The atrocities of battles gone by often stand the test of time, and serve as a solemn reminder of what was once lost in the name of something good, often times not.
War is yet to become a history lesson, with five active wars each accumulating to at least two thousand deaths in 2018 alone, with a further 53 wars resulting in at least one death around the world.
Yet, the occasional research of some of these listed wars, sparked the advertisements to visit these site of combat - that have yet to cease.
The idea of profiting on the misery that war produces demonstrates a very inhumane perception towards the suffering of others.
Irish Poet Oscar Wilde said of war: As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular."
However, the romanticisation of trauma goes way beyond the years of Wilde, as Wllem van de Velde is one of the first noted 'visitors' of war, as the artist took the expedition to the ongoing naval battle between Holland and England/France in 1673 to document and sketch the sight, in similar fashion to journalists.
One of the largest tour operating groups in the world today, Thomas Cook, quickly took interest in people's fascination with war, as did other groups at this point in history, and offered tours of the war area - despite the war not yet concluding, this was viewed as disrespectful and was criticised by British Statesman Alfred Miner, The Observer Newspaper and Punch Magazine according to David Lynch in his 1998 book 'Battlefield Tourism'.
While the desire of tourists to view the sites of sorrow and sacrifice may contain a genuine interest in
historical significance, a level of respect to honour what once was, as time and consideration go hand in hand.
Despite the criticism of Cook and Co. over a century ago, the morality of modern day tourist companies are still being brought into question, with safety and profiteering just two subjects yet to be answered.
Logan Paul, an internet celebrity, came under fire for his vlog in which he travelled to the infamous suicide forests of Japan (Aokigahara) during which he documented the passing of a recently deceased man.
While the intentions of the 23-year-old may have been pure, his actions during the filming contradicted that; as the American and his friends sniggered and laughs at what they described was a 'real moment'.
Despite advocating for mental health during the video, Paul, took close up shots of the recently deceased and likely profited from the video via his 13.1 million followers at that time, showing how intentions can fail to mirror reality.
Current War Tourism
The Syrian Civil War has witnessed over 50,000 deaths in the past two years, yet the threat of danger or disrespect is yet to be a factor greater than the potential thrill of visiting an active battle.
This year The United States Department of State (Bureau of Consular Affairs) published the following statement:
"Do not travel to Syria due to terrorism, civil unrest, and armed conflict.
No part of Syria is safe from violence. Kidnappings, the use of chemical warfare, shelling, and aerial bombardment have significantly raised the risk of death or serious injury. The destruction of infrastructure, housing, medical facilities, schools, and power and water utilities has also increased hardships inside the country."
However despite these warnings, some tour groups still offer the chance to visit Syria, a country that is keen to shed its image of a war torn landscape and replace it with its former tourist attraction landscape, that at one point attracted around seven million visitors annually.
While war, can be something to learn from, and study, it is nothing to glorify or profit on while grieving and trauma are so fresh.
The lands now lost to destruction should serve as a memory of what inhumane acts are capable of humans, and those who would rather hold a camera in both hands than hold out a palm in respect should what war has cost and its price of more than just a holiday package.
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