Moral Intensity and Tourist Perceptions at Holocaust Sites: Unpacking the Moral Dimensions of Dark Tourism
(A2026-132837)

AUTHORS

Robert Thomas, Cardiff University; Carmela Bosangit, Cardiff University; Shilpa Iyanna, Northumbria University

ABSTRACT

This paper seeks to unpack the dimensions of personal moral significance and moral recognition against the backdrop of moral decision-making at darkest tourism sites. We do so through the lens of moral intensity (MI). This multidimensional construct relates specifically to moral issues rather than the characteristics of the decision maker or the situational context. Drawing on ethnographic research, data were collected at major Holocaust tourism sites across Germany and Poland via 49 semi-structured interviews. The data reveal, for the first time, that tourist perceptions of MI are a bricolage comprising spatial intelligence, a priori judgments, marketing communication (realism), and ethnonationalism. Importantly, our research suggests that for some tourists, sites such as Auschwitz-Birkenau are not perceived as morally intense due to the sheer numbers, social disorganisation, perceptions of gatekeeping, and a lack of consequentialism for deviant behaviours.