The effect of travel constraints, negotiation, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on visit intention to dark tourism attractions in China

This research investigates the factors influencing the intention to visit dark sites by integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Constraints Negotiation Theory (CNT). A total of 481 valid questionnaires were collected from on-site visitors at two prominent Chinese dark tourism sites: the Memorial of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre and Beichuan Earthquake Relics. The analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the proposed framework. The findings reveal that attitude and perceived behavioural control significantly influence the intention to visit dark tourism sites, while subjective norms have no significant impact. Additionally, a negative relationship was observed between travel constraints and visiting intentions to dark sites. Specifically, intrapersonal travel constraints, such as the emotion of fear, showed a strong negative association with visit intention, whereas interpersonal and structural travel constraints have minimal effects. This study also found that cognitive negotiation strategies helped mediate the negative effect of travel constraints on tourists’ intention to visit dark sites. These strategies involve psychological adjustments that enable individuals to overcome intrapersonal travel constraints by altering their perceptions of dark tourism. The integration of TPB and CNT enhances theoretical understanding by illustrating how psychological factors and constraint management interact in the context of dark tourism. From a practical standpoint, the findings suggest that site managers should focus on highlighting the educational and remembrance values of the sites, as well as develop emotional preparation programs and provide on-site emotional support services to alleviate intrapersonal travel constraints. This study’s focus on Chinese dark tourism sites offers culturally specific insights and provides a foundation for cross-national comparisons, enabling researchers to explore how cultural values and social norms shape dark tourism behaviour in diverse contexts. Future research could explore longitudinal changes in behavior and the cross-national applicability of this integrated theoretical approach