Russian travel agency Megapolis Kurort has reportedly filed an application to begin taking daring holidaymakers on five-day tours of war-torn Syria.
If all goes according to plan tourists from around the world will be able to take the “Assad Tour” in 2016 which aims to give travellers a glimpse into the epicentre of global jihadism, reports Russia Today.
For just over $2,000 including airfare and accommodation, thrill seeking voyeurs can get up close and personal with the Islamic State.
Megapolis Kurort is better known for health and wellness holidays in the Moscow region but earlier in the year the company began offering extreme travel holidays to Eastern Ukraine.
The latest idea to take customers to Syria seems to be an expansion of the agency’s new direction, but who the hell is going to want to wander around one of the world’s most brutal conflict zone?
Anatoly Aronov, the president of a patent company who helped lodge the application for the travel company believes potential customers won’t be a problem.
Despite the crisis in the tourism industry, there are always people, who are willing to combine the cognitive goals with the opportunity to see natural disasters or visit the places located near the warzones.
According to him, the company has already contacted the Syrian Embassy in Russia and relevant ministries on the issue of a “possible trip to the front line”.
Mr Aronov said Russians would enjoy the tour and even went as far to say that Syrian residents could house the travellers for some extra money.
Since April 2011, the Australian government had maintained a strong warning against tourists travelling to the country.
“We strongly advise Australians not to travel to Syria because of the extremely dangerous security situation, highlighted by ongoing military conflict including aerial bombardment, kidnappings and terrorist attacks,” the Department of Foreign Affairs website says.
Sending tourists to conflict zones is also against Russian law as the company cannot guarantee their safety said Izo Arakhamiya from the Russian Federal Tourism Agency.
Until the necessary paperwork is approved, “they are not authorised to sell these trips,” she told Moscow-based news site Interfax.
The idea has also prompted criticism of what some people are saying is a growing level of interest in “war tourism”.
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