The darker side of travel: The theory and practice of dark tourism

Abstract

foundly affected by social media, the empowerment of consumers, and social networking among consumers. The book also addresses the fact that consumers want to experience brands both virtually and physically, and such experiences need to be satisfying. This is the new direction of place branding, a development placebranding organizations need to acknowledge and adopt, or risk being left behind in the marketplace. Although the book covers a range of subjects, it is coherent and the arguments are easy to follow. The case study approach to the book makes it easy to follow and allows the authors to add details so that the reader fully comprehends the issues surrounding that particular place brand. Nicholas Ind (who wrote a review on Place Branding Glocal, Virtual, and Physical Identities; Constructed, Imagined, and Experience which appears on the Palgrave website) offered the most apt description of the book; he asserts, ‘‘the book brings a new level of intellectual rigour to the often misunderstood subject of place branding’’. This is a valid assessment. The reader will likely find the book to be an intellectually stimulating experience; as noted previously, the depth of research and efforts to validate the claims put forward by the authors make the book enlightening and fascinating.