An Examination of Battlefield Tourism Along With the Tourism System

Introduction

Wars have continued since the beginning of humanity and have had devastating effects on both individuals and societies. The social effects of wars have continued for many years and have become embedded in social memory along with the areas where the wars took place. Wars leave some traces in geographical areas, and sometimes these traces become a source for later periods. It cannot be said that these scars are only physical. The two great world wars of the 20th century witnessed great suffering. Areas where wars took place throughout history attract the attention of millions of people today.

Tourists' search for authenticity has increased the importance of niche tourism types. Battlefield tourism can be seen as a niche tourism movement whose importance has increased with the information age. Because in today's world, accessing information is not just about printed works. Past wars are reenacted in movies, TV series, and even video games. Thus, interest in wars and the areas where wars are fought is increasing (Akbulut & Ekin, 2018, p. 410).

Battlefields hold a very important place for nations for both respect for history and social memory. With all these, it has become an important tourist product. Today, millions of people visit battlefields for different reasons. Although the reasons for these visits vary, it is possible to say that spiritual and national feelings generally come to the fore.

Tourist satisfaction is very important not only in battlefield tourism but also in other types of tourism. Increasing tourist satisfaction can contribute to increasing tourist flow to the destination. For this reason, in today's world where competition is increasing, destination managers need to make some arrangements to increase tourist satisfaction and increase the flow of tourists to the region. Making transportation to battlefields easier and keeping buildings and businesses (toilets, souvenirs, sitting and resting areas, food and beverage services, etc.) in the area that tourists may need can be given as examples of these regulations.

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Fig. 1.

Flowchart for Examining Battlefield Tourism With Tourism System.

In this context, supply and demand for battlefields, tourism providers, tourist flows, supporting institutions, and battlefields as an element of tourism development are discussed. The flowchart in Fig. 1 has been drawn to express this process. In this section, in accordance with the flowchart, the titles battlefield tourism supply and demand, battlefield tourism ıntermediaries, battlefield tourism tourist flows, battlefield tourism supporting ınstitutions, and battlefield tourism as an agent of tourism development are included.