This exploratory qualitative study looks at Death Week, the annual commemoration of Elvis Presley’s death at Graceland in Memphis, TN, as a uniquely important part of tourism-based strategic public relations with a specific focus on the distinctive needs and considerations for dark tourism. Graceland, the second-most visited private home in the United States, offers a unique perspective on relationship building and maintenance, where the focus is less on awareness of Graceland and Elvis, and more on the continuation and generation of relationships to maintain interest across generations. Interviews were conducted with three public relations practitioners connected to Memphis or Elvis Presley Enterprises and 17 Death Week Candlelight Vigil participants, to better understand the promotion, delivery, and evaluation of a dark tourism experience. The impact of neo-tribes, a specific type of fandom, is also discussed as an important factor in continual relationship building with Death Week participants. The article concludes with suggestions for deepening the theoretical connection between dark tourism and public relations, and offers best practices for practitioners engaged in dark tourism relationship building.

这项探索性的定性研究着眼于《死亡周》，这是猫王在田纳西州孟菲斯的格雷斯兰（Graceland）逝世的年度纪念活动，是基于旅游的战略性公共关系的重要组成部分，特别着重于黑暗旅游的独特需求和考虑因素。Graceland是美国访问量第二大的私人住宅，它对建立和维护关系提供了独特的视角，其关注点不再是对Graceland和Elvis的了解，而是着眼于延续和建立关系以保持世代相传的兴趣。采访了与孟菲斯或埃尔维斯·普雷斯利企业有关的三名公共关系从业人员以及17名死亡周烛光守夜活动的参与者，以更好地了解黑暗旅游体验的推广，交付和评估。新部落的影响，一种特殊的狂热分子，也被认为是与死亡周参与者持续建立关系的重要因素。本文最后提出了深化黑暗旅游与公共关系之间理论联系的建议，并为从事黑暗旅游关系建设的从业人员提供了最佳实践。