A light in the dark – Black consumer motivation in dark tourism

ABSTRACT This article presents a qualitative phenomenological study designed to explore Black consumer behavior, namely motivation to visit a contemporary dark tourism site in urban America. This aspect of Black consumer behavior was examined to fill a gap in the literature regarding what motivates Black people to visit places where death and suffering have famously occurred, especially in contemporary contexts. This project was significant because it better explained an under-represented aspect of dark tourism, namely the Black dark tourism experience which has largely been unaddressed. Theme analysis and multiple in-depth interviews were conducted to execute the study’s phenomenological design. The results of the study suggested that Blacks who partake in dark tourism at sites with contemporary significance to the community are motivated to do so by a desire to share, to pay respects, and to better understand issues currently affecting the community.