tourist definition religion

Religious tourism- what is it and how does it work?

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Religious tourism makes up a big part of the tourism industry worldwide. Learn more about religious tourism, what it is and how it works in this article….

What is religious tourism?

Why is religious tourism important, missionaries, religious sightseeing, religious tourism in india, religious tourism in the philippines, religious tourism in italy, religious tourism in israel, religious tourism in turkey, religious tourism in poland, religious tourism- further reading.

Religious tourism is a branch of tourism which involves people travelling for religious purposes (like a pilgrimage ) or to see things of religious importance (sightseeing). It is also known as faith tourism. It also incorporates missionaries. Religious tourism isn’t just for religious people, of course. Many people who engage in religious tourism are actually of no religion themselves!

Religious tourism is an important branch of tourism for many reasons. It allows people to connect to their religion in a way they might otherwise not be able to – for example, a Muslim person living in a predominantly Christian country or area may have little opportunity to visit a mosque. They may also not have the chance to meet other Muslims very often. By visiting a place where Islam is the prominent religion, they might be able to build a better connection with their religion.

It also provides a way for humanity to preserve our common heritage. All religions are practised in different places across the globe, as humanity has spread through the centuries. By visiting religious monuments and locations, we are able to learn more about the histories behind different religions, making religious tourism a great form of educational tourism too.

Religious tourism also helps to provide funding for the upkeep and preservation of religious sites. Entry fees to places like the Vatican are useful when it comes to repairs and paying for the staff who maintain the physical aspect of the Catholic Church. As well as this, as more people visit certain areas, governments are forced to ensure that roads, water supplies and infrastructure are taken care of.

Religious tourism activities

There are various activities which can come under the arm of religious tourism. One major one is a pilgrimage. I have an in-depth article about this, which you can read here . A pilgrimage is an often lengthy trip to a place of particular significance to your religion. An example of this is Muslims visiting Mecca, or Catholics heading to Lourdes. You can find some other religious tourism activities below…

A missionary is a person sent on a mission by their religion. They are sent to an area in order to promote this religion, and also provide services that this area may need. The most famous missionaries are members of the evangelical church, a branch of Christianity. The term comes from the Bible, when Jesus himself used it to refer to sending his disciples to preach the gospel in his name. However, the term’ missionary’ can be used in relation to any religion.

The most popular form of religious tourism is sightseeing. This is something which many people do, regardless of their particular religion. Every year, over 5 million people visit the Vatican – and they are not all Catholics heading there to pray or connect to the religion. They are also people who are interested in art and architecture, or history buffs, or people who want to tick ‘visiting the world’s smallest country’ off their bucket list.

The same goes with people visiting other religious sites. They may not necessarily be religious themselves. Many are, of course, and visit these sites for reasons similar to why people go on pilgrimages. They want to connect with other people of the same religion, or visit a place that is important to the religion itself.

There are many places you can go if religious sightseeing is something you enjoy. You’ll find some popular ones below!

Religious tourism destinations

Pretty much every town and city across the globe has a church, mosque, temple, cathedral or synagogue (and so on) – which means religious tourism can take place anywhere. There are some places, however, where it is much more prominent than others.

Religious tourism in India is huge. Spirituality is a massive part of Indian culture , with the main religion being Hinduism. 79.8% of the population identify as Hindu, with 14.2% practising Islam and 2.3% being Christians. Sikhism and Buddhism, while not as popular in India now, were both actually founded here.

With that in mind, there are many places of religious importance to visit in India.

Haridwar and Varanasi are two famous religious places in India, and have been since ancient times. They are two sites with a lot of significance in Hinduism. Haridwar is where the River Ganges exits the Himalayan foothills, and there is a nightly river worshipping ceremony held here. Tiny flickering lamps are floated off the steps of the sacred ghat here. Varanasi is believed to have been the home of Lord Shiva, a prominent figure in Hinduism. Varanasi sees many pilgrims visiting in order to purify themselves by bathing in the River Ganges at sunrise.

There are also hundreds of beautiful churches, temples and mosques across the country which make for wonderful sightseeing.

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country. 83% of residents are Roman Catholic, with other branches of Christianity being the next popular religion followed by Islam. There are many Catholic sites you can visit as a religious tourist. These include:

Monasterio de Tarlac, San Jose, Tarlac – with its statue very reminiscent of Christ the Redeemer in Rio
National Shrine of the Divine Mercy, Marilao, Bulacan – with healing flower water in its basement
Tatlong Krus, Paete, Laguna – the site of three tall white crosses with breathtaking views, a popular pilgrimage site
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan – a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, with 14 Stations of the Cross
Manila Cathedral – inside the walled historic city of within the modern city of Manila

When it comes to religious tourism, Italy is one of the best places. You’ll find so many churches, cathedrals, museums and historic religious sites to visit whether you are religious or not. Being the location of the Vatican, which is the heart of the Catholic Church, it comes as no surprise! Statistics show that Italy is home to at least 1,500 shrines, 30,000 churches, and 700 diocesan museums. As well as this, there are a large number of monasteries and convents across the country.

Assisi is one of the most important places in Italy for religious tourism. This is where St Francis (patron saint of Italy) lived! His remains are buried at the basilica here.

Loreto is another important destination. People come here to visit the Basilica della Santa Casa, home to some of the relics of the holy house of Nazareth. Legend says this is the house where Mary would have grown up – and where she would have received the message of Jesus’ birth.

Rome , of course, is where you can go to visit the Vatican. St Peter’s Square is an incredibly important destination for religious tourism, as people flock here to catch a glimpse of – or be blessed by – the Pope.

More than half of tourists visiting Israel are religious tourists. Home of the Holy Land, it is no wonder that so many Christians and Jews come here. Recent statistics show that:

90% of all Christian tourists visited Jerusalem
89% visited Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee
86% visited Nazareth
85% visited the Dead Sea area
83% visited Capernaum
86% of pilgrims visited Bethlehem

Within these regions, there are so many places to see which are of religious importance to Christians and the people of the Jewish faith. These include Via Dolorosa, the Western Wall, Mount of Olives, the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Annunciation and many more.

There is a lot of religious tourism in Turkey too. Here there are many churches, mosques, mausoleums, crypts and so on. Religious tourists can visit the ‘first church in the world’, which is the Church of Saint Peter. Located near Antakya, it is a cave carved into the mountainside. Saint Nicholas lived in Turkey, too, so there are various locations linked to him – including the alleged site of his burial in Demre.

It’s not just Christianity that is so present in Turkey. There are so many Islamic sites of importance across the country too. Istanbul is home to the only remaining items of clothing of the prophet Muhammad; there are beautiful mosques in every area of the country, and you’ll be able to hear the call to prayer wherever you are.

Poland is another destination which is popular for religious tourism. One very popular site is the Pauline Monastery on Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. This is where tourists can find the blessed icon of the Black Madonna, worshipped globally. Wadowice is the birthplace of Pope John Paul II – and there is a lot of information about him in Krakow too, as the two places are relatively close. Generally, the country has many beautiful churches and monasteries. These make for brilliant sightseeing trips, a major part of religious tourism as stated above.

If you have enjoyed this article, I am sure that you will love these too!

What is pilgrimage tourism and why is it important?
Social impacts of tourism
What is sustainable tourism and why does it matter?
Volunteer tourism: Everything you need to know
Ethical tourism: Everything you need to know

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February 28, 2019

Peter Wiltshier

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Religious Tourism: What is it and why is it so important?

Religious tourism is one of the earliest forms of tourism and is a fast growing market. Here, Peter Wiltshier, Consultant Researcher Community & Tourism Development NZ at Research Consultancy NZ, New Zealand , explains what it is and why it is so important.

View to Jerusalem old city, Israel

What is religious tourism?

Religious tourism has taken place since the dawn of civilisation. Pilgrims travelled to pay homage to the sacred places and their guardians throughout the world. Tourism to sacred sites has merged with pilgrimage in the past 2,000 years. More recently, in the past 200 years wealthy Europeans visited special sites of sacred ritual in both the New World and throughout Europe.

Why is it so important?

Sites of special sacred significance have been visited for millennia. What is now important is that these sites need protection, conservation and interpretation. There are few guardians of these special places of worship and visitation and even fewer sources of funds to maintain and manage sites for visitors and worshippers. We do make a distinction between worshippers and visitors, as the religious sites cater for both in roughly equal amounts at some very special places like Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal.

Religious tourism in history

The management of religious tourism presents many challenges that are unique in both breadth and application. Sites of religious significance have existed since biblical times and pilgrimage in the Judeo-Christian context is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, for example, in the story of Elkanah, who travels annually to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:1-28). It is also present in the New Testament Pentecost story, when Jews from all over the world went to Jerusalem for the Passover (Acts 2: 1-12). Many of these sites still exist and other sites, although not as old, have considerable heritage value. The management of heritage sites present particular problems, one of which relates to the cost of maintenance.

Managing sites of religious tourism

Most religious sites are owned by religious organisations, and this may cause challenges for their management, as they must balance the needs of worshippers with those of their visitors. Mosques are at the centre of Islamic tourism and are visited by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Muslims may visit mosques while travelling as a tourist attraction or as a place of worship. Many mosques have a dual role, functioning as both a place of worship and as a community centre. The role of community centre means that the mosque will be open for functions and festivities that are not strictly religious in nature and may include non-Muslims.

Muslim countries, such as those in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcome tourism, especially religious tourism. But they make a distinction between pilgrimage, the most well know being the Hajj, and other forms of religious tourism. While non-Muslims are welcome at sites such as mosques, they are not welcome at the Hajj. The Hajj is one of the most important forms of pilgrimage today with millions of Muslims travelling to Makkah (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia and, without question, the most important Muslim pilgrimage. It is therefore important to distinguish between Muslim travellers to Muslim sites and non-Muslim visitors to these sites. For example, it is not acceptable for non-Muslims to enter the region of Hejaz where the cities of Mecca and Medina are located. There is some conflict related to ‘ownership’ of these sites, and this is discussed below. Other religions have similar problems in relation to conflicting motivations.

Visitors and worshippers

One of the conflicts that has been noted is between visitors to religious sites and worshippers. While many visitors see worshippers as part of the experience, some worshippers do not like the feeling of being observed. Worshippers do not want to feel that they are part of a ‘show’, but are happy to share their religious space, and are proud of the architecture and history that attracts visitors to the site. Sacredness does not readily cross cultural boundaries. What is viewed as sacred by one group, such as congregants, may be seen as culturally interesting by another visitor group. Given that some visitors may wish to engage in worship, Church authorities may need to determine when a request to participate in a service should be accepted as an expression of genuine interest and/or intention.

Developing sites of special significance requires the dissemination and sharing of both intellectual and practical contributions to meet those needs in a planned and stakeholder-driven approach. Traditional approaches to development emerged half a century ago with a focus on core competencies and the agreed understanding that open and fair competition would raise quality and assure reasonable profit margins. It is important to create awareness of services and products and map those to marketing practices.

Analysis and synthesis through primary research enable cleric and manager to grasp visitors’ and worshippers’ needs and develop audiences for sites. In the book, we present the importance of maintenance and plans for developing sites to accommodate factors in both internal and external environments that acknowledge the requirement to remain competitive.

How can religious tourism sites stay competitive?

The importance of networks, grappling with the wider community and perhaps establishing a wider, even global, reach, is appraised as important. In seeking to tap into resources traditionally not employed in managing religious and pilgrimage sites, we elevate the need for an enterprise culture.

Our book features great practices for supporting tourism to sites of worship and pilgrimage from China and Nepal through to Salt Lake City, Australia and diverse but important sites in England, Hungary, Spain, and Ireland. Emerging practices in festival and event management at these sites are coupled with new interpretation through the use of virtual reality technology. Emerging good practices for emulation come with sites that are now employing funding managers prepared to manage the risks of increased visitation against the pressures to conserve and protect the ancient sites at the centre of the visitor experience.

This post also appears on the University of Derby blog .

Managing Religious Tourism is now available from the CABI Bookshop.

You might also be interested in reading From too many to too few: the impact of COVID-19 on overtourism

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The Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion

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Alex Norman is a senior lecturer in higher education at the Graduate Research School, Western Sydney University, Australia. He is the author of Spiritual Tourism (2011).

Published: 06 June 2017
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Tourism is a characteristic component of modern global life, and is thus intertwined with religion, a similarly central component. Scholars of religion seeking to understand phenomena in which acts of travel and religions are combined need ways to think about the interactions of these two major social and historical forces. While historically the study of acts of travel and the practice of religions tended to focus on dichotomies of pilgrim/tourist and sacred/profane, contemporary scholars recognize the problematic nature of such concepts in analysis. With the rise of secularization, tourists interact with religions for their own purposes, rather than solely institutional ones. This chapter sets out the theoretical and methodological problems of the study of religions and tourism, and discusses how the prominence of leisure in Western societies drives interactions between tourists and religions, giving scholars important access points for the study of religions and cross-cultural interaction.

Chapter Summary

The interaction of tourism and religions is more than one of sacred and profane, and demonstrates remarkable variety.

Tourist–pilgrim dichotomies are analytically unhelpful.

The prominence of leisure in Western societies drives interactions between tourists and religions.

Changes brought by secularization mean tourists interact with religions for their own purposes, rather than institutional ones.

Introduction

The meeting points of religious practices and tourism have significant appeal to travelers, media writers, and tourism promoters alike. More importantly, however, despite a slow start, scholarship has demonstrated that instances of travel that are imbricated with religious identities and structures are ubiquitous and significant, and have implications for all elements of society. Indeed, tourism can be thought of as a social sphere, or space in which certain dramas are staged and social norms maintained ( Lii 1998 ). As a field of study the interactions between religion and tourism encompass phenomena as varied as traditions concerned with rites of passage, the social and economic infrastructure around a sacred site, marketing strategies for acts of piety and penitence, and family vacations. We can find tourism and religions interacting regularly and everywhere, and in large numbers. Recently, Stausberg (2011) published a state-of-the-scholarship text for the field, in which the staggering complexity of the tourism–religions matrix is laid out, and it is worth noting that the United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO) regards ‘religion/pilgrimages’ as one of eight basic reasons human beings might take a trip ( United Nations World Tourism Organization 2010 ). For this reason we now find tourism being included as a topic of import for scholars interested in religious phenomena generally. Care must be taken, however, with the terms applied in the quest to gain greater understanding of the great hydra of religions and tourism. At the outset, it is worth noting that, taken collectively, the scholarship that examines points of intersection between travel phenomena and religious phenomena presents a picture too plural and diverse to allow us to refer to a single type of human experience called ‘religious travel.’ One could argue that all tourism is ultimately religious, as indeed some have (e.g. Graburn 1989 ) and with interesting reasons discussed in the following. The intention of this chapter, however, is to highlight that many religious traditions involve tourism in a variety of ways, and that they do so in many more ways than scholars originally realized.

More than the Sacralization of Space

Human beings, it seems, have always been interested in traveling, and for a variety of reasons. Identities, whether cultural, national, or religious are fabricated in contrast with an ‘Other.’ This is true for the construction of landscape and geography too, with certain space demarcated as ‘special’ (see Greider/Garkovich 1994 ; Taves 2012 ) and thus worthy of visitation, or, conversely, avoidance. Indeed, insofar as many religious traditions are concerned with the construction of society, and that society itself is seen as at least potentially problematic, we find a great many traditions sectioning off parts of the world that are not near to the everyday footfalls of social actors. This is most easily observable in traditions of travel that seek to remove the individual or group from their everyday environment and towards a less humanly populated landscape, such as the climbing of sacred mountains in China ( Yü 1992 ). In contrast, we can also see instances of society itself recast in the context of being away from home in heavily populated settings. Thus, for example, traditions of travel such as the Kumbh Mela or the Hajj both draw participants to their locales (themselves normal space for their inhabitants) en masse as celebrations and a way to sacralize and re-enforce social bonds ( Haq/Jackson 2009 ).

This sacralization of space can, however, appear to imply that the field of religions and travel is limited to sacred–profane dichotomies. This is not the case. Rather ‘the religious’ in acts of travel encompasses a wide swathe of human behaviors including missionary activity, the travels of religious trainees to centers of learning, and the travels of nomadic tribes, such as Australian Aboriginal peoples in ancestral lands ( Swain 1993 ), among many others. Getting further away from the sacred–profane dichotomy we can include the participation of individuals in meditation retreats, travel to attend events such as Mind, Body, Spirit conventions, and the global touring of leaders in order to give lectures, including world famous figures such as the Dalai Lama or the Pope, in addition to less well-known teachers such as Candice O’Denver (e.g. Norman 2010 ) and John of God (e.g. Rocha 2013 ). It is worth noting that these tours can have significant economic and cultural impact. For example, the Chinese government has routinely threatened to reconsider its trade relations with any state that sends officials to meet with the Dalai Lama ( Fuchs/Klann 2013 ). More broadly, Urry (2002) noted that peoples being visited altered their sense of self and authenticity in order to align with the gaze cast upon them by travelers from a hegemonic visiting culture (be they ‘tourists,’ ‘pilgrims,’ or anything else). This gaze is a social mechanism, so Urry argued, by which acts of travel may alter and destabilize host cultures.

The Pilgrimage vs. Tourism Debate

The realization that the field of religions and tourism extends far beyond pilgrimage and ‘sacred travel’ has helped to develop what is, to date, the most important conceptual hurdle the field has had to negotiate: the infamous tourist vs. pilgrim debate. The notion that there can be a firm distinction between tourist and pilgrim, between tourism and pilgrimage, has long been dismissed in certain scholarly realms, yet it persists elsewhere regardless. The argument is that tourism involves sightseeing and the pursuit of hedonic concerns, whereas pilgrimage is penitential, serious, and eudaimonic, and in its ‘highest form’ soteriological in motivation (e.g. Turner/Ash 1975 ). This normative model of travel is largely informed by reinterpretation of medieval Christian pilgrimage traditions ( Taylor 2010 ), but was also pushed along by the early writings on pilgrimage by Victor and Edith Turner ( Turner 1973 ; Turner/Turner 1978 ). In their groundbreaking work, a model of pilgrimage was developed that linked it with mysticism and ritual, and suggested a coherence and unity of tradition that subsequent studies have not been able to replicate reliably (e.g. Aziz 1987 ; Collins-Kreiner 2010 ). But even the Turners recognized that a hard distinction between pilgrims and tourists was impossible, as, at best, “a tourist is half a pilgrim, if a pilgrim is half a tourist” ( Turner/Turner 1978 , 20). Indeed, travelers who self-identify, or are identified by religious traditions, as ‘pilgrims’ go sightseeing and shopping, visit museums, stay in hotels, walk the streets, take photographs, and take airline seats in much the same way as all other tourists (e.g. Collins-Kreiner 2010 ; Stausberg 2011 ; Norman 2011 ; Reader 2013 ), which will be discussed further in what follows.

In the same period as the Turners were publishing their explorations of pilgrimage, Dean MacCannell published his book The Tourist (1976) that repositioned tourists as seekers of authenticity. This work, along with Erik Cohen’s (1979) phenomenological typology, and a decade later Nelson Graburn’s (1989) positioning of tourism as a sacred journey, reconfigured scholarly understanding of tourism phenomena and demanded they receive greater attention. They also laid the groundwork for understanding that the combination of tourism and religious practice goes well beyond institutional sanction. These texts, and a number of others, positioned tourism as a normal part of contemporary Western society. Indeed Graburn’s work goes so far as to suggest that the routinization of tourism results in it being a norm; an expectation for social actors, the outcomes of which are valorized: “mental and physical health, social status, and diverse, exotic experiences” ( Graburn 1989 , 24). This has some important implications for understanding the intersections of religions and tourism, for, as an expected behavior in social contexts characterized by complex and plural religious landscapes, religious traditions cannot possibly be the only sources of sanction for all religious travel. Furthermore, the disembedding of meaning, purpose, and identity concerns from the putatively exclusive domain of religious traditions (see Lyon 2000 ; Giddens 1991 ) means that people travel for personal, so-called ‘spiritual’ reasons, that may not connect with, and indeed may contradict, any religious traditions to which they might claim belonging.

Dismissing Pilgrim–Tourist Dichotomies

Analytically, the suggested distinction between tourist and pilgrim is misleading, and recent scholarship has sought to progressively distance itself from this debate over the last twenty years. As Collins-Kreiner (2010) notes, scholarly discussion has moved from typologization to de-differentiation wherein scholars have characterized pilgrims and tourists as similar travelers. Accordingly, and following from the WTO ( United Nations World Tourism Organization 2010 , 9–10), it is best, for the purposes of religious studies, to think of the terms thus: a tourist is a visitor to a place outside his/her usual environment; a pilgrim is a tourist who is referred to in an emic discourse (either theirs or someone else’s) as a pilgrim. Social sciences scholars would do well to adopt this simple framework for three reasons. Firstly, it accords with a simple international standard of definition and understanding, making discussion and collaboration much easier. Secondly, it shifts social scientific discussion away from normative and towards descriptive and analytical frameworks. Thirdly, it renders the discussion of pilgrimage tractable, insofar as it then becomes one of discourse analysis, rather than attempting to measure intractable elements like piety and belief.

Any pilgrim–tourist dichotomy is contextual and only useful for scholarly purposes if we understand what is intended by the deployment of the terms in a particular context. There exist good measures of tourist activity: an informational infrastructure consisting of visa numbers, hotel occupancy, travel ticket purchase data, site visitor numbers, and so on. As ‘pilgrim’ tends to be defined as serious, institutionally sanctioned, part of a tradition of travel, or ‘traveller with meaning’ ( Digance 2006 ), measurement proves to be difficult. It is hard to quantify the conditions of ‘pilgrim’ as opposed to ‘tourist’ without interrogating individual tourists; there are few, if any, outwardly visible signs of meaning pilgrims might display that tourists do not. In this respect, the term ‘pilgrim’ becomes a shorthand or symbol for the meanings and expectations of the practices being undertaken by travelers in the context in question.

An interesting case study to examine this conceptual problem is the tradition of the Camino de Santiago, Spain; a collection of walking and cycling routes that converge on Santiago de Compostela from all over Europe. Over the last twenty years, the tradition, which usually involves walking at least 100 km, has seen a rapid increase in interest, with official pilgrim arrivals in Santiago rising from just under 5,000 in 1990 to 215,880 in 2013 ( Oficina de Acogida al Peregrino 2014 ). While pilgrims are overwhelmingly Catholic, their motivations (as listed in their official documentation) are dominated by “religious and other” (54.6 percent) over simply “religious” (40 percent) and “not religious” (5.4 percent). A number of scholarly investigations of the Camino have been undertaken (e.g. Frey 1998 ; Slavin 2003 ; Norman 2011 ), with most finding that what draws and propels tourists to undertake the pilgrimage are a variety of reasons including folklore about the experience, the rural setting, popular literature on the routes ( Norman 2009 ), and the desire for time for reflection, even for those stating explicit religious motivations. Indeed, ethnographic accounts like Frey’s (1998) note that Catholicism, or even Christian identity more broadly, rarely enters the field of concern or practice for many Compostela pilgrims.

Tourism and Leisure as Religious Practice

Unsurprisingly, we now find leisure as the primary location of religious practice and activity in the West. Following from this, religious beliefs and practices have increasingly been informed by leisure activities (e.g. Jafari/Scott 2014 ). Indeed, certain religious practices are now being analyzed as leisure activities with interesting results. For example, Choe, Chick, and O’Regan (2014) compared the similarities and differences between meditative practice and other ‘passive leisure’ forms in general in a Zen meditation group in the northwestern United States, and found strong similarities in terms of reported outcomes. Furthermore, what we might call ‘religious leisure,’ as either the engagement with religions as sources of leisure, or the religious engagement with leisure pursuits, is widely observable in touristic contexts. For example, Olsen (2003) notes that religious sites are commodified by tourists such that the cultural products and experience of associated religious traditions can be purchased by tourists. Religious sites or experiences are thus approached for enjoyment or relaxation in such touristic settings. Meanwhile, Gilmore (2006) notes that the experiential dimensions for many attendees of the Burning Man festival in Nevada, United States, are strongly religious. Similarly, Shinde (2012) found Braj-yatra tourists in northern India to frequently be concerned with outcomes usually classified as leisure (sightseeing, enjoyment, luxury) rather than with ‘religious’ concerns (piety, duty, experiencing the sacred/divine). Indeed, more formally recognized instances of religious tourism can be concerned mostly with leisure for the participant ( Rinschede 1992 ).

The intersectionality of religions and tourism is noteworthy for its complexity and variety ( Stausberg 2011 ), and demands further scholarly investigation. As Jafari and Scott (2014) note regarding Muslim travelers and travel in ‘the Muslim world,’ one can, with some legitimacy, limit the scope of investigation to pilgrimage and other closely related forms of travel that are institutional or orthodox. This, however, would be to miss the real value in looking to travel as it is shaped religiously, with the resulting implications for government policy, marketing, and services catering to tourists. As MacCannell (1973) argued, tourism phenomena are arranged, overwhelmingly, for the tourists engaging with them, and thus reflect the worldviews and concerns of those tourists. Accordingly, we should focus our research wherever tourism and religions mix in any way, even if it is simply the touristic practices of a particular religious group.

Secularization, Religions, Spiritualities, and Tourism

While many early formulations of secularization characterized it as the death of religion ( Wallace 1966 ), secularization, in the sense of a removal of religious domination and control of public power ( Berger 1967 ), has instead resulted in the radical increase of interest in religious sites and traditions, and religious practices in the context of tourism. In the wake of this, as numerous scholars have noted, came a drive to privatize and individuate religious ideas and practices ( Lambert 1999 ; Campbell 1972 ), and to re-label them ‘spiritual.’ Indeed, as secularization involved the removal of control over individuals from the hands of religious traditions, it has been argued that this results in the transfer of autonomy to individuals ( Houtman/Aupers 2007 ). This de-traditionalization results in a ‘spiritual turn’ that promotes sacralization of the self ( Heelas 2008 ), and increases emphasis on experiential and emotional dimensions of life ( Ezzy 2014 ). These changes are visible in tourist practices, and have variously been characterized as New Age pilgrimage ( Rountree 2006 ), wellness tourism ( Voigt/Pforr 2013 ), and spiritual tourism ( Coats 2008 ; Norman 2011 ). What is clear among these studies is that tourists often engage for reasons of personal betterment either with religious practices or with practices that have purposive well-being, meaning, and identity concerns that mimic those found in religious traditions.

Future Areas of Research

Despite its richness, the field of religion and tourism is surprisingly understudied, though recent scholarly interest has begun to give the field momentum. The publication of a number of edited volumes in the mid-2000s ( Badone/Roseman 2004 ; Dann 2002 ; Eade/Coleman 2004 ; Swatos 2006 ; Timothy/Olsen 2006 ) signaled the beginning of the current surge in scholarly interest, with the chapters included taking a pluralistic turn, understanding the normative qualities as part of the phenomena being studied. Much of what is needed to begin with are richly detailed and systematically interrogated ethnographies, from which other research questions can begin to be asked. Areas of particular interest are the economic impacts on host communities, especially of the newer forms of religious/spiritual travel; environmental concerns both for host communities and in terms of global warming; underlying currents in religious practice and identity in tourist-generating societies other than Western; whether religious/spiritual tourism results in any positive outcomes for tourists; and the responses found at specific religious sites to tourism practices they find themselves host to. Also needing to be addressed are phenomena concerning the arrangement of goods and services for the particular religious identities of tourists. Future research in the field will need to be cognizant of the competing demands of religious institutions, tourist promoters and operators, local communities, and of tourists themselves.

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Tourism and Religion: Issues and Implications

Journal of Tourism Futures

ISSN : 2055-5911

Article publication date: 21 November 2018

Issue publication date: 21 November 2018

Nguyen, P.N. (2018), "Tourism and Religion: Issues and Implications", Journal of Tourism Futures , Vol. 4 No. 3, pp. 282-282. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-09-2018-074

Emerald Publishing Limited

Published in Journal of Tourism Futures . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

The book examines the number of issues arising from and beyond the interaction between tourism and religion from both historical and contemporary perspectives in the present-day context. The volume contains three parts: Part I “Faiths and Tourism” represents the issues stemming from tourism–religion performance; Part II “Issues and Problems” stresses the conflicts arising between tourism and religion; and Part 3 “Secular Tourism in Sacred Places” presents the hybrid nature of many religious sites.

The tourist-centric book covers two main points: the interactive relationship of tourism and religion in terms of confrontation, adaption and benefits, and religious destination management issues. The volume presents a comprehensive view on the current form of religious tourism as it considers all major faiths and a full continuum of tourism from pilgrimage, religious tourism and secular tourism within religious spaces to address various issues and conflicts such as politics, culture, geography, commercialization, philosophy, management challenges and so on. The strength of the book is the issues whilst the limitation lies in the implications. Issues are specific to each case (chapter) but implications are not always concluded for each case but in the concluding chapter. However, these implications seem to be unapplicable to all religious sites. The management challenges are not highlighted in the book.

The title of the book Religion and Tourism: Issues and Implications suggests a controversial interactive connection between two huge domains of religion and tourism. The relationship between religion and tourism is not necessarily reflected in forms of religious tourism. However, religious tourism is understood to be the manifestation of the connection of tourism and religion. Besides, in the book the authors consider many other forms of tourism as subforms of religious tourism such as dark tourism, conventional tourism, spiritual tourism and secular tourism. However, multifacets of religious tourism are lively reflected in the volume.

The contribution of the book is to bring together various problems of different religious beliefs in different tourism forms in different destinations (different religious sites) at different times in a single volume. These reflect different impacts of tourism on religion/religious sites and different respond/implications of religion/religious sites on tourists in return. The issues and problems addressed in the volume are diversified and typical. In addition, authors in various paradigms and approaches from various perspectives make the collection of writing interesting and topical.

The book provides a comprehensive insight into the religion–tourism relationship in the present context, so the readers can see how tourism and religion interact from the past and present perspectives. Understanding the past and the present of religion–tourism interactions might suggest a future connection between the two. Moreover, the evolution of the relationship of tourism and religion is presented in the book via implied “turning points” that mark the development of an original concept (i.e. hospitality), the recovery of a term (i.e. mosque tourism), the count of other tourism forms into religious tourism or the reaction of destinations to tourists. These all set a foundation for the further research of the futures of the tourism–religion relation. Besides, the authors propose implications for the future practices of tourism in connection with religion. These implications target on tourism policy.

This book is a must-read for academics, practitioners and those who are interested in tourism, religion, religion tourism, the futures and relevant issues.

About the author

Phuong Nam Nguyen is based at the School of Management, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.

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Spiritual Tourism

Spiritual tourism: exploring religious sites - reconnecting with humanity's spiritual roots.

Before delving into what is spiritual tourism, it is crucial to understand the term tourism itself. According to the International Union of Official Travel Organizations, tourism refers to traveling to a destination other than permanent residence for non-business purposes.

Spiritual tourism is a form of cultural tourism or culture tours that focuses on satisfying our needs through cultural and spiritual elements. It aims to utilize cultural resources and beliefs about a higher power. It provides a sense of fulfillment and connection to our ancestors and tradition. Ultimately, spiritual tourism caters to the needs of believers seeking spiritual enrichment.

Regarding spiritual terms, people In Vietnam and many other Asia regions place great importance on spiritual matters, which are deeply ingrained in our culture. During holidays and the new year, it is common for people to visit spiritual sites to pray for their well-being, financial prosperity, and spiritual fulfillment. Accordingly, spiritual tourism plays a crucial role in the Asia lifestyle as a whole.

Spiritual places to visit: Things to consider

The concept of spiritual tourism has been present globally for a significant period of time. But it has only gained attention in Vietnam in recent years due to the development of economic and social conditions. The first international conference on spiritual tourism in Ninh Binh, initiated by the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai in November 2013, has played a significant role in promoting spiritual tourism in Vietnam.

UNWTO has recognized Vietnam as a strong country in the field of spiritual tourism. It is a journey allowing individuals to explore the spiritual world and return to their inner selves to find peace and positivity. Particularly in the East Asian region, spiritual culture has created depth and vitality for Vietnamese culture, community, and nation.

Unlike other types of tourism, choosing spiritual tourism is not a handy test. It requires proper understanding and preparation before jumping on the journey.

Spiritual wellness activities in Travel

When it comes to traveling aims for Spiritual wellness activities, let’s explore the diverse types of spiritual tourism available in Vietnam and other Asia parts. Due to the diversity of cultures and beliefs across nations, there are 3 significant forms of spiritual tourism. The classification here can vary depending on individual needs, desires, and psychology:

Visiting religious and belief establishments: I t is the most popular form of spiritual tourism. You can find it in many Asia travel tours. Although the meaning of spiritual tourism is not yet fully understood, it has attracted a large number of foreign tourists to spiritual destinations. Visitors can explore spiritual destinations such as pagodas and temples to admire their beauty and significance.
Visiting together with worship and prayer: tourists can express their spirituality by lighting incense and praying for good health, luck, success in work and love, and other blessings in many spiritual destinations. This form is more suitable for those who follow a religion or belief.
Learning philosophies: Tourists could promote calmness, relaxation, and improved health while visiting spiritual destinations. This type of tourism is ideal for those seeking personal growth and self-discovery.

Preparing before talking about spiritual tourism

Since spiritual tourism comes along with the consideration of culture and beliefs, there are some kinds of notices for tourists when joining spiritual tourism for not being rude to locals:

When embarking on spiritual tourism in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and some other South East Asia countries, you should pay attention to your attire and dress. Prior to visiting any spiritual travel destinations, consult with your travel and tour operation for any dress code requirements. Typically, modesty is accomplished with clothing covering from the shoulders to the knees. Dressing respectfully not only shows reverence for the place of worship, but also reflects positively on your character.
When visiting spiritual travel destinations, you should be mindful of photography restrictions. Even if permission is granted, it is best to avoid using Flash as it can damage artifacts. Taking pictures in spiritual destinations can be treated as disrespectful to sacredness.
Donating whenever it is possible is a great way to support the maintenance and restoration of these ancient structures within spiritual travel destinations. The upkeep of these sites can be costly, and any contribution, no matter how small, can make a difference.
Take the time to fully immerse yourself in each area, spending at least 5 minutes in each spiritual travel destination. The popular purpose of spiritual tourism is to find peace and relaxation, so take in the surroundings, observe the architecture, and appreciate the spiritual values that are present.

Spiritual tourism examples of dangers

Spiritual tourism in Vietnam has brought about both positive and negative impacts. While it has contributed to the development of folk religion and regional cultural identity, it has also resulted in the commercialization of spiritual establishments.

It has led to mandatory purchases of ceremonial items at high prices. Also, solo tourists have to wait for a long time to enter the spiritual destinations. Additionally, the construction of more shrines has led to overcrowding and dangerous situations. It provides opportunities for criminal activities such as robbery, pickpocketing, and fighting. So be careful with your carryings.

The management of these sites has also encountered many shortcomings due to the overload of guests, leading to scenes of violation in some spiritual tourism destinations.

Spiritual destinations: Top 5 suggestion for the perfect spiritual tourism journey

1. thailands.

As the land of pagodas and towers, Thailand is adorned with stupas and monks in yellow robes. Thailand is a significant place of spiritual travel destinations. The ancient temples here are home to Buddha relics and boast a unique traditional architectural style.

Among the most beautiful temples in spiritual travel destinations is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo) in Bangkok. This temple is one of the three great national treasures of Thailand and is situated in the northeast corner of the Bangkok Grand Palace.

The temple houses a small yet precious and sacred statue of the Emerald Buddha. While many know of its sanctity, few are aware that it is also known as Ho Quoc Pagoda from the Chakri Dynasty. It was built in 1784 as a place to worship the Emerald Buddha and organize religious ceremonies for the Thai Royal Family.

2. Myanmar

In Yangon, Myanmar, visitors can enjoy spiritual tourism following the golden light to the Shwedagon Pagoda, which is the holiest temple in the country. Even former US President Barack Obama paid his respects by walking barefoot and offering flowers to the temple's sacred treasures, including relics of Buddha Shakyamuni.

The temple's architecture is also a treasure, located on a hill that offers a panoramic view of Yangon. Devotees often circle the temple tower in a clockwise direction and visit the seven water tanks corresponding to the seven planets and days of the week. Many Vietnamese tourists bring back small spiritual souvenirs as lucky spiritual treasures after their pilgrimage to Myanmar.

Featured Tour: Myanmar Tour

3. Con Dao- VietNam

Con Dao is a must-visit spiritual destination in Vietnam, offering breathtaking natural scenery and a rich history of heroism. For those seeking spiritual enlightenment, there are several sites to explore, including Phi Yen church, Con Dao prison ruins, martyr Vo Thi Sau's grave, and Nui Mot pagoda. This spiritual tourism here draws in a significant number of visitors each year, making them a must-see for anyone visiting the island.

Featured Tours: Vietnam Tours

4. Huong Pagoda- Vietnam

Located in the suburbs of Hanoi, Huong Pagoda is a significant historical site in Vietnam. The temple complex consists of several buildings and shrines. The complex connects Yen River, where tourists could enjoy a short board trip here.

Huong Pagoda Festival is usually held on the 6th day of the lunar calendar and lasts until the end of the third lunar month. It is the longest festival in Vietnam, where tourists from all other parts of Vietnam give a chance to visit this spiritual destination.

5. Bai Dinh Pagoda, Vietnam

Nestled within the Trang An eco-tourism area, Bai Dinh Pagoda in Ninh Binh is a renowned spiritual destination in Northern Vietnam. The temple's expansive grounds, adorned with lush greenery, provide a serene setting for Buddhist monks and nuns to congregate and pay homage. Each year, the pagoda draws in a multitude of visitors and pilgrims. Notably, during the spring season, the temple hosts grand festivals such as the Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival, Trang An Festival, and Truong Yen - Hoa Lu Festival.

Featured Tour: Combined Tours

In conclusion, spiritual tourism offers a unique opportunity to explore religious sites and reconnect with humanity's spiritual roots. Whether seeking a sense of inner peace or a greater understanding of the divine, spiritual tourism offers a transformative experience that can enrich one's life in countless ways.

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Religious Tourism Around the World

What is Religious Tourism?

Popularity of religious tourism.

Gratitude and Confession: When people face a crisis in life, they tend to turn to the divine to get help. If they tide over their crises, they visit the shrine to thank the deity, god, or goddess for their divine intervention. Others may resort to religious tourism as a way to absolve themselves of their sins. They may believe that their problems are due to their sins and will visit a sacred site based on their belief to communicate with the divine and ask for forgiveness.
Spiritual Salvation: In many societies, going on a pilgrimage is seen as a mark of piety. This belief is especially true among Hindus, who visit religious sites to accumulate religious merits while Buddhist go to a sacred place as it is considered the first step in attaining enlightenment. Many seniors embark on religious tourism when they want to make peace with themselves before their leave behind their mortal remains.
Celebrate Religious Events: When people have the financial means, they visit a religious site to celebrate specific religious events. These events are mentioned in sacred tenets and during religious festivities, they are reenacted as a way to commemorate them.
Communicate with Other Believers: Religious visits also give people a chance to meet and socialize with fellow believers. It helps the person reaffirm their religious beliefs in a modern environment.

Popular Places for Religious Tourism

Final Words

Category: Travel Industry

Top 10 Pilgrimage and Religious Destinations of India

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WATCH DAY TWO OF THE CONFERENCE LIVE HERE

WATCH DAY ONE OF THE CONFERENCE HERE

On the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of Fatima (1917-2017), the International Congress on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage will be organized jointly by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Economy of Portugal and the Municipality of Ourém.

The Congress will reflect on the potential and the role of religious tourism and sacred places as a tool for socio-economic and cultural development of destinations. Knowing the motivations that lead millions of peoples to travel to sacred places is an essential condition for the sustainable development of destinations. The visitor of sacred places in general and the one of Fatima in particular, is characterized by a remarkable loyalty to the visited site. Hence, it can be said that tourist’s loyalty is in these cases an essential element of the relationship that the religious tourist and the pilgrim establish with the destinations which they are visiting.

Thus, a key principle is to preserve the spirit of the destinations, authenticity and integrity in the way that they are managed and promoted while making them accessible for all. On the other hand, these places of spirituality have the potential to drain part of their tourist flows to other tourist attractions in the region, therefore, with adequate promotion strategies; it is possible to get visitors to lesser known areas and complementary places that are offered in holy places. Additionally, religious tourism destinations are usually less affected by trends and economic crisis.

Taking note of the United Nations (UN) declaring 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the congress will discuss how effective partnerships, in sacred places, can benefit local communities and encourage their sustainable development and socio-economic empowerment in the long run. It will also discuss the need for specific policies for protection and management of religious and sacred sites that take into account the distinct sacred or spiritual value associated with the place, as a key factor for their conservation.

For further information please consult: http://fatimaiy2017.ourem.pt/

For previous editions please chek the below links:

2016 - Utrecht, The Nethelds

2014 - Santiago de Compostela, Spain

2014 - Elche, Spain

Final draft programme

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Related content, 10th world congress on snow and mountain tourism, 6th world congress on snow and mountain tourism, 4th world congress on snow and mountain tourism, 3rd world congress on snow and mountain tourism.

Spiritual Tourism: A Review and Synthesis

Conference paper
First Online: 05 August 2023
Cite this conference paper

Eva Lang 4 ,
Alexander Josiassen 4 , 5 &
Florian Kock 4

Included in the following conference series:

Sustainability, Economics, Innovation, Globalisation and Organisational Psychology Conference

214 Accesses

While traditionally interlinked with religiosity, spirituality is today used more broadly to include esoteric, mystic, and New Age beliefs and practices that centre on the individualistic search for meaning and purpose. Spiritual well-being, an outcome of spiritual experiences, has been linked to feelings of inner harmony and direction and thus to reduced stress and higher levels of life satisfaction. Tourism scholars have acknowledged the potential of tourism to provide spiritual experiences and thereby contribute to consumers’ well-being (e.g., Moal-Ulvoas G, Ann Tour Res 66:151–158, 2017). However, academics’ and tourism managers’ understanding and ability to leverage spirituality is considerably limited by two key shortcomings. Firstly, there is a lack of consensus regarding the definition of spiritual tourism, resulting in substantial conceptual ambiguity. Second, researchers disagree on the boundaries between religious and spiritual tourism, which has further complicated the understanding of the concept. These shortcomings leave tourism practitioners ill-equipped to understand and leverage the growing interest in spiritual tourism (Moufakkir O and Noureddine S, Ann Tour Res 70:108–119, 2018; Vada S et al, Tour Manag Perspect 33:100631, 2020). Setting out to address these shortcomings, the present study systematically reviews the body of literature on spiritual tourism and synthesizes the findings along central research themes. Anchored in this review, the study also advances a more nuanced, and much needed, delimitation between religiosity and spirituality in tourism. Based on the findings, the authors identify gaps in the current literature on spiritual tourism and suggest avenues for future research.

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Lang, E., Josiassen, A., Kock, F. (2023). Spiritual Tourism: A Review and Synthesis. In: Eijdenberg, E.L., Mukherjee, M., Wood, J. (eds) Innovation-Driven Business and Sustainability in the Tropics. SEIGOP 2023. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2909-2_9

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What the New Overtime Rule Means for Workers

Collage shows four professionals in business casual clothing.

One of the basic principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. Simply put, every worker’s time has value. A cornerstone of that promise is the Fair Labor Standards Act ’s (FLSA) requirement that when most workers work more than 40 hours in a week, they get paid more. The Department of Labor ’s new overtime regulation is restoring and extending this promise for millions more lower-paid salaried workers in the U.S.

Overtime protections have been a critical part of the FLSA since 1938 and were established to protect workers from exploitation and to benefit workers, their families and our communities. Strong overtime protections help build America’s middle class and ensure that workers are not overworked and underpaid.

Some workers are specifically exempt from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime protections, including bona fide executive, administrative or professional employees. This exemption, typically referred to as the “EAP” exemption, applies when:

1. An employee is paid a salary,

2. The salary is not less than a minimum salary threshold amount, and

3. The employee primarily performs executive, administrative or professional duties.

While the department increased the minimum salary required for the EAP exemption from overtime pay every 5 to 9 years between 1938 and 1975, long periods between increases to the salary requirement after 1975 have caused an erosion of the real value of the salary threshold, lessening its effectiveness in helping to identify exempt EAP employees.

The department’s new overtime rule was developed based on almost 30 listening sessions across the country and the final rule was issued after reviewing over 33,000 written comments. We heard from a wide variety of members of the public who shared valuable insights to help us develop this Administration’s overtime rule, including from workers who told us: “I would love the opportunity to...be compensated for time worked beyond 40 hours, or alternately be given a raise,” and “I make around $40,000 a year and most week[s] work well over 40 hours (likely in the 45-50 range). This rule change would benefit me greatly and ensure that my time is paid for!” and “Please, I would love to be paid for the extra hours I work!”

The department’s final rule, which will go into effect on July 1, 2024, will increase the standard salary level that helps define and delimit which salaried workers are entitled to overtime pay protections under the FLSA.

Starting July 1, most salaried workers who earn less than $844 per week will become eligible for overtime pay under the final rule. And on Jan. 1, 2025, most salaried workers who make less than $1,128 per week will become eligible for overtime pay. As these changes occur, job duties will continue to determine overtime exemption status for most salaried employees.

Who will become eligible for overtime pay under the final rule? Currently most salaried workers earning less than $684/week. Starting July 1, 2024, most salaried workers earning less than $844/week. Starting Jan. 1, 2025, most salaried workers earning less than $1,128/week. Starting July 1, 2027, the eligibility thresholds will be updated every three years, based on current wage data. DOL.gov/OT

The rule will also increase the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (who are not entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA if certain requirements are met) from $107,432 per year to $132,964 per year on July 1, 2024, and then set it equal to $151,164 per year on Jan. 1, 2025.

Starting July 1, 2027, these earnings thresholds will be updated every three years so they keep pace with changes in worker salaries, ensuring that employers can adapt more easily because they’ll know when salary updates will happen and how they’ll be calculated.

The final rule will restore and extend the right to overtime pay to many salaried workers, including workers who historically were entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA because of their lower pay or the type of work they performed.

We urge workers and employers to visit our website to learn more about the final rule.

Jessica Looman is the administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Follow the Wage and Hour Division on Twitter at  @WHD_DOL and LinkedIn . Editor's note: This blog was edited to correct a typo (changing "administrator" to "administrative.")

Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
Fair Labor Standards Act
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COMMENTS

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Religious tourism, spiritual tourism, sacred tourism, or faith tourism, is a type of tourism with two main subtypes: pilgrimage, meaning travel for religious or spiritual purposes, and the viewing of religious monuments and artefacts, a branch of sightseeing. Types. ...
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Religious tourism has taken place since the dawn of civilisation. Pilgrims travelled to pay homage to the sacred places and their guardians throughout the world. Tourism to sacred sites has merged with pilgrimage in the past 2,000 years. More recently, in the past 200 years wealthy Europeans visited special sites of sacred ritual in both the ...
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November 23, 2019. Religious tourism, which is also known as faith tourism, is the type of tourism whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for reasons related to religion or spirituality in their quest for meaning. It could be under pilgrimage, missionary, or leisure purposes. Practiced since the dawn of civilization, religious ...
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The definition of religion is a complex issue and one that has been addressed from different perspectives. It is not easy to explain what exactly the nature of the religious phenomenon consists in, and, given the ambiguity of the term, there is a want of consensus. ... Religious tourism takes many more forms than that of pilgrimage, and Cohen ...
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Today, religion and tourism are inextricably bound together. Religion is still among the most common motivations for travel, and religiously motivated pilgrimage, which remains one of the world's oldest and most basic forms of population mobility, is emerging as a major tourism phenomenon in the twenty-first century (Collins-Kreiner 2010).In this context, religious sites are becoming main ...
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TOURISM AND RELIGION. TOURISM AND RELIGION . Tourism and its associated practices interact with religious life and the institutions of religion in virtually every corner of the world. From Amish communities of rural Pennsylvania to the snowy summits of Mount Fuji in Japan, from the mysterious ruins of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes to the ...
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Religious tourism is one of the driving forces to bring people from varied backgrounds together under a common cause: the admiration and protection of heritage of tangible and intangible nature," said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the inauguration of the event. The issues of heritage conservation were a major topic of discussion ...
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Category: Travel Industry. When a person travels to a pilgrimage site primarily based on their religious belief, it is known as religious tourism. These travelers perform pilgrimage as a way to worship and enjoy salvation. However, there are Muslim and Jewish travelers who go for pilgrimage because it is obligated by their religion.
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Tourism destinations are developing at increasing speed as a result of their connections to sacred people, places and events. As stated in a satisfying definition, 'religious tourism is that type of tourism whose participants are motivated either in part or exclusively for religious reasons' (p.
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Firstly, there is a lack of consensus regarding the definition of spiritual tourism, resulting in substantial conceptual ambiguity. Second, researchers disagree on the boundaries between religious and spiritual tourism, which has further complicated the understanding of the concept.
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The Department of Labor's new overtime regulation is restoring and extending this promise for millions more lower-paid salaried workers in the U.S.
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Religious tourism- what is it and how does it work?

What is religious tourism?

Religious tourism activities

Religious tourism destinations

Religious Tourism: What is it and why is it so important?

What is religious tourism?

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Religious tourism in history

Managing sites of religious tourism

Visitors and worshippers

How can religious tourism sites stay competitive?

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Chapter Summary

Introduction

More than the Sacralization of Space

The Pilgrimage vs. Tourism Debate

Dismissing Pilgrim–Tourist Dichotomies

Tourism and Leisure as Religious Practice

Secularization, Religions, Spiritualities, and Tourism

Future Areas of Research

Further Reading

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Tourism and Religion: Issues and Implications

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