ILLUMINATING DARKNESS THROUGH VACATIONS

Abstract

Dark tourism is fascinating because it unifies cultural heritage, history, and travels with death. Travels usually refer to hedonism and relaxation, but this niche tourism brought to the stage new dimensions: death and morbidity. Knowing that death is one of the greatest human fears, the authors investigated the domestic tourists’ perceptions of dark tourism and its development in Serbia. The research was conducted using an online survey. The questionnaire included three units: 1) sociodemographic characteristics, 2) familiarity and understanding of the dark tourism phenomenon, and 3) motivation for engaging in dark tourism. The results revealed that domestic tourists support dark tourism development, mainly due to its educational role. Tourists marked the acquisition of new knowledge, curiosity, and compassion as the primary motivators. Therefore, the older male population particularly expressed a dominant positive attitude toward the development of dark tourism. Once again, the important role of the local community in tourism development is confirmed, especially in “sensitive” forms of alternative tourism. Finally, the research contributes significantly to the theoretical framework and provides valuable guidelines for the planning and further development of dark tourism in Serbia.