ItemBook Chapter

How Much Governance Is Too Much?: Framing Future Directions for State Involvement in Sustainable Dark Tourism

Title
How Much Governance Is Too Much?: Framing Future Directions for State Involvement in Sustainable Dark Tourism
Creator
Mohanty, Priyakrushna; Reddy, Manogna; Kennell, James
Description
With the growing institutionalisation of dark tourism into national heritage discourses and tourism economies, the issue of what level of state intervention is most appropriate has become an urgent and critical point of discussion. Although the subjects of visitor motivations, site interpretation, and ethical dilemmas have been well covered in the existing literature, the role of government in dark tourism has not received sufficient attention. The chapter fills that gap by discussing the diversity of state interventions in dark tourism through a content analysis of pertinent literature. A conceptual framework is developed that indicates five key areas of intervention in dark tourism governance: cultural heritage policy, security and risk regulation, mobility control, heritage protection, and community engagement. These are connected to two clusters of intended governance outcomes: sociocultural goals such as peacebuilding and reconciliation, and experience-focused aims including ethical interpretation and visitor management. Instead of taking a normative stance on whether state involvement is inherently either excessive or insufficient, the chapter advocates for a more situated and reflexive approach. It emphasises the need to understand dark tourism governance as context-dependent, shaped by site-specific histories, political legitimacy, and the tension between memorialisation and commodification in practice. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Pawan Kumar, Gurmeet Singh, Vipin Nadda, Bindu Aggarwal and Ranjeet Verma.
Source
Sustainable Dark Tourism: Trends and Insights from the Globe;pp.139-159
Date
01-01-2026
Publisher
Taylor and Francis
Coverage
Mohanty P., Department of Business and Management, Christ University, Bengaluru, India; Reddy M., Travel and Tourism Management, Christ University, BGR Campus, India; Kennell J., Surrey Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey, United Kingdom
Rights
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
Relation
ISBN: 978-104055128-8; 978-104110480-3;
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Book chapter

Citation

Mohanty, Priyakrushna; Reddy, Manogna; Kennell, James, “How Much Governance Is Too Much?: Framing Future Directions for State Involvement in Sustainable Dark Tourism,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 18, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/25259.

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