An exploratory study of the future paranormal tourist experience on ghost tours
Carmen Pedreño-Peñalver, Irene Huertas-Valdivia, Alicia Orea-Giner
Journal of Tourism Futures July 31, 2023 DOI: 10.1108/jtf-04-2023-0097 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Ghost tour participants observed during a ghost tour |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Argues that paranormal tourism comprises interlinked external components (situational enchantment, historical, mystical, ghostly, and unsolved mysteries) and internal components (affective, cognitive, sensory, behavioral, and relational). Proposes that future paranormal tourist experiences should enhance these aspects to deliver immersive experiences, and offers the "FPTE" model as a framework. |
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the paranormal tourist experience on ghost tours, taking into account the participants’ perceptions and their prior knowledge of the paranormal, in order to determine the principal components of the future of paranormal tourist experience. Design/methodology/approach The study is divided into two phases. The first phase is based on participant observation during a ghost tour. The second phase is based on a previously published framework for paranormal tourism. It introduces a qualitative adaptation of the orchestra model to look in-depth at how experiences with paranormal tours might shape the future of tourism as a major subtype.
Findings: Paranormal tourism has external (situational-enchantment, historical, mystical, ghostly and unsolved mysteries) and internal (affective, cognitive, sensory, behavior and relationship) components that are inter-linked. Future paranormal tourist experiences (FPTEs) must be focused on enhancing these aspects in order to offer an immersive experience. Originality/value Consequently, this paper proposes the FPTE model.