![Sample our Tourism, Hospitality and Events journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5950/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Tourism-Hospitality-Events.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Despite a substantial dark tourism research body, attributes and preferences related to battlefield tourism remain limited. Battlefield tourism requires meticulous planning of attributes and services in tour itineraries, a pivotal element in tour success. This study used scenario-based questionnaires for tourists’ choice decisions, collecting 386 valid responses via systematic sampling (99% response rate). Studies employing multinomial and mixed-logit models to account for tourist heterogeneity have found a preference among tourists for darker options in battlefield tourism – interpretive services, environmental authenticity, heritage exhibition, experience participation, souvenirs, and transportation. Noteworthily, two factors in the mixed-logit model – authentic environmental landscapes and customised merchandise – exhibited a high level of significance in enhancing utility levels. These findings underscore tourists’ preferences in the choice of scenarios, providing substantial recommendations for itinerary design and improvement. Ultimately, the outcomes of this study offer tangible guidance for the design of battlefield tourism experiences and enable relevant entities to better cater to tourists’ needs. Further research may explore the impacts of various factors on tourists’ choice behaviour to enhance the allure and competitiveness of battlefield tourism offerings.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Li-Hui Chang
Li-hui Chang, is currently the Associate Professor of the Department of Tourism Management at Quemoy University. She teaches courses of tourist consumer behaviour and quality management in tourism services. She delves deeply into various aspects of tourism studies, with particular research focuses on local cultural research, consumer psychology, service quality, and tourism planning and design.