S2 Ep43: Extreme Travel: Is Travel to Conflict Zones Okay?

from Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast

In November 2019, The Guardian published a headline reading,“Concerns over rise in dark tourism in Syria as war enters ninth year.” The piece argued that there’s been a rise of western tourists heading to Syria, and that they’ve been met with criticism from locals. Tourists headed to Saudi Arabia and to Afghanistan have been met with similar criticism. After our chat with Andrew Drury about extreme travel last year, he encouraged us to reach out to James Willcox, co-founder of Untamed Borders - so we did.⁠ Untamed Borders is an adventure travel company that guides tourists into regions that are difficult to access, including Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. So what does it mean to travel to regions that aren’t easily accessible because of conflict, or geopolitics? Is this “dark tourism"? Are there benefits to this kind of tourism? Guest: James Willcox, co-founder of the adventure travel company Untamed Borders. Visit https://untamedborders.com/ for more information on their tours and initiatives. @untamedborders on social media. Resources: Concern over rise in dark tourism in Syria as war enters ninth year https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/25/dark-tourism-syria-war Saudi Arabia wants your next vacation https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/business/saudi-arabia-tourism.html Travel bloggers visiting Syria are normalizing the Assad regime https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-travel-bloggers-visiting-syria-are-normalizing-the-assad-regime/ HOW TO TRAVEL TO SYRIA IN 2020: EVERYTHING YOU MUST KNOW https://againstthecompass.com/en/travel-syria/ If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast! Read Erin's award-winning blog: https://pinatravels.org/ Follow us on social media @curioustourismpod Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter Pod the North, here CREDITS Written and Hosted by: Erin Hynes Producer: Kattie Laur Music from Motion Array Logo by Nicole Hall Mentioned in this episode:Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the worldThis podcast is part of the Voyascape Travel Network, that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below.Voyascape Podcast Network

What this episode covers

There’s been a rise of western tourists heading to Syria, and that they’ve been met with criticism from locals. Tourists headed to Saudi Arabia and to Afghanistan have been met with similar criticism. We chat with James Willcox, co-founder of Untamed Borders, an adventure travel company that guides tourists into regions that are difficult to access. So what does it mean to travel to regions that aren’t easily accessible because of conflict, or geopolitics? Are there benefits to this kind of tourism?