INVESTIGATING DARK TOURISM DRIVERS AND VISITOR LOYALTY AT MATANG MUSEUM, PERAK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v6si3.1012Keywords:
dark tourism, visitor motivation, behavioral intentions, heritage tourism, Matang museumAbstract
This study examines the influence of visitors’ dark tourism motivation experiences on their behavioral intentions at the Matang Museum in Perak, Malaysia. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the research investigates three key motivational constructs namely dark experience, engaging entertainment, and unique learning experience, and their impact on post-visit behaviors such as revisiting and recommending the site. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed, with data collected from 80 domestic visitors using a structured questionnaire based on validated scales. Descriptive statistics, reliability testing, and multiple regression analysis were conducted using SPSS Version 27. Findings revealed that dark experience and unique learning experience significantly influenced visitors’ behavioral intentions, while engaging entertainment was not a significant predictor. These results underscore the importance of emotional and educational engagement in dark tourism contexts, while suggesting that entertainment alone may not drive behavioral outcomes. Theoretically, the study extends TPB and the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework into the under-researched Malaysian dark tourism setting. Practically, the findings offer strategic insights for site managers and cultural tourism stakeholders, emphasizing the need to enhance emotional storytelling and learning-based experiences to increase visitor satisfaction and loyalty. This research contributes to the growing discourse on heritage tourism in Southeast Asia, offering both empirical evidence and actionable recommendations for improving visitor engagement at historically significant yet under-promoted dark tourism destinations.
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