Battlefield Tourism Setting the Context

Introduction

Tourism and war seem antithetical at first glance. Tourism is often considered one of the world's salient industries in the contemporary age. The modern understanding of tourism requires travel away and return to a home. Therefore, no tourism movement will be available once society's habit of living around a home is established (Beech & Chadwick, 2006, p. 3).

The struggle for survival is more advantageous for the collective than the individual. Therefore, establishing a society and home may be the nature of human beings. However, as in society, war was also a common aspect of man. Numerous wars existed in the course of history. War for sovereignty, religion, culture, and other themes were common.

At the same time, wars in history have affected today's society. Present-day society is the cause of the current wars. This cycle may be a prominent feature of the man. Current developments confirm that there is no evidence that the cycle will end.

Although they contrast, the birth of modern tourism and modern warfare seems parallel. Social, political, economic, and technological aspects contribute to developing both phenomena. There is no doubt that the appearance of the state and its great armies enhanced the severity of the war. So, as the number of soldiers, weapons, and their impacts rise, it influences more people and societies. Historic bloody battlefields once had a chance to become tourist attractions with accompanying narratives. The growing number of tourists and their needs create requirements for different tourism forms. Battlefield tourism is among these different forms of tourism.

The following two chapters in this section dwell on the battlefield tourism phenomenon. The first chapter discusses the meaning and definition of battlefield tourism, and the second chapter discusses the historical background of battlefield tourism. In comparison, the first chapter tries to define battlefield tourism by investigating its components, and the second chapter investigates the historical background of the phenomenon.