Dark Tourism and Cultural Resources: Investigating the Local Stakeholders’ Perceptions in Thessaloniki, Greece

Many researchers view dark tourism as the dark side of cultural tourism or an authentic glance at cultural and heritage resources. Noteworthy is the fact that there is an essential connection between cultural tourism and dark tourism. But what is the difference between them? Is Dark tourism a worthwhile development choice for destinations and historical cities? To answer these questions, this paper investigates the perceptions of local stakeholders in the historical city of Thessaloniki, Greece. The qualitative method was used through personal interviews with local stakeholders. The results of the research indicate that cultural resources, such as historical buildings or sites, local myths, urban legends, monuments, religious sites, cemeteries, historical narratives, etc., could attract not only cultural tourists but also dark tourists. Additionally, stakeholders recognize the importance of dark tourism as niche tourism based on seeking authentic experiences, especially by tourists with an emotional involvement or connection with the destination. Also, their responses indicate that dark tourism can provide many chances for historical cities to succeed in sustainable tourism development through the utilization and prominence of cultural resources (tangible and intangible).