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Monday 15 August 2011

Battlefield Pilgrims Embrace Vietnam: Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours reveals


As travel to significant battlefields continues to increase and pilgrims seek new frontiers to explore, Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours has extended its range of group and bespoke tours.

As Vietnam Veterans Day approaches (Thursday August 18) Australians nationwide reflect on the war that was undoubtedly one of the most controversial periods in our history – with many seeking to commemorate those who fought through travel to the battle sites of Vietnam.

Lasting for ten years from 1962 to 1972, the Vietnam War was the longest major conflict in which Australians have been involved, and was one of the most divisive events in Australia's history. Almost four decades on, and Australia has come to terms with our involvement, with many war veterans and everyday Australians now seeking the opportunity to visit the former battlefields and learn more about this important chapter in Australia's history.

In response to this growing interest, Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours has launched a new fifteen-night Vietnam Commemoration Tour, to be escorted by Australia's leading author on war - Gary McKay, a former platoon leader in Vietnam who was wounded and awarded the Military Cross for bravery.

"Travel to significant battlefields has skyrocketed in recent years, with pilgrims becoming increasingly adventurous. The development of this new Vietnam Tour is in direct response to the growing interest we have received from both Vietnam Veterans and battlefield pilgrims who wish to engage with wartime history, while at the same time exploring modern day Vietnam," said Mat McLachlan, Australian Historian and founder of Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours.

"Vietnam has moved on strongly since it was devastated during the war years, and is now one of Asia's most vibrant countries - and a very popular destination for Australian travellers. This new tour aims to both commemorate the Vietnam War and educate about Australia's involvement, while at the same time highlighting the beauty of Vietnam."

The tour is being conducted with the full co-operation of the people of Vietnam and takes in all the key Australian sites from the war, plus many of Vietnam's cultural treasures.

With travellers ranging from young backpackers who've studied the Anzac legend at school through to families tracing fallen ancestors, Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours guides over 1000 people each year, assisting travellers to connect with their heritage, and learn more about Australia's war-time history.

The inaugural Vietnam Commemoration Tour will take place from 19 March to 3 April 2012. For more information, or to book visit www.battlefields.com.au


About Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours

First launched in 2007, Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours is headed by leading Australian war historian, author, journalist and media commentator, Mat McLachlan. By combining his extensive war-time knowledge and story-telling abilities, Mat is able to bring the experiences of our diggers to life in the very places they occurred.

To ensure a memorable experience, Mat encourages his travellers to seek out their own ancestral roots as part of their journey, and he is more than willing to help locate sites of personal significance along the way.

Depending on the time of year, tour itineraries feature visits to significant sites in Gallipoli, the Western Front in France and Belgium, the D-Day beaches of Normandy, Armistice Day sites, Vietnam and more – as well as individually tailored tours to any location relevant to war buffs, school groups, cadets, and senior citizens.

And for those tours Mat can't join himself, he has hand-picked a team of qualified historians who live and breathe the battlefields and are some of the world's most respected authors and guides. Their expertise and publishing credentials far outweigh any offered by other war tour operators, and with Mat designing each battlefield tour, itineraries include sites unknown to many other groups.

Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours is a fully licensed travel company and a full member of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents. It is accredited by the International Cruise Council of Australasia and the Council of Australian Tour Operators, and is the preferred battlefield tour supplier for Harvey World Travel, Travelscene American Express, Jetset, Travelworld, NRMA Travel, Breakaway Travel and Foxtel's The History Channel nationally.
 

For further information on Battlefield Tours, as well as how to customise your own, visit www.battlefields.com.au


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