Lighthouse tourism: is there a “dark” side?

Abstract

Purpose The lighthouse tourism, which has been flourishing in several coastal areas and port cities with waterfront, provides the ideal scenario for escape experiences. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implicit (dark tourism) meanings, symbolisms and emotions evoked by lighthouses, in particular those related with recreational storm chasing, “land’s ends” pilgrimage and gaze upon dystopic places. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative approach such as filmography’s content analysis (filtered by IMDb database), photo elicitation and engagement with lighthouses promotion websites, this study searched for evidences supporting the classification of lighthouse tourism as a “lighter” dark tourism product. Findings The qualitative information gathered from different sources provided support for a taxonomy of motives for engaging (dark) lighthouse experiences: risk recreation; isolation and loneliness; pilgrimage; shipwrecking; memorials; dystopia; and gaze for “ice palaces.” Research limitations/implications This conceptual paper suggests a taxonomy for a systematic classification of dark lighthouse experiences and suggested some research propositions for further research. Practical implications Public decision makers, maritime authorities and tourism operators may acknowledge the theoretical and practical contributions provided by this paper and develop innovative escape experiences. Social implications The lighthouse tourism is an innovative and creative way to promote the sustainable development of waterfronts of port cities, giving more “energy” to these coastal and often peripheral areas. Originality/value The paper fills a gap in the literature that so far never had deeply explored the relationship between the lighthouses’ meanings/experiences and dark tourism and introduces the innovative concept of (dark) lighthouse tourism.