Authors:Melanie Kay Smith, Titanilla Virág Tevely Pages: 53 - 75 Abstract: Serial killers fascinate people and books, films, TV series and other types of entertainment increasingly cater to this interest providing sensationalized media coverage. The theory suggests that the boundaries are blurred considerably between fact and fiction, even for the serial killers themselves. For many people, serial killers are both frightening and attractive enough to motivate them to go on tours and visit sites, museums and other attractions that are associated with them. This paper explores the motivation for consuming true and fictional crime including murders and serial killing with an emphasis on literature, films, TV series as well as tourism. A content analysis of the websites of walking tours, museums and other attractions connected to fictional and real serial killers was undertaken, as well as a questionnaire with a niche sample of respondents who commented on their experience and perceptions of serial killers within a dark tourism context. The results suggest that while tourists tend to prefer real serial killers to fictional ones, only a small number of tourists actually engage in this form of dark tourism. Their motivations tend to be more connected to education or entertainment rather than a morbid obsession with death or tragedy. PubDate: 2023-01-09 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.4 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2023)
Authors:Samet Çevik Pages: 76 - 91 Abstract: The blending of dark tourism and literary tourism has created a sub-niche as dark literary tourism. It offers dissimilar experiences as it incorporates distinctive motivations from literary tourism and dark tourism. This study aims to provide a better understanding of dark literary tourism motivations and experiences by offering a perspective on the concept of dark literary tourism. For that purpose, the work Journey to the End of Life by Turkish author Tezer Özlü, in which she traced three authors, Franz Kafka, Italo Svevo, and Cesare Pavese, was selected. The work was subjected to qualitative textual analysis. As a result of the analysis, the data obtained on the concept of dark literary tourism were interpreted under three headings. The findings of the study show that dark literary tourists have both dark tourist and literary pilgrim motivations, travelling for motivations such as paying homage to authors and the past, understanding their feelings by establishing closeness and connection with the authors, empathizing with their suffering, acquiring the smallest details about their lives, and experiencing their daily lives. The most crucial finding of the study is that the dark literary tourism experience allows tourists an inner journey and provides awareness about their lives. PubDate: 2023-01-11 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.5 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2023)
Authors:Stijn Reijnders, Nicky van Es Pages: 92 - 110 Abstract: This paper focuses on media tourism - people travelling to places associated with film, TV-series, games or other forms of popular culture. In order to investigate the roles and impacts of the multiple stakeholders that are involved in this booming phenomenon, the concept ‘imaginative heritage’ is introduced. In particular, we refer to the multitude of popular, fictional narratives that have been projected upon or appropriated by specific sites throughout time and that together make up an important part of local place identity. As is argued here, imaginative heritage results from an active involvement of not only locals, fans and tourists, but also the media industries, the tourism industries and the local governments. By applying this concept to cases of crime fiction tourism and addressing the power configurations behind these heritage and tourism practices, this paper aims to contribute to a more holistic understanding of media tourism and, more in particular, the reciprocal nature of the relation between popular crime fiction, heritage and place. PubDate: 2023-01-12 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.6 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2023)
Authors:Tsegaye Ebabey Pages: 111 - 125 Abstract: This study explores the historical and architectural heritage of Wukro Medhane Alem, a least-known monolithic rock-hewn church in South Gondar. Primary and secondary sources of the study were collected through fieldwork, interviews, and literature review. The study shows that it is one of the medieval churches traditionally attributed to King Lalibela (r. 1181-1221). The hypogeum has a rectangular plan being deeply excavated out of bedrock. There is a built-up feature added over the roof's edge of the rock-hewn church. It imitates a Gondarine architectural tradition, implying the transition from the earlier rock-hewn tradition to the building architectural orientation of the Gondarine period (1636-1769). Its hypogeum reflects an Aksumite and medieval architectural tradition. Internally, the basilica is partitioned into kine mahilet (chanting), kiddist (holy) and mekides or kiddiste kiddusan (sanctuary) rooms through the arranged rock-hewn pillars, which are refined with arches, capitals, and entablatures that create the ceiling of the roof which is also decorated with engraved cruciform, geometrical, quadrifoliate, and crown-like protruding features. The kiddiste kiddusan has six sub-sanctuaries with doubled circular domed roofs and rectangular altars cut from the main rock. The hypogeum, thus, has such potential values to be promoted as an alternative tourist site in historic Gondar, which is mainly known to tourists for its built palaces. PubDate: 2023-01-24 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.7 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2023)
Authors:Alba Pérez Pages: 126 - 139 Abstract: The appearance of smart models for tourism management has contributed towards a more efficient administration of tourism products. However, museums are institutions that have not been explored from this angle and possess great potential for their application. This research aims to put forward a proposal of a Smart Model for museum management and define the main characteristics of a Smart Museum. Although plenty of museums are adapting their facilities and experiences through a digital transformation, there are scarcely any that adopt the Smart designation for their description, nor base their operation on existing literature on smart management. A focus group with experts in museology, smart management and heritage innovation allowed to identify the main components for smart management to take place in a museum setting. Furthermore, the data were coded, organised and analysed thematically focusing on the principal elements discussed in the group meeting. The absence of a clear definition for a smart museum was detected. Nonetheless, the contributions from the focus group, together with the findings from the literature review on existing smart models provided the necessary concepts to establish a definition and build an application model adapted to museums. PubDate: 2023-01-24 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.8 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2023)
Authors:Orhan Yabanci Pages: 1 - 17 Abstract: Heritage hotels and such tourist accommodations are considered as important elements of hospitality industry since they create emotional, cultural, and use values. Istanbul houses some of the most exceptional historic buildings some of which are employed as hotels today. Although the city exhibits important examples of heritage lodging, the research on the subject is relatively little. Therefore, this paper provides a literature review on the historical backgrounds of historic hotel buildings located in Istanbul city, such as the Galata Hotel Istanbul-MGallery, Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul, Four Seasons Istanbul at the Bosporus, W Istanbul, 10 Karakoy Istanbul-A Morgans Original, Pera Palace Hotel, Ajia Hotel, Tomtom Suites, Legacy Ottoman Hotel, Crowne Plaza Istanbul Old City, and Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet. PubDate: 2022-10-13 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.1 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2022)
Authors:Mark Speakman, Alejandro Diaz Garay Pages: 18 - 36 Abstract: Overlooking the town of San Gabriel in Mexico stands a monument which attracts aficionados of Juan Rulfo’s novel Pedro Paramo. San Gabriel inspired the creation of the fictional Comala, a deserted town haunted by past residents. The main objective of the paper was to explore, from the conceptual perspective of lieux de imagination (Reijnders, 2011) whether some aficionados imagine that San Gabriel is Comala. Furthermore, considering the dark characteristics of Comala, the possibility that specific visitors undergo thanatopsis was also considered. A qualitative approach to the research was deemed the appropriate methodology to answer the research questions and accomplish the overall aim, hence twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted over the course of two days at the monument. The findings demonstrated that all of the participants were attracted to San Gabriel (and the monument) because it was the childhood home of Rulfo and the inspiration for Comala, while the vast majority imagined that San Gabriel transformed into Comala. Meanwhile, a smaller but significant proportion of visitors underwent a thanatological experience. It was suggested that this experience was an example of Debordian dark tourism, hence signifying that the monument is a place in which literary tourism and dark tourism occasionally converge. PubDate: 2022-10-19 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.2 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2022)
Authors:Amanda Dawson, Sinéad O'Leary , Noelle O'Connor Pages: 37 - 56 Abstract: The purpose of this research study is to investigate the ethics of holocaust tourism as a niche market which is becoming very commercialised due to the growing demand for such activities at certain locations and to examine the motivating factors for tourists visiting these destinations. Holocaust sites, a number of which were commissioned for memorial after the liberation during World War II to memorialise those lost and act as an educational resource. The main aim of this research is to explore whether holocaust tourism can be seen as education or exploitation. This will be investigated through a site visit to a holocaust tourism destination in Germany (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin) and a survey to identify those who engage in holocaust tourism, their motivations for doing so, and the outcome of their visits. Finally, this research study will provide results on the ethics of holocaust tourism and its educational value through a review of the academic research as well as the opinions of those who have or will engage in holocaust tourism. One of the main conclusions is that both primary participants and secondary authors spoke of how when visiting these sites, you create a connection to the destination and the sense of what occurred at the location is undeniable. PubDate: 2022-12-15 DOI: 10.1344/THJ.2022.4.3 Issue No:Vol. 4 (2022)
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