Beyond thanatopsis: the sublime experience of visitors at natural disaster sites

ABSTRACT

Understanding positive emotions associated with dark tourism experiences is critical in highlighting their social significance. The sublime experience provides a new perspective for exploring the association. This research aimed to uncover the characteristics and generation of sublime experiences at natural disaster sites based on two classic Chinese earthquake memorials. Using thematic analysis of messages in guest books and travel-based social networks, a model was developed of the sublime experiences of dark tourism at natural disaster sites. The model suggests that the visitor experience at natural disaster sites can be seen as a sublime experience. Safe experiences, diverse experience objects, and meaningful experiences foster positive emotions of dark tourism experiences. This research provides new findings on sublime experiences and has theoretical contributions for interpreting positive emotions in dark tourism encounters.

KEYWORDS:

• Dark tourism
• sublime experience
• positive emotion
• transformative experience
• natural disaster sites
• visitor experience

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number: 42371267]; Excellent Young Talents Program of Beijing International Studies University [grant number: BJTD22A002].