Dark Tourism and Destination Branding: The Case Study of Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Introduction

Research Problem

The tourism sector contributes significantly to the global economy as well as the economy of the countries. The tourism planning departments have begun to think creatively and explore new tourist destinations to attract more foreign and domestic tourists. A relatively new research topic and trend in the tourism industry is dark tourism. Dark tourism has had a long history, in previous times, people used to travel to countries to watch public executions as they were a source of entertainment for the audience and were considered something normal (Robinson, Heitmann & Dieke, 2011). Although the concept is old, research regarding the topic is comparatively new. As per Sharpley and Stone (2009), dark tourism which is still a niche market has the potential for growth as it helps the visitors to recognize the blend of death and life. The problem that enables the researcher to carry out research in this field is that the trend for dark tourism is growing yet still no proper attention is given to the topic in terms of promoting dark tourist points as destination marketing brands. Catering to the research gap that exists in the literature will be the main objective and contribution of this study.

Research Aim and Objectives

The primary aim of this research paper is to explain whether dark tourist points can be marketed as destination brands such as the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Based on the primary aim, secondary objectives are also set.

To provide an understanding of the terms, dark tourism, and destination marketing

To explain how these two terms can be combined to promote tourism

To identify the tourist motivations and experiences of dark tourism

To discuss how dark tourist places such as the Auschwitz concentration camp can be branded as a tourist attraction point

To identify how the Auschwitz concentration camp is branding Poland as a dark tourist destination

To examine the role of destination branding strategies that adds value to their dark tourism destinations such as the Auschwitz concentration camp.  

Literature Review

Martini, A., & Buda, D. M. (2018). Dark tourism and affect: framing places of death and disaster. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-14.

Annaclaudia Martini and Dorina Maria Buda in their research have analyzed the effect of dark tourism. Martini works are a faculty member of the department of cultural geography at the University of Groningen, Netherlands whereas Buda is the head of the International Centre for Research in Events, Tourism, and Hospitality at Leeds Beckett University, England. The paper aimed to discuss the new possibilities of theorizing dark tourism as a source of resourceful socio-spatial encounters. To achieve this aim, qualitative research was carried out in which the authors have framed dark tourism concerning the theories of affect particularly concerning geographies affect (Martini & Buda, 2018). This research can be considered effective and influential because both the authors have a substantial amount of experience in their field i.e. tourism. Adopting a critical approach, the authors have debated the concept of affect, dark tourism terminology, and taxonomies along the various aspects of the dark tourism experience. Considering how complex and novel this term is, the research by Martini and Buda (2018) can be considered timely and thoroughly researched.

Liyanage, S., Coca-Stefaniak, J. A., & Powell, R. (2015). Dark destinations–visitor reflections from a holocaust memorial site. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 1(4), 282-298.

Dr. J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak works as a senior professor in events and destination management and Raymond Powell works as a senior lecturer in tourism at the University of Greenwich, London. Sherry Liyanage on the other hand is a tourism consultant in London. Their experience and professions justify their research in this domain. The authors investigated to identify the psychological impact and self-reflection process of their visiting experience to a dark tourist Nazi concentration camp. The motivation behind the study was the growing interest in dark tourism and the experience of visitors before and after their visit to the camp. 15 online semi-structured interviews were conducted with tourists who visited Dachau (a Nazi concentration camp in Germany) between 2003 and 2015 (Liyanage, Coca-Stefaniak & Powell, 2015). People from 11 different nationalities were involved in the study. Detailed discussion is carried out on dark tourism. The authors in the literature review section have critically analyzed dark tourism, its various layers, and the motivations behind it. The authors state that after visiting the site, there was a significant psychological change in the visitors. They had feelings of depression, sadness, anger, and curiosity which might haunt them for a substantial amount of time (Liyanage, Coca-Stefaniak & Powell, 2015). Furthermore, history and education were identified as the major motivations behind their visit to the place.  

Amujo, O. C., & Otubanjo, O. (2012). Leveraging rebranding of ‘unattractive’ nation brands to stimulate post-disaster tourism. Tourist Studies, 12(1), 87-105.

The research by Amujo and Otubanjo (2012) aims at presenting insights into how a nation whose brand name is viewed negatively due to disasters, massacres, or political turmoil can promote tourism. The objective of the research was to identify the impact of rebranding on a nation’s brand image. The research is carried out by Olusanmi C. Amujo and Olutayo Otubanjo who work at the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the Lagos Business School, Nigeria, respectively. Qualitative research that reviews the existing literature on the topic of rebranding and negatively perceived nation brands. The authors in their study have emphasized dark tourism and have stated that due to the increasing impact of the media due to globalization, the presentations of genocide may touch the emotional and curious side of the dark tourists and historians and can lead them to visit such affected places. Nation brand association and identity redeployment post-disaster are identified as the key strategies through which nations can rebrand themselves and promote tourism to such places (Amujo & Otubanjo, 2012). The descriptive and timely research of the authors has also proposed a framework for nation rebranding for emerging countries.

Thurnell-Read, T. P. (2009). Engaging Auschwitz: an analysis of young travelers’ experiences of Holocaust Tourism. Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice 1(1), 26-52.

One of the objectives of the present study is to identify tourists’ motivations and experiences of the dark tourist points. The study by Thurnell-Read (2009) is important in achieving the following objective. This study is important also because the case of the research is similar to that of the following study i.e. Auschwitz concentration camp that resulted in the deaths of millions. The topic, ‘Engaging Auschwitz: an analysis of young travelers’ experiences of Holocaust Tourism’ is social because it led to major social distress and disturbed the lives of millions of people. Thomas Thornell-Read works as a senior lecturer in the department of social sciences at Loughborough University, England. This illustrates that the author had command over his research domain, which is the reason why such thorough research was initiated which explained and discussed all the concerned variables in a wide and complete manner. A qualitative research study comprising semi-structured interviews was initiated. Several motivations such as the assertion of humanly standards, and historical, educational, and cinematic factors of the Holocaust were identified as the motivations which contributed to the young travelers visiting Auschwitz (Thurnell-Read, 2009).

Slivková, S., & Bucher, S. (2017). Dark Tourism and its Reflection in Post-Conflict Destinations of Slovakia and Croatia. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 19(1), 22-34.

The aim of the study directed by Slivková and Bucher (2017) was to identify the reflection of dark tourism in the post-conflict tourist points of Slovakia and Croatia. The authors of their study state that the productive branding of the affected region can have a significant impact on the reputation of the territory and tourism. The authors argue that branding destinations that were affected by conflicts can help the country in attracting investments and developing awareness among the domestic as well as international people. While defining dark tourism, Slivková and Bucher (2017) opine that it is a product of post-modern times when the trend is shifting towards niche tourism instead of mass tourism. People prefer exploring new destinations where they can attach themselves emotionally as well as from an educational perspective. The author has used Stone’s framework of the dark tourism spectrum which signifies the different forms of dark tourism (Stone, 2013). Detailed historic discussion is carried out concerning the events carried out in Slovakia and Croatia along with relating to the various dark tourist destination points in the regions.

Schaar, R. (2013). Destination branding: a snapshot. UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research, 16(1), 1-10.

Rebecca Schaar, a marketing lecturer, wrote an article on destination branding. The paper aimed to review the literature to enhance the understanding of the readers regarding the concept of destination branding. The author state that destination branding is a new marketing concept in the research domain as well as for the tourism industry. Most of the researchers have compared destination branding to consumer product branding which are two completely different things as the author claim (Schaar, 2013). The authors suggest that destination brand relies significantly on appealing to the tourists emotionally and inspirationally.

Campelo, A., Aitken, R., Thyne, M., & Gnoth, J. (2014). Sense of place: The importance of destination branding. Journal of Travel Research, 53(2), 154-166.

The aim of the research carried out by Campelo et al. (2014) was to discuss the importance of destination branding in a society where tourism is increasing, and people are showing more interest in tours. The tourist destination which was the focus of the study was the Chatham Islands of New Zealand. The determinants for the sense of place were time, landscape, community, and ancestry. As per the authors, these were the constructs that influence a person’s visiting intentions. Campelo et al. (2014) main focus throughout the study has been on destination branding. The authors argue that destination branding is substantially influenced by an appreciation of the sense of place and therefore the authors recommend that to promote a brand positively, the destination marketers must focus on making tourists or potential tourists understand the sense of place.

Jetter, L. G., & Chen, R. J. (2011). Destination branding and images: Perceptions and practices from tourism industry professionals. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 12(2), 174-187.

Laura G. Jetter and Rachel J. C. Chen, from the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management, University of Tennessee, USA, wrote a research paper to identify the relationship between a destination’s image and the number of tourists visiting the destination. Laura, Jetter, and Rachel (2011) state that just like the increasing competition amongst the firms, competition within the cities is also increasing to market themselves as a more successful market destination. This success is highly dependent on the image of the city. To improve the image, each city must assess its weaknesses and strengths. The research after comparing Knoxville, Tennessee to other correspondingly populated cities in the US concludes that the perception, image, and branding of the city play an extremely important role in attracting tourists to a destination point. Destination branding focuses on promoting their deadly cultural sites and informing the visitors about their disastrous past events and happenings. Dark tourism is essential for places because it brings more revenue and it promotes the growth of the GDP of the economy. Dark tourism defines the experiences which provide detailed information regarding the country’s historical places and cultural phenomena.  

Journals. editions. 2020. The Concentration Camp As A Site Of ‘Dark Tourism’. [online] Available at: <https://journals.openedition.org/temoigner/272> [Accessed 9 March 2020].

Dark tourism is promoting the knowledge of the visitors and the tourists at the concentration camp in Poland. Dark tourism has also been named Holocaust tourism which focused on past happenings and promotes the dark experiences that happened in the destination spot. According to Sarah HODGKINSON (2020), dark tourism holds significant importance in exploring new information about recent or past popular events. In the context of the memorialization of the difficult heritage and shifting the political, and historical narratives which apply to the site such as the concentration camp in Poland which is recognized as a site of dark tourism. The site is continuously generating revenues and increasing physical traffic at the concentration camp, moreover in 2012 over 1.4 million people visited the place due to the effective tourism branding strategies utilized to promote the place. The author agrees that dark tourism has a strong influence over the tourism industry and creates a significant impact on the mass people.     

Methodology

Research approach

The research approach which will act as the foundation of the following study is the inductive approach. This approach is based on the ultimate formulation of a theory based on primary data analysis. According to Soiferman (2010), this approach is based on the development of a hypothesis at the end of the research and which is generally done by experiencing either through first-hand experience or second-hand experience. This approach allows the researcher to gain a thorough understanding of the experiences of the tourists while visiting the dark tourism points. According to Gray (2014), other than increasing the probability of generalizing the findings, this research allows the investigator to get actively involved in the process of data collection and the entire research. The ultimate aim of the present study is to formulate a theory regarding the branding of dark tourist destinations and also about the experience and motivations of the dark tourists after collecting primary information from the tourists. The inductive approach is set up to collect the primary data on dark tourism and how it has increased in the last decade. The inductive approach focuses on a more generalized understanding and moves from the specific to a more generalized study (Burney, 2008). Inductive reasoning is best suited for the qualitative research process and it involves a degree of uncertainty in the data collection method. The tentative hypotheses will be made to conclude the research findings and based on the hypothesis the conclusion will be based. The approach focused on critical thinking and carried out the information from the respondents participating in the semi-structured interviews.  To analyze the information and the increasing trends of dark tourism at Auschwitz concentration camp to assess the data regarding dark tourism and destination branding. Moreover, the information which will be collected through the approach could assist in formulating the findings for the research (Thomas, 2006). 

Research design

The research design based on which the study will be directed is the qualitative research design. According to Neuman (2013), the qualitative research design is based on non-numeric, subjective, and opinion-based data.  Qualitative research is a systematic way to collect, organize and gather textual information regarding the variables of the research. It encourages generating the description of the processes and mechanisms to influence the data collection process (Young, and Hren, 2017). As per the author, the following design utilizes detailed and categorical data provided by the respondents of the study to formulate a conclusion. The purpose of choosing this design is because of the nature of the topic which is based on viewing the opinion of the tourists regarding the tourist point. Obtaining the perspective of the tourists in the form of numbers would have bound the investigator and on the other hand, qualitative research design allows investigators to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the data obtained. Qualitative research will be used in this research due to the collection of primary information regarding dark tourism at a concentration camp and how it promotes the dark sites in Poland. To satisfy the objectives and aim of the study, it is essential to form a quality research design that could produce a new set of knowledge regarding dark tourism and destination branding strategies and practices (Maxwell, 2012). The qualitative method is used due to the interview collection process; moreover, the method covers gathering in-depth knowledge of the dark tourism growth and tourism motivation for the tourist. A qualitative research design is chosen due to gather a large amount of data on dark tourism and how it is increasing in the last decade. Moreover, the factors which assist in branding the tourism destination to entice large people the dark tourism.       

Data collection

The primary data collection method will be adopted by the researcher for the following study. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with the visitors of the Auschwitz concentration camp to achieve the aim and objectives of the study. Interviews allow the investigators to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic. The visitors for instance will be asked about the reasons behind their visit to the place and the experience that they have gained after their visit. 8 to 10 interviews will be conducted with the tourists based on the convenience of the researcher. Interviewees who are voluntarily willing to be a part of the research process will be included in the data collection process. The detailed interview sessions influence the primary information gathered from the respondents and aims to find detailed data to increase the authenticity of the study. The above-mentioned number of interviews is sufficient enough to gather knowledge regarding the subject and conclude credible results about dark tourism and destination branding.    

The purpose of keeping the sample to a lower number is because the sample size in qualitative studies is generally lower (Dworkin, 2012). Non-probability sampling technique and convenience sampling method will be utilized by the researcher while selecting respondents for the study. The sampling procedure is essential to select the candidate for the interview sessions and from all the population, most related respondents will be chosen which could provide a detailed understanding of dark tourism and destination branding practices (Rozalia, 2007). The sampling method is used to gather reliable information and enhances the ethical aspect of the research. The data collection will be in detailed form through interviews in which specific subject-related information will be accessed to comply with the ethics of the research.  

Research ethics and limitations

Following ethical considerations will be considered by the author:

Informed and voluntarily consent of the participants

Avoiding plagiarism

Unethical writing practices such as paraphrasing

The credit would be given to the authors whose work is being referred to in the study

Following research limitations might be faced by the researcher:

Time constraint: Since the following research is an academic requirement that needs to be submitted within a defined timeframe and therefore the scope of the study is limited to just one city i.e. Auschwitz and one concentration camp  

Budget constraint: Due to the budget constrain, several paid articles that were closely related to the topic could not be accessed