Brand activation in thanatourism: a comparative study of the Bram Stoker Festival and the Whitby Goth Weekend

Abstract

The life and work of Dubliner Bram Stoker influenced a niche tourism product popularly consumed today - gothic festivals. Gothic or “dark tourism” (thanatourism) festivals attract high spending tourists, usually in off-season, with implications for heritage conservation, night time economy and the cultural tourism experience. This thesis explores the promotion of these festivals using an experiential marketing framework.