Segmenting Visitors to Battlefield Sites: International Visitors to The Former Demilitarized Zone in Vietnam

Paradoxically, part of the appeal of Vietnam as an emerging destination lies in the commodification of images, artifacts, and battlefield sites of the Vietnam War. While studied from the supply-side, little research has been undertaken yet in terms of the patterns of demand for battlefield tourism. Based on a survey of 481 visitors to the former Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), this article uses factor analysis and cluster analysis to segment then profile battlefield visitors based on their motivations. Three groups of visitors to the DMZ were identified: the Battlefield Tourism Enthusiast, the Opportunist, and Passive Tourists. Significant differences were found between the three segments with regard to various sociodemographics and trip characteristics. However, results from the study also emphasize that analyses of demand based on site visits should be contextualized in terms of visits to the country as a whole and that care must be taken in distinguishing specialist visitors from generalists.