Paranormal Tourism: Market Study of a Novel and Interactive Approach to Space Activation and Monetization

Abstract

<jats:p> We review the premise, popularity, and profitability of paranormal tourism, which involves visits to any setting or locale for the explicit purpose of encountering apparent supernatural phenomena for leisure, investigation, services, products, or conventions. This niche sector can offer an inherently engaging conceptual framework for seasonal or year-round space activation and monetization by businesses situated in specific settings or cities. On a broader level, the niche also illustrates how tourism–hospitality brands and operations can navigate and even capitalize on three paradigm shifts that have disrupted contemporary markets, that is, the mobilities, performative, and creative turns. This assertion is underscored with a case analysis of a historic site that successfully leveraged paranormal themes as part of its space reactivation and rebranding. Finally, our market study suggests that the success factors of paranormal tourism might indicate a fourth paradigm shift across the wider tourism–hospitality industry, whereby the experience economy is transforming to an enchantment economy. </jats:p>

Things That Go Bump in the Literature: An Environmental Appraisal of “Haunted Houses”

“…This holistic view identifies psychosocial elements as important contributors to the onset or structure of personal experiences, which agrees with conclusions from our broad sociocultural analyses of ghost narratives (Hill et al, 2018(Hill et al, , 2019Drinkwater et al, 2019;Houran et al, 2020). To be sure, considerable evidence implicates attitudinal, normative, and situational influences in the phenomenology of witness accounts (Houran, 2002;Houran et al, 2002bHouran et al, , 2019aWiseman et al, 2002Wiseman et al, , 2003bFrench et al, 2009;Drinkwater et al, 2013Drinkwater et al, , 2017Dagnall et al, 2015a;Laythe et al, 2018;Pharino et al, 2018;Langston and Hubbard, 2019).…”

“…In fact, houses rumored to be haunted often suffer significant value diminution, and this is especially true in countries such as Taiwan and Hong Kong (China) where haunts have strong cultural associations with bad luck, vengeful ghosts, and ancestral spirit anger (Emmons, 1982;Chu, 2016;Bhattacharya et al, 2017). On the other hand, "haunted" buildings or sites in Western culture are often promoted favorably as tourist destinations (Hanks, 2015;Houran et al, 2020). Sales of these places can bring high prices if a paranormal reputation is regarded as a benefit by buyers (Behar, 2017).…”

“…Overall, haunted houses exist as psychological, cultural, economic, and legal realities -with a strong and engaging "brand personality" akin to popular consumer products (Annett et al, 2016;Hill et al, 2018Hill et al, , 2019Houran et al, 2020). Although witness accounts are often explained away as instances of gullibility, overactive imaginations, or outright fraud (Nickell, 2001(Nickell, , 2012Ashford, 2017), researchers have occasionally documented the presence of independent environmental or physical mechanisms in spontaneous cases (e.g., Persinger and Koren, 2001b;Vinokur, 2005Vinokur, , 2016Nickell, 2008;Colvin, 2010;Laythe and Houran, 2019).…”

Conceptual and clinical implications of a “Haunted People Syndrome”.

“…This is essentially the heart of the well-substantiated Thomas Theorem (Merton, 1995)-that which is perceived as real will be real in its consequences. Sociocultural analyses demonstrate that ghostly episodes are no exception to these tenets (Drinkwater et al, 2019;Hill et al, 2018Hill et al, , 2019Houran et al, 2020). Part of basic human psychology lies in confirming personal beliefs and predictions of the world to provide control (Langer & Rodin, 1976), which to some extent, maintains one's self-esteem or well-being (Tajfel & Turner, 1986).…”

Dark Tourism in Southern Spain (Córdoba): An Analysis of the Demand

“…The study that was carried out showed that many places in Córdoba are feasible for implementing so-called dark tourism, especially ghost activities, and routes can be linked between municipalities, which allows for experiential tourism because paranormal experiences are very special occurrences that transport consumers to “otherworldly” destinations and make for unforgettable, unfamiliar, and supremely shareable memories and stories [ 53 ].…”