Journal of Tourism and Heritage Research

Dark tourism: the case of La Modelo of Barcelona (Spain)”

Joan-Francesc Fondevila-Gascón, Elena Puiggròs, Anna Buj — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The phenomenon of visits to the territory for knowledge or recognition, especially focused on memorial sites, is gaining prominence in the tourism sector, which translates into the emergence of numerous companies that market products focused on memorial sites dedicated to local citizens and, increasingly, to other profiles. The baby boomer generation is a consumer of this type of products and services. This research, a case study, analyses the former Barcelona La Modelo prison, as a local resource and as an example of a new trend in tourism: dark tourism. Using quantitative techniques (survey) and qualitative techniques (in-depth interviews), it is observed that La Modelo is known thanks to friends or family, that visits prioritise interest in history or memory and are valued more if they are guided, and that the signage and information are satisfactory. It is concluded that the majority of visitors (guided or independent) admitted that the visit had helped them to change their view of prisons and the inmate population

Material and Immaterial Expressions: Framework of reference of the Cultural Identity of Santa Lucía- Guayas province- Ecuador

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 10:37:13 +0200

El propósito de esta investigación es analizar las expresiones tangibles e intangibles del patrimonio cultural en el cantón de Santa Lucía, con el fin de comprender la identidad cultural de la comunidad a través de sus tradiciones, creencias y manifestaciones simbólicas. Para ello, se empleó un enfoque cualitativo basado en la observación de campo, entrevistas semiestructuradas con expertos locales y la técnica de grupos focales con la comunidad, lo que permitió la identificación y clasificación de elementos culturales en dimensiones clave. Además, los datos se analizaron con el software ATLAS.ti v.9 para estructurar un mapa de identidad cultural. Los resultados revelan que las expresiones materiales incluyen la arquitectura, los paisajes culturales y los objetos tradicionales, mientras que las expresiones inmateriales incluyen festividades, danzas, gastronomía y relatos orales. Se encontró que estas manifestaciones fortalecen el sentido de pertenencia de los habitantes, a pesar de que enfrentan desafíos como la globalización y la modernización. Finalmente, se concluyó que la identidad cultural es una construcción dinámica influenciada por la interacción entre el patrimonio tangible e inmaterial, y su preservación requiere estrategias de salvaguardia participativas que integren tanto a la comunidad como a las instituciones gubernamentales.

Exploring the potential of promoting Sri Lanka as a meditation tourism destination in Sri Lanka's wellness tourism landscape

Abeysinghe Liyana Arachchige Probodika Umashani, Hasini Jayawardena — Mon, 05 May 2025 10:03:44 +0200

With the growing demand for health and wellness sector, travelers always consider balance between physical, mental, and, emotional well-being of their everyday life leading for meditation tourism to become an integral part of the wellness tourism sector. As Sri Lanka is a country that is uniquely positioned to leverage its cultural, spiritual, and, natural resources, this study explores the potential of promoting Sri Lanka as a meditation tourism destination by identifying its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, alongside with an examination on the roles played by its key stakeholders. This qualitative study which employs an exploratory strategy, underwent semi-structured interviews with 15 suppliers of wellness and meditation tourism, who are registered under the Sri Lankan government body of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), were considered as the sample. Afterwards, qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the collected data. The findings revealed that there are notable strengths and opportunities rather than weaknesses and threats in order to promote Sri Lanka as a niche meditation tourism destination. Most of the stakeholders have high power and interest in promoting Sri Lanka as a niche meditation tourism destination and it is noteworthy to state that several stakeholders are find it difficult in promoting Sri Lanka as a meditation tourism destination due to financial limitations, lack of resource flexibility, and constraint of culture. However, they pinpointed the necessity of coordination between the public sector, private sector, and non-governmental organizations to promote Sri Lanka as a niche meditation tourism destination. Overall, the study provides recommendations for improving Sri Lanka’s position in the global wellness tourism market and strategies to attract global tourists specifically for this emerging segment.

Ex-farc rebels dark-eco tours: an attempt of reinsertion to society

Diego Felipe Caicedo Amaya — Mon, 05 May 2025 10:17:35 +0200

This paper studies how after the peace agreements signed in 2016, ex FARC guerrilla members started using their jungle/nature remote places knowledge to become tour guides as a new way to make a living. With a widespread range of ecosystems, Colombia is the second most biodiverse country of the world after Brazil. From the Amazonian rainforest, Andean Mountain ranges to Pacific and Caribbean mangrove swamps, the possibilities to explore nature-based places that were previously inaccessible for tourists, researchers and even the public forces because of the conflict, became a challenging and exciting reality. The aim of this study is to analyze the recent developments of these emerging tours that attempt to provide an experience that combines dark-eco tourism perspectives and narratives, where visitors have the possibility to understand everything related to the armed conflict and difficult historical memory of violence, while also learning of the vast ecology of the areas in natural settings. The first section contextualizes the conflict with the peace agreements by analyzing emerging issues and challenges that relate to political and social discrepancies between the current government and FARC. The second section explores and relates dark-eco tourism epistemology with a tour in “La Fila” Icononzo. The third section analyses the documentary film “La Casa de la Vida” (The House of Life) that show how Colombia could benefit in a period of reconciliation from tourism initiatives. The study used a qualitative methodology based on multiple sources to collect data, the process integrates text-film analysis with ethnographic fieldwork that consisted on participatory observation and interviews.