The Effects of Dark Tourism Experience Factors on Behavioral Intention and Healing Outcomes : The Mediating Role of Spatiotemporal Cognition

This study investigates the causal relationships among spatiotemporal cognition, experiential factors, behavioral intention, and healing effects in dark tourism. Its aim is to explore visitors' psychological and emotional changes and contribute to the theoretical framework of spatiotemporal travel. a survey was conducted on visitors to Jeju 4·3 Peace Park, and empirical analysis was conducted through SPSS 24 and Smart-PLS 4.1.0.9. The findings are summarized as follows: First, the antecedent variable, spatiotemporal cognition, was found to significantly influence all experiential factors of dark tourism— educational, aesthetic, and escapist experiences. Second, educational experiences significantly affected behavioral intention (e.g., revisit intention), while escapist experiences had a notable impact on healing effects. Third, spatiotemporal cognition exhibited a significant indirect effect on behavioral intention through educational experiences and on healing effects through escapist experiences. These results demonstrate that spatiotemporal cognition plays a critical role in forming the foundation of dark tourism experiences for visitors. The educational value gained from such experiences positively influences visitor satisfaction and revisit intention. Moreover, the escapist process—where visitors break away from their daily routines to experience new time and space—was shown to facilitate psychological healing.