Visiting the trenches: Exploring meanings and motivations in battlefield tourism
Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Tourism Management
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Abstract
This paper provides insights into the motivations and experiences of tourists who visit sites associated with war and conflict, specifically 25 individuals who participated in a tour of the World War One battlefields of the Somme and Ypres. The paper discusses the narratives of four of these individuals to illustrate in detail how such battlefield tours offer opportunities for pilgrimage, collective and personal remembrance and event validation. All of the participants had a prior interest in warfare, which was a key influence on their battlefield tour experiences. For the study participants battlefield tours emerge as complex, deeply meaningful and in some cases life-changing experiences. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Volume
32
Issue
4
First Page
860
Last Page
868
Disciplines
Tourism and Travel
Keywords
Battlefield and warfare tourism, Dark tourism, Thanatourism, Tourist motivations and experiences
Scopus ID
Recommended Citation
Dunkley, Ria; Morgan, Nigel; and Westwood, Sheena, "Visiting the trenches: Exploring meanings and motivations in battlefield tourism" (2011). All Works. 3910.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/3910
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
no