“Navigating Old & New Worlds: military museum experiences in both the physical world and cyberspace”

Dark Tourism sites throw the traditional challenges facing those managing tourism spaces, into sharp relief. This paper utilises the case study of a military museum to critically evaluate the options available when seeking to present an effective experience for a medium-sized museum, to a diverse range of audiences. Uniting perspectives and developments from a range of paradigms [such as Museum Studies, Facilities Management and Information Technology], this case study demonstrates how the `cutting edge’ of the mainstream Tourism sector and that of the Dark Tourism sector compare and contrast. The specific solutions presented provide benchmarks for addressing the commercial, practical and ethical constraints of creating and sustaining something as ethereal as tourist experiences; especially, when one is faced with the type of starkly opposing motivations found when seeking to present the kind of contested heritage that is central to a military museum – something made more challenging when faced with the multiple interpretations required for different age groups and cultures. Whilst drawing on academic concepts, the focus of this paper is firmly on the application of emerging solutions that are likely to be central to those managing tourist experiences in the next few years and over the coming decad