Viewpoint of suicide travel: An exploratory study on YouTube comments
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Tourism Management Perspectives
Publisher
Elsevier BV
School
School of Business and Law
RAS ID
31468
Funders
Edith Cowan University, ECU
Abstract
Tourism is often associated with recreation, leisure, or business; suicide travel—visiting a destination for the explicit purpose of ending one's life under a physician's guidance—starkly opposes traditional tourism definitions. Although physician-assisted suicide has been a focus of ethical debate, perceptions of suicide travel have not yet been addressed in the literature. This study presents a thematic content analysis of online comments to uncover people's reactions to physician-assisted suicide in a tourism context. Findings suggest that human rights, religion, legal issues, and fear of the dying process shape people's stances. Suicide travel can also include preliminary (i.e., informational) journeys. This study enhances knowledge about suicide travel, provides insight for tourism operators, and identifies relevant benefits. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
DOI
10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100669
Access Rights
subscription content
Comments
Yu, C. E., Wen, J., & Yang, S. (2020). Viewpoint of suicide travel: An exploratory study on YouTube comments. Tourism Management Perspectives, 34, Article 100669. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100669