Author(s): Poornima
The tourist gaze remains a significant notion in dark tourism. This study explores the phenomenon of tourist gaze within the context of dark tourism. It aims to comprehend that how visitors at dark tourism destinations interact with their environment, psyche, and observed actions. This study is based on qualitative thematic analysis along with the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model as a theoretical framework. Themes about stimulus, organism, and response levels within the S-O-R paradigm are revealed through thematic analysis. Tourists are triggered by a variety of cultural, social, environmental, physical, and personal stimuli that affect their emotions, thoughts, and actions. This study is one of the first in dark tourism to critically examine the period from the evolution of the tourist gaze to the present and offers useful information to various stakeholders interested in dark tourism market.