A Framework for Understanding Thanatourism Motivation and Behavior in Corregidor Island: Basis for Strategic Intervention Programs

Abstract

This article examined how visitor attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, core components of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), correlate with demographic characteristics to influence the behavioral intention to engage in Thanatourism. It aimed to analyze and contrast the distinct motivations, expectations, experiences, demographic differences and correlations of visitors using this theory for understanding why people visit dark tourism sites like Corregidor and how they behave there, focusing on motivations and behavior.  Using data from 75 respondents at Corregidor Island, the findings can be interpreted through the Push-Pull theory of tourism motivation, which posits that people are driven by internal forces (push factors) and attracted by external attributes of a destination (pull factors). The results indicate that "learning and understanding history" and "curiosity" served as primary push motivations, while the island's historical and cultural significance were strong pull factors. Tourists rated unique learning experiences (4.10), casual interest (3.93), and engaging entertainment (3.87) as important motivators, while "dark experiences" were rated as neutral (2.96). These key findings indicate that while motivations are diverse, they shift with age towards historical understanding and differ based on visitor origin. The research concludes that these motivations are complex, diverse, context-dependent, and shaped by a mix of personal and demographic factors.