IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ora/journl/v1y2021i1p140-150.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Tourists’ Motivations For Visiting Dark Tourism Sites. Case Of Romania

Author

Listed:
  • Andreia Schneider

    (Management Department, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, West University of Timişoara, Timişoara, Romania)

  • Silvia Anghel-Vlad

    (Management Department, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, West University of Timişoara, Timişoara, Romania)

  • Lucia Negruţ

    (Management Department, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, West University of Timişoara, Timişoara, Romania)

  • Gheorghe Goje

    (Management Department, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, West University of Timişoara, Timişoara, Romania)

Abstract

Nowadays, tourism plays an essential role in economic growth and development in many countries. Tourists have different travelling motivations and behavioural manifestations, helping tour operators decide suitable for them. Developing a dark tourism niche concept is a necessary step for correct use of it in theory and practice. Dark tourism is an important concept studied in the past twenty years in worldwide literature. This empirical paper aimed to determine the tourists’ motivations for travelling to Romania’s dark tourism destinations and establishing them. A quantitative research method was applied based on a survey using a non-probabilistic technique based on convenience sampling. Secondary, it was studied the relationship between motivational determinants and tourists’ attitude-behaviour in visiting dark tourism sites (Theory of Planned Behaviour, TPB). The survey conducted online was primarily made of 40 items evaluated on the Likert scale. It has been used a sample based on 475 Romanian respondents: 72.3% who had already visited a dark tourism destination in Romania, and 27.8% who stated they planned to visit one. The theoretical framework has analysed five constructs as motivational determinants in the relationships with behavioural construct attitude (TPB). The results show support for two of five research hypotheses (H1 and H4). Dark experience (H1) and Unique learning experience (H4) have a significant and positive effect on Attitude. We did not find any significant effect of Engaging entertainment, Casual interest, and Emotional recreation on Attitude. Hence, H2, H3 and H5 are not supported. Based on these results, the government can develop tourism economic and marketing policy to develop dark tourism as important post-communist niche tourism. The practitioners can develop and promote tourism packages and products by applying the correct use of dark tourism sense. The present scientific paper’s originality is given by the lack of literature review studies based on empirical research on this topic. Limits of the research and future research directions are also pointed out in the conclusion part.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreia Schneider & Silvia Anghel-Vlad & Lucia Negruţ & Gheorghe Goje, 2021. "Tourists’ Motivations For Visiting Dark Tourism Sites. Case Of Romania," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1(1), pages 140-150, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:ora:journl:v:1:y:2021:i:1:p:140-150
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://anale.steconomiceuoradea.ro/volume/2021/n1/014.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patrichi Ioana Cristiana, 2013. "Dark Tourism – A Niche Segment For The Romanian Tourism," Romanian Economic Business Review, Romanian-American University, vol. 8(4.1), pages 351-358, december.
    2. Rabontu Cecilia Irina & Vasile Madalina Cristina, 2014. "Dark Tourism - New Form Of Tourism In Romania," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 6, pages 269-273, December.
    3. Hyde, Kenneth F. & Harman, Serhat, 2011. "Motives for a secular pilgrimage to the Gallipoli battlefields," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1343-1351.
    4. Light, Duncan, 2017. "Progress in dark tourism and thanatourism research: An uneasy relationship with heritage tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 275-301.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kozłowski, Maciej & Brzozowska-Rup, Katarzyna & Piotrowska-Piątek, Agnieszka, 2021. "Information and Communication Technologies in food and accommodation sector in EU countries: Sticker or challenge for tourism development?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    2. Brida, Juan Gabriel & González Rosas, Erika Lourdes & Seijas Giménez, María Nela, 2023. "Dark satisfaction in Guanajuato’s Mummies Museum visitors," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 15-24.
    3. Jihye Min & Birendra KC & Seungman Kim & Jaehoon Lee, 2020. "The Impact of Disasters on a Heritage Tourist Destination: A Case Study of Nepal Earthquakes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-12, July.
    4. Luisa Fernanda Tribiño & Leonardo Garavito, 2018. "Debates contemporáneos sobre turismo, tomo IV. Ética y buen vivir. Rflexiones actuales para la planificación y gestión del turismo," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Administración de Empresas Turísticas y Hoteleras, number 29.
    5. Johan Fourie & Jaume Rosselló & Maria Santana-Gallego, 2015. "Religion, Religious Diversity and Tourism," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 51-64, February.
    6. Pantea Foroudi & Maria Palazzo & Karanikosova Sabina, 2023. "When Love Takes Over: Boosting Love Towards Airbnb Brand," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(4), pages 264-278, November.
    7. Martini, Annaclaudia & Sharma, Nitasha, 2022. "Framing the sublime as affect in post-disaster tourism," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    8. Reddy, Maharaj Vijay & Boyd, Stephen W. & Nica, Mirela, 2020. "Towards a post-conflict tourism recovery framework," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    9. Virginija Jureniene & Martynas Radzevicius, 2022. "Peculiarities of Sustainable Cultural Development: A Case of Dark Tourism in Lithuania," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, June.
    10. Pablo Altaba & Juan A. García-Esparza, 2021. "A Practical Vision of Heritage Tourism in Low-Population-Density Areas. The Spanish Mediterranean as a Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-15, May.
    11. Terzidou, Matina & Scarles, Caroline & Saunders, Mark N.K., 2017. "Religiousness as tourist performances: A case study of Greek Orthodox pilgrimage," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 116-129.
    12. Yanting Cai & Gang Li & Chang Liu & Long Wen, 2022. "Post-pandemic dark tourism in former epicenters," Tourism Economics, , vol. 28(1), pages 175-199, February.
    13. Virgili, Sandrine & Delacour, Hélène & Bornarel, Frédéric & Liarte, Sébastien, 2018. "‘From the Flames to the Light’: 100 years of the commodification of the dark tourist site around the Verdun battlefield," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 61-72.
    14. Farkić, Jelena & Kennell, James, 2021. "Consuming dark sites via street art: Murals at Chernobyl," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    15. Light, Duncan, 2017. "Progress in dark tourism and thanatourism research: An uneasy relationship with heritage tourism," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 275-301.
    16. Armand Faganel, 2018. "Global Diversities in Safeguarding the Cultural Heritage," MIC 2018: Managing Global Diversities; Proceedings of the Joint International Conference, Bled, Slovenia, 30 May–2 June 2018,, University of Primorska Press.
    17. Kennell, James & Šuligoj, Metod, 2024. "Conceptualising dark events: A new framework," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    18. Hunter, William Cannon, 2013. "China's Chairman Mao: A visual analysis of Hunan Province online destination image," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 101-111.
    19. Leask, Anna, 2016. "Visitor attraction management: A critical review of research 2009–2014," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 334-361.
    20. Kim, Bona & Kim, Seongseop Sam & King, Brian, 2016. "The sacred and the profane: Identifying pilgrim traveler value orientations using means-end theory," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 142-155.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    dark tourism; sites; motivations; attitude; Theory of Planned Behaviour;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M31 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - Marketing
    • L83 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Sports; Gambling; Restaurants; Recreation; Tourism
    • Z31 - Other Special Topics - - Tourism Economics - - - Industry Studies

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ora:journl:v:1:y:2021:i:1:p:140-150. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catalin ZMOLE The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask Catalin ZMOLE to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/feoraro.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.