'It's not that we like death or anything': exploring the motivations and experiences of visitors to a lighter dark tourism attraction. Issue 4 (4th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ivanova, Preslava; Light, Duncan
• Is Part Of: Journal of heritage tourism. Volume 13:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 356
• Page End: 369
• Publication Date: 2018-07-04
• Subjects: Lightest dark tourism -- motivations -- informal learning -- edutainment -- London Dungeon; Heritage tourism -- Periodicals; Heritage tourism -- Sociological aspects -- Periodicals; 306.4819
• DOI: 10.1080/1743873X.2017.1371181
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-873X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This paper explores motives for visiting a lightest dark (heritage) tourism attraction. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 24 visitors to the London Dungeon. Few visitors reported an interest in death, suffering or the macabre as important in their decision to visit, a finding which accords with research at a range of other types of darker places. Instead, most people visited from general or incidental reasons that were unrelated to the attraction's theme. However, while few visitors stated that an interest in learning was important in their reason for visiting, many reported that an element of informal education and discovery was an important part of the visit experience. As such, lighter dark tourism is about more than entertainment and the London Dungeon offers opportunities for visitors to engage with the themes and stories in a deeper way. Overall, these findings suggest that lightest dark tourism has more in common with heritage tourism than at first appears.