Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspective

Dark rides embody a noteworthy phenomenon in theme park destinations and beyond, serving as a textbook example of structured experiences. They therefore offer valuable insights for knowledge development on structured experiences in the broader realm of tourism and leisure experiences. Despite variou...

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Main Authors: Pieter C.M. Cornelis, Wim Strijbosch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-11-01
Series:Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666957924000399
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author Pieter C.M. Cornelis
Wim Strijbosch
author_facet Pieter C.M. Cornelis
Wim Strijbosch
author_sort Pieter C.M. Cornelis
collection DOAJ
description Dark rides embody a noteworthy phenomenon in theme park destinations and beyond, serving as a textbook example of structured experiences. They therefore offer valuable insights for knowledge development on structured experiences in the broader realm of tourism and leisure experiences. Despite various conceptualizations of the dark ride experience, the visitor's perspective has been largely overseen. Through qualitative interviews we explored 16 distinct dark rides, unveiling key constituent components of their experience and identifying contributing factors. Results indicate that dark rides are primarily appreciated for their ability to generate here-and-now experiences, characterized by imagery, imagery-based states, and emotions. However, visitors may inadvertently shift their focus to internal thoughts and cognitions based on motivation, opportunity, and ability-related switch factors, risking mental disengagement.
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spelling doaj-art-e7e42395cf874d9d9e0f45c9320277202024-12-13T11:06:51ZengElsevierAnnals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights2666-95792024-11-0152100157Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspectivePieter C.M. Cornelis0Wim Strijbosch1Corresponding author at: Fontys Academy for the Creative Economy, Prof. Goossenslaan 1, 5022 DM Tilburg, the Netherlands.; Academy for Leisure & Events, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Mgr. Hopmansstraat 2, 4817 JS Breda, the NetherlandsAcademy for Leisure & Events, Breda University of Applied Sciences, Mgr. Hopmansstraat 2, 4817 JS Breda, the NetherlandsDark rides embody a noteworthy phenomenon in theme park destinations and beyond, serving as a textbook example of structured experiences. They therefore offer valuable insights for knowledge development on structured experiences in the broader realm of tourism and leisure experiences. Despite various conceptualizations of the dark ride experience, the visitor's perspective has been largely overseen. Through qualitative interviews we explored 16 distinct dark rides, unveiling key constituent components of their experience and identifying contributing factors. Results indicate that dark rides are primarily appreciated for their ability to generate here-and-now experiences, characterized by imagery, imagery-based states, and emotions. However, visitors may inadvertently shift their focus to internal thoughts and cognitions based on motivation, opportunity, and ability-related switch factors, risking mental disengagement.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666957924000399Dark ridesTheme parksExperienceImmersionImageryEmotion
spellingShingle Pieter C.M. Cornelis
Wim Strijbosch
Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspective
Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights
Dark rides
Theme parks
Experience
Immersion
Imagery
Emotion
title Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspective
title_full Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspective
title_fullStr Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspective
title_full_unstemmed Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspective
title_short Reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first-hand experience: Including the visitor's perspective
title_sort reconceptualizing the dark ride experience using first hand experience including the visitor s perspective
topic Dark rides
Theme parks
Experience
Immersion
Imagery
Emotion
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666957924000399
work_keys_str_mv AT pietercmcornelis reconceptualizingthedarkrideexperienceusingfirsthandexperienceincludingthevisitorsperspective
AT wimstrijbosch reconceptualizingthedarkrideexperienceusingfirsthandexperienceincludingthevisitorsperspective