Residents’ understanding of the development and promotion of dark tourism cannot be universally assumed due to cultural and traditional disparities across different geographical regions. Using the social exchange theory (SET) and the cognitive appraisal theory (CAT) as the theoretical baseline for exploring the residents’ cultural perception of dark tourism development and promotion. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to comprehend the residents’ perspectives about the meaning, values and cultural interpretation of dark tourism; second, to explore the residents’ attitudes from both an emotional and economic interface to dark tourism development and promotion in their community.
Using a qualitative approach with purposive and snowball sampling strategies, 25 semi-structured interviews were conducted with residents or natives of the Jesse community, selected from both within and outside the community.
Our research revealed that the residents’ emotions about the fire disaster transcend the prospect of economic empowerment the dark tourism concept could bring to the community. Besides, the respondents struggled to understand the meanings of dark tourism, but the younger respondents tended to welcome the idea more than the older ones.
The study findings emphasized the importance of stakeholders in engaging the residents in designing and managing community tourism initiatives. This will prevent conflict with cultural traditions and ensure tourism sustainability.
A novel study using the SET and CAT models to examine community perspectives on dark tourism from sub-Sahara Africa, providing an alternative viewpoint to Western interpretations and representation.
