A dark tourist spectrum

Abstract

PurposeThe 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.Design/methodology/approachA 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.FindingsFrom 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.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations 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.Originality/valueThis 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.