Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faculty Publications Article Faculty Publications -Articles Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Joseph, Joshin; Hasaballah, Mustafa M.; Abdelwahab, Mahmoud M.; Elbatal, Ibrahim; Gillariose, Jiju Title A name given to the resource Curiosity in calamity: How personal schadenfreude shapes disaster-tourism intentions Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 01-01-2026 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived PLOS ONE;Volume;21;Issue;2026-05-05 00:00:00;Article No.;e0347535; Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347535" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347535</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105040540406?origin=resultslist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105040540406?origin=resultslist</a> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Joseph J., School of Commerce and Professional Studies, Marian College Kuttikkanam, Kerala, Peermade, India; Hasaballah M.M., Department of Basic Sciences, Marg Higher Institute of Engineering and Modern Technology, Cairo, Egypt; Abdelwahab M.M., Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Elbatal I., Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Gillariose J., Department of Statistics and Data Science, Christ University, Karnataka, Bangalore, India Description An account of the resource Tourism to sites of recent disaster, a form of dark tourism has raised questions about whether visitors are driven by typical travel motivations or by morbid impulses. This study examines how conventional tourist motives and the personality trait of benign schadenfreude (pleasure at others misfortune) jointly influence peoples intentions to visit a recent disaster site. By surveying 438 tourists to Kerala, four months after the July 2024 Wayanad landslides, we measured four common travel motives (novelty seeking, fun/entertainment, knowledge/learning, and relationship bonding) alongside a benign schadenfreude scale and visit intention. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed for modeling. The model explained 58.80 percent of the variance in visit intention. Three motives viz., novelty, knowledge, and relationship had significant positive associations with intention, whereas the fun motive showed a negative effect. Schadenfreude emerged as the strongest predictor of disaster-site visit intention. Moreover, schadenfreude significantly moderated the influence of novelty seeking: respondents high in schadenfreude exhibited especially strong curiosity-driven intent to visit. These findings suggest that interest in post-disaster tourism often stems from ordinary travel drivers (curiosity, learning, social bonding), but a disposition to enjoy others misfortune can intensify the appeal when novel experiences are involved. The research highlights the need for ethical considerations to be followed by the destination managers and authorities in managing dark tourism destinations. Key limitations include the use of a cross-sectional data, region-specific sample and the focus on benign dimension (versus malicious) of schadenfreude. Future research should validate these results in other cultural and disaster contexts, establish causal relationships, and examine additional personal factors as well as dimensions of schadenfreude. 2026 Joseph et al. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Public Library of Science Relation A related resource ISSN: 19326203; CODEN: POLNC Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Article Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource online