Mostly haunted: a socio-spatial analysis of ghost tourism in England and Wales

There is now a well-established literature on ghost tourism. However, much of this work examines aspects associated with the demand side of the industry, or the motivations and experiences of consumers. There are currently no studies that have sought to explore the supply of ghost tourism and the spatial, social, and economic relationships that exist between these places. Using Lower Tier Local Authorities (LTLAs) in England and Wales as the units of analysis, this study draws on a bespoke range of local government and Census data to examine the prevalence of ghost tourism and explore how these sites are differentiated across local contexts. We find that locations with higher levels of economic deprivation and connections to rurality are more likely to contain sustained ghost tourism. The study makes three key contributions to the literature. First, it provides a spatial analysis of the regional variations in the number of ghost hunts and ghost walks in England and Wales. Second, it identifies the spatial, social and economic circumstances associated with local variations in the provision of ghost tourism. Third, it outlines a localized and robust research method through which ghost tourism can be systematically studied.