An attempt to clarify what deserves to remain dark: A long look back

Abstract

This paper aims at developing a bibliometric analysis of previous studies focused on dark tourism and thanatourism in order to map the structure and development of scientific production in this field. Moreover, this paper intends to identify which are the main research topics that require further investigation, contributing to shape a future research agenda. This research follows a mixed-method based on both qualitative and quantitative analyses, which is also supported by a systematic review process. The results show a particular growth in the interest in dark tourism since 2008. It has moved from a neglected research area to a relevant topic in the tourism literature. Besides, a lack of consensus can be observed on different aspects such as definition, scope, or motivation nature, essentially, due to its multidisciplinary nature. This has favoured a relatively disperse body of literature. This research contributes to bringing clarity to the field of dark tourism and thanatourism by providing an overview of its evolution and current status. Moreover, this study provides a comprehensive and organized summary of the diverse approaches, perspectives, and research trends. In doing so, this research enriches the lively debate on dark tourism, offering a greater understanding of what death, and related concepts, mean and imply to the present and future of tourism.