New contours of “dark” tourism development: interests and expectations of youth
Modern trends in social development restructure the focus of studying “dark” tourism as a social practice of understanding society’s history. The study aims to analyze the attractiveness of this area among young people, to study expectations and motivation when visiting dark tourism sites. The key research method was an online questionnaire survey of students (N = 475). In order to verify the data obtained, a series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with guides and organizers of excursions in the field of dark tourism. The research materials showed the presence of latent demand for dark tourism sites: 32.4% of respondents visited them, while 72.4% consider it necessary to replicate them. The greatest interest among the respondents is caused by places of natural and environmental disasters (37.9%), as well as zones of anomalous or mystical phenomena (40.9%). The results of the study showed that students largely associate dark tourism with gaining new experience (54.1%). However, when visiting dark tourism sites, including burial sites, young people are more focused on the entertainment nature of tourism practices. The interest of young people is centered on the plane of mysticism, “scary stories”, unusual impressions. It seems appropriate to integrate historical reflection into the practices of gaining new experience and impressions. The existential-mystical component of dark tourism can be of interest not only to young people interested in unusual impressions, but also to people focused on understanding their experience, life purpose, and national history. The integration of cultural-historical and existential-mystical components in dark tourism practices can make it possible to use it as an effective mechanism for preserving historical memory, transmitting positive examples of national ideas and traditions. At the same time, it should be taken into account that excessive exploitation of entertainment, idle motivation when visiting sites associated with tragic events can have destructive consequences and lead to the inversion of cultural traditions. The authors declare no conflicts of interests.
Keywords
dark tourism,
consumption of impressions,
cultural and historical experience,
existential needs,
entertainmentAuthors
| Frolova Elena V. | Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation | efrolova06@mail.ru |
| Rogach Olga V. | Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation | rogach16@mail.ru |
| Velichko Anastasia V. | Al-Farabi Kazakh National University; Turan University | a.velichko@turan-edu.kz |
Всего: 3
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