1. Introduction
1.1. Definition of paranormal tourism
Paranormal tourism is apart of a dark tourism, which falls under the category of alternative tourism; paranormal tourists are individuals who travel with an interest or belief in the supernatural phenomena and inexplicable events (Haynes, 2016, p.1). These eccentric individuals travel to places that claim to have this unusual occurrences happening within. Dark tourists are travellers who visit sights associated with death and suffering (Blankshein, 2012, p.13). Paranormal tourism includes the groupings of voodoo tourism, psychic tourism, witch hunting tourism, and ghost hunting tourism (Bloody Mary Tours, 2015).
Nowadays, Paranormal tourism is well known around the world; especially …show more content…
On one hand, these factors can provide a proper guideline to creating a theoretical structure of visitors’ motivations, which will be used towards analysing the perspectives of paranormal tourism. A push factor is heritage; Those that are motivated by heritage could visit the representative site, such as museums, and do not necessarily solely visit the exact site of the crime. Guilt can also be considered a push factor, as those who have experienced the horrors of a murder may return back to the scene as a way of being cathartic to those who did not make it out alive from the tragedy. A pull factor could be education; as visiting a dark attraction associated with paranormal activity could be an educational experience, and raise awareness of dreadful events of the past. It encourages tourists to read and learn about the history of a designated sight. Another pull factor could be remembrance. Remembrance is defined as, “a vital human activity that shapes our links to the past, and the ways we remember defines us in the present. (Huyssen, 2003).” There is a spiritual and emotional experience of visiting haunted graves and memorials. The strongest motivation towards paranormal tourism is the combination of both the educational and emotional awareness it …show more content…
Paranormal tourism enables a person to want to understand or know something, which is unfamiliar, taboo, and potential seen as something “out of the ordinary”. It is a challenge for these curious tourists to find out the truth from these paranormal attractions, and whether or not to believe the legends and myths behind the “haunted” locations (Gaya, 2013). Nowadays, there are lots of touristic places, which have been used for public entertainment with the elements of horror; such as the international wax museum chain Madame Tus Saud’s “Chamber of Horror’s”, and ghost rides for children at various amusement parks (Deutsch, 2014). This curiosity is satisfied by the unknown and unusual factors, which can be seen as a “push” factor throughout the motivation process. It is essential to realize that there would be no demand without the
1.1. Definition of paranormal tourism
Paranormal tourism is apart of a dark tourism, which falls under the category of alternative tourism; paranormal tourists are individuals who travel with an interest or belief in the supernatural phenomena and inexplicable events (Haynes, 2016, p.1). These eccentric individuals travel to places that claim to have this unusual occurrences happening within. Dark tourists are travellers who visit sights associated with death and suffering (Blankshein, 2012, p.13). Paranormal tourism includes the groupings of voodoo tourism, psychic tourism, witch hunting tourism, and ghost hunting tourism (Bloody Mary Tours, 2015).
Nowadays, Paranormal tourism is well known around the world; especially …show more content…
On one hand, these factors can provide a proper guideline to creating a theoretical structure of visitors’ motivations, which will be used towards analysing the perspectives of paranormal tourism. A push factor is heritage; Those that are motivated by heritage could visit the representative site, such as museums, and do not necessarily solely visit the exact site of the crime. Guilt can also be considered a push factor, as those who have experienced the horrors of a murder may return back to the scene as a way of being cathartic to those who did not make it out alive from the tragedy. A pull factor could be education; as visiting a dark attraction associated with paranormal activity could be an educational experience, and raise awareness of dreadful events of the past. It encourages tourists to read and learn about the history of a designated sight. Another pull factor could be remembrance. Remembrance is defined as, “a vital human activity that shapes our links to the past, and the ways we remember defines us in the present. (Huyssen, 2003).” There is a spiritual and emotional experience of visiting haunted graves and memorials. The strongest motivation towards paranormal tourism is the combination of both the educational and emotional awareness it …show more content…
Paranormal tourism enables a person to want to understand or know something, which is unfamiliar, taboo, and potential seen as something “out of the ordinary”. It is a challenge for these curious tourists to find out the truth from these paranormal attractions, and whether or not to believe the legends and myths behind the “haunted” locations (Gaya, 2013). Nowadays, there are lots of touristic places, which have been used for public entertainment with the elements of horror; such as the international wax museum chain Madame Tus Saud’s “Chamber of Horror’s”, and ghost rides for children at various amusement parks (Deutsch, 2014). This curiosity is satisfied by the unknown and unusual factors, which can be seen as a “push” factor throughout the motivation process. It is essential to realize that there would be no demand without the