"Souvenirs" from Vukovar: Tourism and Memory within the Post-Yugoslav Region

3. Tourism and Nationalism in the Former Yugoslavia

“…In 2013, the Croatian tourist website 'Croatia at a Glance' described the sacred status of Vukovar, 'acquired by the selfless sacrifice of its defenders', as part of its promotion of Slavonia as a wine-producing and archaeological region, but also as an important place of memory. (Naef, 2013) Furthermore, the tourism office produced a free leaflet for visitors portraying different aspects of Vukovar such as nature, history or architecture. Two pages focused specifically on memories of the war, showing pictures of ruins and memorials; a Croatian flag floating on the rear of a boat illustrated the back of the brochure.…”

Warfare tourism: an opportunity for Croatia?

“…Henderson (2000), Siegenthaler (2002), Wight & Lennon (2007), Goulding & Domic (2009) and Stone (2010) highlight that the interpretation of war-related sites is a sensitive issue. In this context, Naef (2013a) and Baillie (2012) problematise Croatia's monopolisation of memory in the case of Vukovar. Such 'unhealthy' circumstances could provoke a new conflict in society, which could prevent the economic and tourist subsystem from developing in the right direction.…”

“…It is noticeable that young people are seeking more comprehensive information about the past and want to understand war atrocities (Cooper, 2006). In this context, Thurnell-Read (2009) -in the case of Auschwitz-Birkenau -suggests two possible measures relevant for Walter, 2009a;Winter, 2009b;Winter, 2011;Dunkley et al, 2011;hertzog, 2012;miles, 2013 hiroshima andnagasaki siegenthaler, 2002;cooper, 2006 auschwitz-Birkenau and other holocaust sites Gilbert, 1986;miles, 2002;ashworth, 2002;jilovsky, 2008;thurnell-Read, 2009;Biran et al, 2011;cohen, 2011;kidron, 2013kidron, vietnam War sites henderson, 2000kim, 2013;suntikul, 2013;Lema & agrusa, 2013 Dann, 1998;Goulding & Domic, 2009;causevic & Lynch, 2011;Baillie, 2012;naef, 2013a;naef, 2013b;kesar & tomas, 2014kesar & tomas, cambodia War sites hughes, 2008 the youth: (1) achieving a greater understanding of the historical facts of the Holocaust; and (2) the affirmation of humanist values as understood, at times ambivalently, with reference to contemporary society. It is also significant that Auschwitz-Birkenau hosts a heritage experience rather than a merely dark tourism one (Biran et al, 2011).…”

“…Contrary to Dubrovnik, Vukovar was never an overly popular tourist destination, but it appears that its symbolic status has attracted a number of visitors. The tourism which accompanies the creation of memorials is often seen as 'nationalistic' tourism intrinsically linked to the symbolic status of the city (Baillie, 2012;Naef, 2013a). Regardless of its status, on the strategic level, Vukovar-Syrmia County has not planned the development of dark (warfare) tourism (Razvojna strategija Vukovarsko-Srijemske županije [2011][2012][2013]2011), 2 although this should be its flagship product.…”

“…Today, warfare sites probably represent the largest single category of tourist attractions in the world (Henderson, 2000;Ryan, 2007;Smith, 1998; see also Weaver, 2000;Wiedenhoft Murphy, 2010). Warfare tourism is a particular form of dark tourism, and it includes visiting war memorials and war museums, 'war experiences' , battle re-enactments (battlefields tours) (Dunkley, Morgan, & Westwood, 2011, p. 860;Naef, 2013aNaef, , 2013b. Dann (1998) treated it as one of five divisions called fields of fatality: areas/land commemorating death, fear, fame or infamy.…”