More thorough evaluation of treatment in national media and education curriculum also merits review. Urban heritage is an important element of urban destination marketing and evaluation based around core themes of transparency, openness, respect for the past, and sensitive treatment of tragic events offer direction for application and evaluation in other urban contexts.

This is the first time the heritage of this city has been considered in the context of dark tourism and the role of Thailand in the Second World War. It incorporates an analysis of all of the relevant attractions in the city and provides through the fieldwork conducted an original contribution to the tourism literature in this field. It draws on historical record, original documentation, interview analysis and tourism data. It provides further evidence of the dark tourism phenomena in a South East Asian context linked to a conflicted and selective appraisal of the past.