The Relationship of the Local Community and Dark Tourism Development

Abstract

The attitudes of local communities towards the development
of dark tourism are still underexplored. This thorough
analysis of the scientific knowledge available in renowned
databases in the period from 2013 to 2019 aims at
explaining the role of local communities in dark tourism, the
advantages and disadvantages of its development, and the
understanding of the conditions needed for its acceptance
and support. The analysis has determined that every practice
of dark tourism is conditioned by the context within which it
was created, and that it has economic, socio-cultural and
environmental advantages and disadvantages. The support
of the local community for the development of dark tourism
is crucial for its continuous existence, and it can depend on
the management strategies and the benefits that dark
tourism provides. The research results contribute to the
corpus of literature, and may inform strategic guidelines for
dark tourism management, as well as benefit the wider
community through awareness of the necessity of prevention
of tragic events. Further research on the topic should create
management strategies of dark tourism that are acceptable
to local communities.