Literature Review #5

 


Citation:

Houran, James, et al. “Paranormal Tourism: Market Study of a Novel and Interactive Approach to Space Activation and Monetization.” Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 3, Aug. 2020, pp. 287–311, doi:10.1177/1938965520909094.

This journal discusses why paranormal tourism is popular in many cases, and what makes it as profitable as it appears to be. Most of the research done is more preliminary in nature, and they suggest in several different spots what they think the proper research should be in the future, but they were mostly interested in laying down the groundwork for the future. The authors also provide several tables compiling things such as the popularity of various haunted locations, some history for these locations, and what economic information some of the locations were willing to disclose at that time.

Four people worked together on this journal, but the corresponding author, James Houran, is a managing director for AETHOS Consulting Group which serves "people-driven" business by conducting research for them about how people interact with the industry the business is looking to break into, and what said business can do to stand out in the field. He also has a Master's in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Adelaide. Sharon A. Hill is a writer and speaker that researches science and the public and focuses on education and media, and has a Bachelor's in Geosciences from Penn State and a Master's in Education from the State University of New York. Her work primarily deals with the paranormal and other topics of the same nature. Everett Haynes is an assistant city planner in Derby, Kansas, has a Master's in City/Urban, Regional, and Community Planning from Kansas State University, and his graduate thesis focused on the public policies of paranormal tourism. Ursula Bielski is the founder of Chicago Hauntings, Inc., an author of twelve critically-acclaimed books on folklore, a historian, and the host of PBS' "The Hauntings of Chicago." She holds a Bachelor’s in History from Benedictine University and a Master’s in American Cultural and Intellectual History from Northeastern Illinois University.

The biggest draw of this journal was the look into how small paranormal-themed businesses perform economically. Most of this data is presented in tables and explained in the surrounding text. The journal also delves into how paranormal and dark tourism has shaped the Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania over the years. 

Key Concepts:

  • Paranormal-based shows (such as Most Haunted) have a large effect on attendance to paranormal locations, enough that the term "Most Haunted effect" is used to describe the boom in English paranormal tourism after a location is visited in the show.
  •  There are five aspects for paranormal tourist destinations to use that can increase profitability: Branding, Community-building, Consumer Engagement/Retention, Experiential Marketing, Merchendising.

  1. "...the World Travel and Tourism Council reported that in 2015, tourism directly contributed US$458 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States or 2.6% of total GDP. Tourism contributed another US$1,402.6 billion to GDP in indirect contributions, or 8% of total GDP." (288)
  2. "Based on our extrapolations from the available information, we estimate paranormal tourism to be at least a US$100 million industry worldwide." (297)
  3. "We surmise, therefore, from the limited data that paranormal tourism can provide, at the very least, a good supplemental income stream from a customer base with diverse motivations and inclinations." (297)


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