The ghostscape: Developing a servicescape for ghost tourism

Carruthers, Janet; Krisjanous, Jayne

Abstract

Ghost tours are an important part of tourism in many towns and cities over the world. Described as light dark tourism, they are a mix of the macabre and entertainment. As a tourist experience that lies primarily within services an understanding of the elements that make up the ghost tour delivery environment are essential. To fill a gap in the literature this paper draws on Bitner's (1992) work on servicescapes to contribute an early conceptualisation of the ghost tour servicescape or ‘ghostscape'. It reports the results of a qualitative study drawn from interviews of 15 ghost tour operators and guides that provides their perspective on important components of the ghost tour experience. Data was collected across four countries: England, Wales, USA and New Zealand. Results reveal three major components and several themes or elements by which unique features of the .ghostscape can be conceptualised. To conclude, recommendations, limitations and future research suggestions are presented.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Academy of Marketing (2014) Marketing Dimensions: People, Places and Spaces
• Start Date: Jul 7, 2014
• End Date: Jul 10, 2014
• Acceptance Date: Feb 10, 2014
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: ghost tourism, servicescape, qualitative
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/823553
• Publisher URL: https://marketing.conference-services.net/reports/template/onetextabstract.xml?xsl=template/onetextabstract.xsl&conferenceID=4002&abstractID=804094
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : Academy of Marketing: Marketing Dimensions: People, Places (2014)