IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/sagope/v14y2024i2p21582440241257159.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Storytelling in Dark Tourism: The Role of Flow Experience and National Identity

Author

Listed:
  • Ze Lin
  • Siyu Zhang
  • Wii-Joo Yhang

Abstract

In the domain of dark tourism, storytelling serves a dual purpose: it preserves and interprets cultural and historical significance while providing a context that shapes tourists’ experiences. Flow experience is characterized as the optimal state of tourist engagement, deepening the connection between tourists and the content presented at dark tourism destinations. The notion of national identity sheds light on the interplay between tourists’ personal identities and dark tourism destinations, shaping their perception of such experiences. Within the framework of this study, four salient attributes of storytelling in dark tourism were highlighted: emotionality, uniqueness, descriptiveness, and educability. Subsequently, the interconnections among dark tourism storytelling, behavioral intention, flow experience, and national identity were explored using structural equation modeling. Empirical results underscored the pronounced influence of dark tourism storytelling on tourists’ behavioral intentions. Additionally, this research elucidated both the mediating role of flow experience and the moderating role of national identity in this relationship. These findings significantly enriched the theoretical comprehension of dark tourism and storytelling, offering valuable insights for management strategies in dark tourism destinations.

Suggested Citation

  • Ze Lin & Siyu Zhang & Wii-Joo Yhang, 2024. "Storytelling in Dark Tourism: The Role of Flow Experience and National Identity," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:21582440241257159
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440241257159
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440241257159
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/21582440241257159?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhao, Shengnan (Nancy) & Timothy, Dallen J., 2015. "Governance of red tourism in China: Perspectives on power and guanxi," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 489-500.
    2. Annaclaudia Martini & Dorina Maria Buda, 2020. "Dark tourism and affect: framing places of death and disaster," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(6), pages 679-692, March.
    3. Jeanne Bessiere & Young-joo Ahn, 2021. "Components of DMZ Storytelling for International Tourists: A Tour Guide Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Zhang, Honglei & Yang, Yang & Zheng, Chunhui & Zhang, Jie, 2016. "Too dark to revisit? The role of past experiences and intrapersonal constraints," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 452-464.
    5. Adam, Issahaku, 2015. "Backpackers' risk perceptions and risk reduction strategies in Ghana," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 99-108.
    6. Jennifer Edson Escalas, 2007. "Self-Referencing and Persuasion: Narrative Transportation versus Analytical Elaboration," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 33(4), pages 421-429, December.
    7. Buda, Dorina Maria, 2015. "The death drive in tourism studies," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 39-51.
    8. Ali, Faizan & Kim, Woo Gon & Ryu, Kisang, 2016. "The effect of physical environment on passenger delight and satisfaction: Moderating effect of national identity," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 213-224.
    9. Rebecca Pera, 2017. "Empowering the new traveller: storytelling as a co-creative behaviour in tourism," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(4), pages 331-338, March.
    10. Wu, Cedric Hsi-Jui & Liang, Rong-Da, 2011. "The relationship between white-water rafting experience formation and customer reaction: a flow theory perspective," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 317-325.
    11. Shu-Ning Zhang & Wen-Qi Ruan & Ting-Ting Yang, 2021. "National Identity Construction in Cultural and Creative Tourism: The Double Mediators of Implicit Cultural Memory and Explicit Cultural Learning," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    12. Yang, I-Chieh Michelle & French, Juliana Angeline & Lee, Christina & Watabe, Motoki, 2020. "The symbolism of international tourism in national identity," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. You-Hai Lu & Jie Zhang & Honglei Zhang & Xiao Xiao & Peixue Liu & Min Zhuang & Meng Hu, 2022. "Flow in soundscape: the conceptualization of soundscape flow experience and its relationship with soundscape perception and behaviour intention in tourism destinations," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(13), pages 2090-2108, July.
    14. Chunhui Zheng & Jie Zhang & Lili Qian & Claudia Jurowski & Honglei Zhang & Bingjin Yan, 2018. "The inner struggle of visiting ‘dark tourism’ sites: examining the relationship between perceived constraints and motivations," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(15), pages 1710-1727, October.
    15. Packer, Jan & Ballantyne, Roy & Uzzell, David, 2019. "Interpreting war heritage: Impacts of Anzac museum and battlefield visits on Australians' understanding of national identity," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 105-116.
    16. Stokburger-Sauer, Nicola E., 2011. "The relevance of visitors’ nation brand embeddedness and personality congruence for nation brand identification, visit intentions and advocacy," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1282-1289.
    17. Moscardo, Gianna, 2020. "Stories and design in tourism," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    18. 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.
    19. Unger, Orit & Uriely, Natan & Fuchs, Galia, 2021. "On-site animosity and national identity: Business travelers on stage," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    20. Gieling, Joost & Ong, Chin-Ee, 2016. "Warfare tourism experiences and national identity: The case of Airborne Museum ‘Hartenstein’ in Oosterbeek, the Netherlands," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 45-55.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jianzhen Zhao & Yiyan Wang & Shuaifang Liu & Jun (Justin) Li & Qinglin Wang, 2024. "Does Social Media Make Tourists More like Special Forces? The Impact of Supportive Communication on Generation Z’s Intention to Engage in Special Forces-Style Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-16, November.
    2. Fengli Dong & Yue Zhang & Zhaoguo Wang, 2024. "Activation and Inheritance: Farmers’ Willingness to Participate in Agricultural Heritage Tourism Development—A Case Study on the Nanguo Pear Cultivation System in Anshan, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-18, November.

    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. Zhang, Yachen & Moyle, Brent & Lohmann, Gui & de Oliveira, Renan Peres & Chang, Lu & Weaver, David, 2023. "A social identity perspective on dark tourism impacts," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    2. Shu-Ning Zhang & Wen-Qi Ruan & Ting-Ting Yang, 2021. "National Identity Construction in Cultural and Creative Tourism: The Double Mediators of Implicit Cultural Memory and Explicit Cultural Learning," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    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. 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.
    6. Wenkun Zhang & Yanan Wang, 2023. "An empirical study of the impact of metaverse storytelling on intentions to visit," Information Technology & Tourism, Springer, vol. 25(3), pages 411-432, September.
    7. Li, Shanshi & Huang, Huiling & Liu, Xinyu & Chen, Zhenyu, 2024. "The power of visuals in destination advertising," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    8. Khim-Yong Goh & Cheng-Suang Heng & Zhijie Lin, 2013. "Social Media Brand Community and Consumer Behavior: Quantifying the Relative Impact of User- and Marketer-Generated Content," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 88-107, March.
    9. repec:hal:journl:hal-04779129 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Baabdullah, Abdullah M. & Alalwan, Ali Abdallah & Algharabat, Raed S. & Metri, Bhimaraya & Rana, Nripendra P., 2022. "Virtual agents and flow experience: An empirical examination of AI-powered chatbots," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    11. Robert J. Shiller, 2017. "Narrative Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(4), pages 967-1004, April.
    12. Minhong Kim & Kyu Ha Choi & Becca Leopkey, 2021. "The influence of tourist risk perceptions on travel intention to mega sporting event destinations with different levels of risk," Tourism Economics, , vol. 27(3), pages 419-435, May.
    13. Huichao Feng & Jieling Xiao, 2024. "(Re)shaping the Tourists’ Imagined Identity of Mosuo towards Sustainable Ethnic Tourism Development in Southwest China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-22, August.
    14. Allison Worsdale & Jiaying Liu, 2023. "Narrative Messages and the Use of Emotional Appeals on Endometriosis Screening Intention: The Mediating Role of Positive Affect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(13), pages 1-16, June.
    15. Boukis, Achilleas, 2023. "Storytelling in initial coin offerings: Attracting investment or gaining referrals?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    16. Krallman, Alexandra & Barnes, Donald C. & Lastner, Matthew M. & Collier, Joel E., 2023. "You can’t touch this: Driving purchase justification for hedonic online purchases," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PB).
    17. Ganga Shreedhar & Susana Mourato, 2020. "Linking Human Destruction of Nature to COVID-19 Increases Support for Wildlife Conservation Policies," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 76(4), pages 963-999, August.
    18. Tsaur, Sheng-Hshiung & Lin, Wei-Rong & Liu, Jui Shiang, 2013. "Sources of challenge for adventure tourists: Scale development and validation," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 85-93.
    19. Yanfang Zeng & Rui Xu, 2021. "An Exploration of the Relationships between Nostalgia, Involvement, and Behavioral Intention in Diaspora Tourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, November.
    20. Chia-Ying Li & Yu-Hui Fang & Badri Munir Sukoco, 2021. "Value proposition as a catalyst for innovative service experience: the case of smart-tourism destinations," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 15(2), pages 281-308, June.
    21. Zhuanlan Sun & C. Clark Cao & Sheng Liu & Yiwei Li & Chao Ma, 2024. "Behavioral consequences of second-person pronouns in written communications between authors and reviewers of scientific papers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

    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:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:21582440241257159. 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: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.