Battlefield Tourism

Special interest tourism (SIT) is a specialized type of tourism. People aim to visit destinations with a specific theme through this type of tourism. During SIT consumption, they create or develop peculiar interests and participate individually or in groups. In this respect, SIT is a concept that reflects some trends. These trends developed toward satisfying different interests rather than those developed around mass tourism. In other words, SIT emerges as an alternative movement to mass tourism based on general interests. Soon after mass tourism gained extensive dimension, alternative tourism, ecotourism, and SIT concepts emerged. These concepts altered the style of tourism operations. Diversified tourism operations have transformed conventional tourism into experience-based tourism activities. Presentations of these types of experiences are frequently in the form of special interests. The content of this chapter encompasses the fundamental concepts forming the SIT. An overview of the terminology – such as alternative tourism, sustainable development, and sustainable tourism – is the scope of this chapter. Moreover, criticisms and some trends in SIT are the leading subtopics. Some examples of academic research about SIT in Turkey are listed in the current study. This list was compiled from the information gathered from the Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center Database records.

Although the definition and classification of special interest tourism may prove difficult or misleading, certain tourist attractions, motives, and scale clearly indicate the niche markets of those individuals specifically interested in certain activities and destinations. The nature, benefits, and limitations of special interest tourism can readily be studied in contrast with mass tourism. The former largely indicates creative recreation, a search for meaning, existential authenticity, cocreation of transformative experiences, and satisfaction of higher needs. The visitor engages in the self, the novel cultural center, and the environment in a deeper sense, resulting in self-improvement/realization, cultural integration, strong sense of place, memorable experiences, and ultimately competitive advantage for the destination. These cases of tourism activity offer product diversification, alleviate tourism congestion and are also usually less detrimental and more sustainable for the destination. However, the small scale and impermanence of special interest tourism appeal may raise questions of profitability, where planning and product development require more time and resources, and this singular item production is not standardizable as in mass tourism. The search and conveyance of meaning in special interest tourism may also lead to a pretentious over-glorification, shrinification, or museification of the destination. Lastly, unethical motivations or potentially dangerous activities may be associated with some forms of special interest, which should clearly be discouraged.

This chapter discusses the basic motivations, benefits, and limitations of special interest tourism, largely in opposition with mass tourism.

War is one of the worst characteristics of human nature. Wars over territory, religion, and governance were and are always present through history. War and tourism seem dissonant at first glance. However, the post effects of war enable its components, such as battlefields and artefacts, to become tourist attractions. People share the impetus to visit war attractions such as battlefields, military museums, cemeteries, memorials, and other war-related sites. There is a supply for this type of tourism in exchange for the demand. This type of tourism is referred to in the literature as battlefield tourism. The meaning and definition of battlefield tourism are the main aim of this chapter. What is battlefield tourism? What are the components of battlefield tourism? How can battlefield tourism be defined? These are the primary questions this study tries to address.

From ancient times, people have been drawn to the sites of past battles to pay their respects, learn about history, and gain a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made by those who fought. Today, battlefield tourism is a popular way for people to connect with the past and honor those who served their countries. Battlefield tourism is a significant component of war tourism and is not a new phenomenon (Smith, 1996). Even before the concepts of dark tourism or thanatourism emerged, studies were mostly carried out within the scope of heritage tourism at battlefields and war-related sites. However, with the increasing interest in the macabre and morbid aspects of history, dark tourism has gained popularity as a distinct form of tourism, encompassing sites related to death, tragedy, and disaster.

The debate about how to interpret war or how battlefield tourism relates to death is not new, and many studies on battlefield tourism compare and contrast various aspects of travel, whether they are dreary, educational, or enjoyable. To examine battlefield tourism from a historical perspective, firstly conceptually, it is necessary to consider how it has been perceived from the past to the present and what structures are involved. This section aims to examine the tourism of the battlefields from a historical perspective. In this context, at the first stage, its development in the literature was examined from a conceptual point of view, and then the turning points where tourism activities started were discussed.

While the battlefield means danger to some people, it may mean excitement and adrenaline for others. Battlefields can also carry the meanings of a mirror of history, a place of commemoration, and respect. At the same time, it is a market and marketing area for travel providers that respond to changing human needs. Many studies mention that battlefields can mean different things for each individual. This section gives the supply and demand size of battlefield tourism that will meet all these meanings. The supply and demand for the battlefields are tried to be expressed by giving both the place of the visit-oriented research on the battlefields in the literature and the protected and surviving battlefields and related structures in the world.

Wars all over the world have changed the course of history, affected communities and ways of life, and caused much pain, sadness, and destruction. Today, these areas are seen as tourist attractions and are visited by many people with different motivations every year. In these travels, which are described as battlefield tourism, intermediary institutions serve as a bridge between the consumer and the producer, in other words, between the tourist and the touristic product. In this section, first the factors that have led people to travel throughout history are discussed, and then the history, purposes, activities, and importance and contributions of intermediary institutions within the tourism industry are explained. Afterward, battlefield tourism, a relatively new concept, was mentioned, and the importance of intermediary institutions in travels to battlefields was explained. Finally, intermediary institutions that organize tours to various major battlefields in the world are listed, and brief descriptive information is given about the wars in question and the tours organized to these areas.

People's motivation to travel varies from person to person. They may tend to different types of tourism with different travel motivations. In this context, this chapter aims to explore reasons for the flow of tourists to battlefield destinations by examining the travel motivations of people who participate in battlefield tourism. In general, it can be said that motivations such as interest in history, interest in battlefields, provide historical information to children, curiosity, escape stress, boredom and daily routine life, spiritual, experience and emotional motives, etc., lead people toward battlefield tourism.

Throughout history, battlefield sites have continued to develop within the scope of tourism activities, primarily through the support of both official and nonofficial institutions. The nature of these institutions may vary depending on their country or type. In this section, examples of institutions are examined in a general framework according to countries and the activities undertaken by these institutions to support battlefield tourism. Examples can be further multiplied, but it should be kept in mind that the ministries of the countries, especially those related to tourism, or the local administrations where the battlefield is located, will support this type of tourism rather than the examples given. In conclusion, institutions generally contribute to battlefield sites by organizing commemorative events, tours, and educational programs, safeguarding areas through restoration efforts, and disseminating information about these sites. All these activities carried out by these institutions not only contribute to battlefield tourism but also serve to raise awareness among individuals about battlefield sites.

Battlefield tourism is a growing field in tourism research. However, it focuses primarily on an activity known as Dark Tourism, the visiting of places where tragedies or death took place. It includes the development of these sites as well. Cemeteries, internment sites, and memorials relating to death and depravity are the main features of battlefield tourism. Tourism development relies primarily on good infrastructure and an attractive (tourism) environment. As a niche tourism market, battlefield tourism can actively enhance the tourism product proposition of a destination. Identifying battlefield sites, incorporating them into battlefield tourism routes, and developing them as tourist attractions can act as an agent of tourism development. Battlefield tourists are mostly retired and have time to travel. They are also highly educated and fall into the high-income group. They are primarily interested in visiting existing battlefields, which indicates that battlefield tourism has the potential to act as an agent of tourism development and growth. For battlefield tourism developers, it would be essential to know their target market. Key factors in developing a successful tourism development plan for battlefield tourism are study preparation, determination of objectives, data gathering, analysis and synthesis, policy and plan formulation, recommendations, implementation, and monitoring. Battlefields need interpretation, development, marketing, and even commercializing to act as “storyteller(s)” of the past, add value to the more extensive tourism offering of a specific area, and act as an agent of tourism development.