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		CURRENT ISSUE
		Journal of Unconventional Parks, Tourism & Recreation Research ISSN 1942-6879 Volume 4, Number 1, 2012
		Post-modernity and the exceptionalism of the present in dark tourim Rebecca Casbeard and Charles Booth The paper is a polemical essay concerning approaches to the historical other; a critique of the exceptionalism of the present displayed in some of the contemporary dark tourism literature. We review claims in this literature that dark tourism is both a product of and signifier for post-modernity. We utilize the criteria underpinning these claims to analyze two historical cases of thanatological travel in the first half of the 19th century and conclude that, as both cases self-evidently demonstrate recognizably 'contemporary' aspects of dark tourism, conceiving of the latter as 'post-modern' is historically inaccurate and misguided. The essay closes with a plea for a historically-informed sensitivity in researching the field.
		Legacy of the Lorraine Motel and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Steven N. Waller and Wanda M. Costen Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. This tragic event cast a bright light globally on the civil rights movement in the United States. The Lorraine Motel was later transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM). This case study examines the NCRM as a dark tourism site and its impact on visitors. Content analysis was conducted on 70 web postings about visits to the NCRM obtained from TripAdvisor. Four key themes were identified based on the analysis of the data: remembering the assassination of Dr. King; immersion into the "aura" of death at the Lorraine Motel site; the conveyance of history related to the civil rights movement in the U.S.; and the transformative power of the NCRM and its related exhibits. Key findings included: (a) The exhibits featured at the NCRM play an important role in conveying the history of civil rights movement to U.S. born and international visitors; (b) visitors experience the "aura of death" when visiting the more graphic exhibits displayed by the NCRM; and (c) for both U.S. and international tourists, a visit to the NCRM, and the assassination site of Dr. King specifically, is both transformative and commemorative. The NCRM has evolved into an attractive destination for African American families, as well as regional and foreign tourists.
		Management issues in dark tourism attractions: The case of ghost tours in Edinburgh and Toledo Beatriz Rodriguez Garcia This article explores the interpretative, managerial, and ethical issues present in dark tourism, namely ghost tours. Accordingly, a comparative case study of ghost tours in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Toledo, Spain, was conducted utilizing key informant interviews and participant observation. Because the academic literature on ghost tours is rather limited, this study presents unique findings in relation to managerial perspec-tives on issues of ethics, interpretation, and operations in ghost tours as a dark tourism activity. It also provides observational evidence on these aspects by means of partici-pant observation in ghost tours. The study concludes with a note to possible future studies.
		Solemnity and celebration: Dark tourism experiences at Hollywood Forever Cemetary Linda Levitt As the final resting place of celebrities and notable public figures, Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles has long served as a tourist attraction and a site of public memory. Unique among dark tourism sites, Hollywood Forever brings together the gravity of death and a celebratory sense of remembrance. This is made possible in part by the cemetery’s history as a tourist attraction and by its use as a site of festivals, film screenings, and other events. Tourists are encouraged to use the cemetery as social space, transforming relationships to the site. Many visitors respond warmly to these events, yet the cemetery faces disapproval from those who find these practices irreverent and lacking respect for the dead.
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