Dark Tourism in SouthEast Asia: Are Young Asian Travelers up for it?

ABSTRACT

Although Western perspectives on Dark Tourism have been well researched, limited studies have considered Asian views. This research enhances extant knowledge by considering young South and East Asian perceptions and motivation for Dark Tourism in Southeast Asia. The findings suggest that Dark Tourism could be feasible in Southeast Asia, but only to a certain extent as young tourists are particular about the places they visit based on select motivations. One factor is history, which encourages them to visit sites famous for warfare. This study contributes to literature via enhancing the understanding of Dark Tourism and providing future research directions. It assists local tourism boards and travel agencies in promoting Dark Tourism sites in Southeast Asia.

KEYWORDS:

• Dark tourism
• travel behavior
• young traveler motivations
• South and East Asia
• tourism promotion