Dark tourism: Booking tickets to experience war.

Tourism has traditionally been synonymous with rest and relaxation, but perhaps this concept has changed with the rise of dark tourism. This form of tourism involves visiting war zones, disaster sites, and other similar locations.

Báo Nhân dân•26/06/2025

Image from the War Tours Ukraine website.

Not just memories of the past, today, places like Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, or Jonestown (Guyana) are becoming "trendy" destinations for a segment of tourists.

From Syria to Chernobyl: Destinations of Pain

Dark tourism is not a new concept. For a long time, places like the Auschwitz concentration camp (Poland), the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site (Ukraine), or the "Valley of Death" in Cambodia have attracted tourists because of their historical depth and tragic stories.

However, recently, this tourism trend has entered a new phase, with a segment of tourists seeking out "hot spots" such as Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria.

Black market tourism can be categorized as follows:

Light-dark tourism : visiting famous cemeteries, war crime museums, and historical sites.

Hard dark tourism : visiting conflict zones, active battlefields, disaster sites, or places of mass death.

According to a recent article in The Times , many travel companies specializing in tours to dangerous areas are thriving.

"Black market tourism" can be categorized into two levels: The lesser-known activities include visiting famous cemeteries, war crime museums, and historical sites. The severity level will be to conflict zones, active battlefields, disaster sites, or places of mass death.

Rowan Beard's Instagram photo shows him holding an AK47 in South Sudan.

In an interview with The Times, Rowan Beard, founder of Young Pioneer Tours, said his business in places like Somaliland, North Korea, Somalia, etc., is booming. “We’ve always had a large number of British customers. They were the first group when we organized tours to North Korea in 2008, and they remain our main market. War drives people’s interest,” Beard asserted.

It's not just tourists; YouTubers and vloggers are also contributing to the spread of this trend. Callum Mills, a former UK National Health Service officer and now a YouTuber with over 75,000 followers, has traveled to Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and even been captured by the Taliban. His videos have inspired hundreds of others to take similar trips.

Images from a trip by Callum Abroad posted on the X platform.

The influence of social media has attracted tens of thousands of views, with realistic, dangerous, and "unconventional" images that have not only piqued the curiosity of the online community but also made them want to experience it for themselves.

A booming market

The reasons behind the rise of "dark tourism" encompass many factors, including the interplay of contemporary psychology, technology, media, and individual needs. First and foremost, it's the desire to experience "the truth."

Some interview results with international tourists visiting these locations, especially young people, show that they feel traditional tourism is no longer impressive enough, or even rather bland. They seek out war-torn areas to see the reality and consequences firsthand, rather than just hearing about it through news.

£34.5 billion : Projected market size by 2033

Over 5,000 tourists are expected to visit Afghanistan in 2024.

2.2 million tourists visited Syria in 2023 ( a 120% increase ).

Popular destinations include: Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Jonestown, North Korea, Somalia...

According to research firm Reports and Insights, the global dark tourism market could reach a value of £34.5 billion by 2033.

Although Afghanistan remains under Taliban control, it welcomed approximately 5,000 international tourists last year, a significant increase compared to the period immediately following its return to power.

At the same time, Syria recorded 2.2 million visitors in 2023 – a 120% increase compared to the previous year. These figures partly demonstrate the demand for "confronting the dark side" in the tourist psyche, a demand that companies are systematically exploiting.

"Dark tourism" is not simply a "bizarre" trend, but also reflects a shift in how people travel, from enjoying natural scenery and luxurious beauty to seeking the depth of history and culture and delving into human suffering. However, for this trend to bring real value, it requires awareness, understanding, and respect.

This is the website of War Tours Ukraine.

Some companies, such as War Tours in Ukraine, claim they organize tours not only for tourism purposes, but also to "tell the truth and call for support for people in war."

Because it delves into dark territory, this form of tourism easily sparks controversy as the line between remembrance and the consumption of pain becomes blurred. One of the biggest controversies surrounding "dark tourism" is its ethical implications: is taking selfies at massacre sites or selling tours to war-torn areas turning pain into a commodity?

In the age of social media, a photo of someone posing in front of a burning tank, a video mocking a massacre scene… can instantly turn a historical experience into something offensive. Therefore, respect, understanding, and ethical awareness on the part of tourists are key factors in determining the value of the trip.

Nguyen Trung Hieu

Source: https://nhandan.vn/du-lich-den-dat-ve-di-trai-nghiem-chien-war-post889544.html