Gen Z tourist experience quality of visit to dark tourism sites: drivers and behavioural outcomes

Purpose This research aims to address gaps in understanding the interplay between cognitive (COG) service evaluations and holistic experiential values in dark tourism. Specifically, given the focus on the Gen Z tourist segment, it explores the relationships between the five dimensions of service quality, their experience quality and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach This study applies the stimulus-organism-response model to examine the drivers and behavioural outcomes of tourist experience quality in dark tourism. It combines in-depth interviews with 24 Gen Z participants (aged 18–27) and a structural model tested on survey data from 477 Gen Z visitors, linking 5 service quality dimensions (stimuli), tourist experience quality (organism) and word-of-mouth and revisit intention (response). Findings The study identifies key drivers of customer experience at dark tourism sites. Specifically, COG experience is shaped by communication (COM), authenticity (AUT) and pluralistic values. Emotional and social experiences are influenced by responsiveness and AUT. Sensory experiences play a particularly impactful role in fostering word-of-mouth (WOM) and revisiting intentions. Tourists' experiential values, in turn, strengthen visitor loyalty and encourage positive WOM. Practical implications Research findings underscore the need for preserving physical AUT, designing sensitive multisensory environments, strengthening interpretive COM and fostering empathetic service delivery, while leveraging cost-effective digital and community-based strategies to enhance engagement and sustainable advocacy among Gen Z travellers. Originality/value This study is the first to examine how service quality evaluations and experiential values jointly shape tourist loyalty in Vietnamese dark tourism, while offering validated measurement scales for dark tourism service quality and experience quality for future research.