Behavioral Intention of Residents in Dark Tourism: An Empirical Approach

María Moral-Moral ()
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María Moral-Moral: Department of Marketing and Communication, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Cadiz, C/Enrique Villegas Velez, nº 2, 11002 Cadiz, Spain

Tourism and Hospitality, 2024, vol. 5, issue 4, 1-19

Abstract: This research aims to determine the behavioral intention of residents to engage in recreational and leisure activities typical of dark tourism, which will enable tourism stakeholders to establish more effective measures and strategies to promote and develop dark tourism worldwide. First, a literature review of the scientific research on dark tourism follows, based on the papers in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Second, this empirical study uses structural equation models (SEMs) and, more concretely, partial least square (PLS) to validate the proposed model, which evaluates residents’ perceptions and motivations towards performing leisure activities linked to dark tourism. The results show that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control have a significant relationship with the intention to visit a dark tourism destination, with attitudes explaining 45.66% of residents’ intention towards this type of tourism. In terms of practical implications, the findings of this study highlight that community participation is a critical factor in the relationship between dark tourism and residents. In terms of practical implications, the findings of this study highlight that community participation is a critical factor in the relationship between dark tourism and residents because of its role in shaping the constructs that determine an individual’s behavioral intentions. Finally, it is imperative to involve local communities in tourism planning and the decision-making processes to develop a more sustainable approach to tourism that respects local sentiments and cultural contexts.

Keywords: dark tourism; theory of planned behavior; structural equation models (SEMs) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z3 Z30 Z31 Z32 Z33 Z38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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