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Introduction
Travelling to sites of death, disaster and the seemingly macabre is becoming a pervasive cultural activity within the contemporary society. The growing number of studies conducted on dark tourism suggests its expansion in both the academic field and in the tourism industry. This is due to the interest and attention placed on the influence of media and extensive social network platforms, a result from the constant evolving tourism trends. Consequently, it influences the growth of urban tourism or some may claim that it serves as a paradox to the development of urban tourism. Despite the increasing number of contributions to this scholarship, there are plentiful of studies conducted in the western regions accompanied with “western” mindset (Light, 2017). Admittedly, there are more established and recognised dark sites in the western countries than in Asian countries. However, it is argued that the common usage of western frameworks in exploring dark tourism studies are not fitting for other parts of the world and academics are advised to explore new ways of thinking that considers the sensitivity of different societies in perceiving dark tourism (Lee et al., 2012; Yoshida et al., 2016). In a similar vein, Asian countries often relate dark tourism as being a “taboo” due to cultural differences. Yoshida et al. (2016) argue that it is inappropriate for a spectrum based on education or entertainment to be applied in Asian contexts. Nonetheless, although dark tourism may be regarded as a “taboo” in Malaysia, it is important to note that micro and macro factors are constantly changing, and countries will need to adopt strategies to strive in the competitive market. Amongst the Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand are some of the countries that actively promote and acknowledge dark tourism. This illustrates that dark tourism is an untapped potential tourist product in SEA. Penang, being one of the most urbanized states in Malaysia, yet highly diverse in culture, has attractions that should be recognised as dark tourist sites. This is significant as Penang’s urban tourism has the potential to promote the state as a dark tourism destination. With the current steadfast growth of dark tourism and urban tourism, this paper aims to critically examine Penang’s potential in being a dark tourism...