Dark tourism as one of the most popular destinations for thematic excursions

Thematic excursions play an important role in modern tourism, as they allow you to immerse yourself in a specific historical, cultural or social context. One of the areas that has been gaining popularity in recent decades is dark tourism, which involves visiting places associated with tragic events, disasters and historical tragedies. The purpose of the article is to study dark tourism as a popular destination for thematic excursions, to identify its key characteristics and to analyse its impact on tourists. The research methodology is based on an integrated approach, including analysis of scientific sources, sociological surveys, observation of tourist behaviour and content analysis of tourist reviews. The scientific novelty of the work is to identify the specifics of organising and conducting thematic excursions within the framework of dark tourism. In the course of the analysis, an extended classification of this type of tourism was formed, which takes into account not only traditional historical sites (battlefields, concentration camps), but also modern locations associated with environmental disasters or post-apocalyptic zones. The article reveals the socio-cultural and ethical aspects of dark tourism, which relate to the commercialisation of tragedy sites, preservation of memory and responsible attitude to such sites. The study has shown that the demand for thematic excursions within the framework of dark tourism is growing, which is due to current trends in tourism and the desire of tourists to gain a unique experience associated with deep emotional experiences. The results of the study show a significant impact of thematic excursions in the field of dark tourism on the cultural consciousness of society. It was found that thematic excursions allow not only to gain historical knowledge, but also form an emotional connection between tourists and the past. Such travel contributes to the preservation of historical memory, as it allows tourists to see the consequences of tragic events with their own eyes and realise their significance for future generations. In addition, such excursions can serve as an emotional catharsis, as many visitors note that visiting the sites of tragedies provokes deep reflections on the value of life and the moral aspects of historical events.