Digital Commons Network^™

Finding Data Pathways Through The ‘Pandemic Pilgrimage Boom’: Embedded-Like Research, Covid-19, And The British Pilgrimage Trust, Eleanor O’Keeffe

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This article reviews claims that the United Kingdom experienced a ‘pandemic pilgrimage boom’. It contributes findings from an ‘embedded-like’ research project, which drew on data created by the British Pilgrimage Trust (BPT) – a heritage and wellbeing charity that hosts a website hub to support pilgrimage action in the UK – to debate about the impact of COVID-19 on pilgrimage practice. These findings show how a set of uses and meanings about pilgrimage, particularly its affordances for mental health and emotional wellbeing, have resonated during the pandemic, especially at moments of heightened social stress. This has generated greater social traction …

Sustainable And Inclusive Spiritual Tourism Development In Bali As A Long-Term Post-Pandemic Strategy, Jaeyeon Choe, Luh Putu Mahyuni

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic caused devastating socio-economic impacts in tourism destinations around the world. Many governments and tourism authorities could use the pandemic to seek more sustainable tourism development futures; for example, pre-pandemic Bali’s ‘tourism boom’ barely benefited local people and local businesses because of economic leakage and ‘tourist bubbles’. With an increasing demand on spiritual travel in the post pandemic period, Bali is seeking new opportunities as a spiritual tourism destination. This opportunity is based on their rich cultural and natural resources, and living heritage that can be related to spiritual tourism activities. This spiritual tourism development can contribute to …

Acceptance Of New Travel Norms Among Potential Umrah And Hajj Pilgrims: An Empirical Investigation, Siti Sara Ibrahim, Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Muhammad Azlan Shah Badar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper investigates how Umrah and Hajj travellers’ needs and wants are influenced by their acceptance (behaviour) of new norms practices (social distancing, hygiene standards, wearing face masks) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cross-sectional survey utilises the purposive sampling method with 216 respondents. Partial-least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM) was used to confirm the study model and test the hypotheses. Additionally, this study validates the role of age in influencing the new norms of travel behaviour through the PLS-SEM multi-group analysis (MGA). Path Analysis results revealed that psychological needs, safety needs and selfactualisation influence the new norms of …

Covid-19 And The Holy Land Of Lalibela World Heritage Site, Ethiopia, Dagnachew Nega, Balew Baye, Amare Kindu

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Ethiopia is the home of many tourist sites. Among these is Lalibela, one of the most famous and most visited World Heritage Sites. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry was severely affected. Thus, the main objective of the study is to investigate the impacts and solutions for the prevalence of COVID-19 at the holy land of Lalibela, the World Heritage Site. The study followed descriptive research design. The target population of the study were the local communities, religious fathers, local tourist guides, culture and tourism experts and hotel workers. The research was conducted through non-probability sampling techniques. …

Tourism And Crisis: Comparing The Impacts Of Covid-19 And Natural Disasters On The Hajj And Umrah Industry, Udin Supriadi Dr, Mohammad Rindu Fajar Islamy Mr, Ahmad Fuadin Mr, Muhammad A. Rahkman Mr

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study aims to compare the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and Natural Disasters on the Hajj and Umrah industries. This pilgrimage substantially contributes to foreign exchange earnings; therefore, the negative potential caused by disasters must be a significant concern for policymakers in this sector. In recent years, religious-based tourism, especially the hajj and umrah (the out-of-season pilgrimage to Mecca), has experienced significant rise of demand worldwide. To explore the impact of various disasters on this industry, using the purposive sampling method, semi-structured interviews were conducted with travel agents in Bandung over the course of two months. The findings from …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Independent African Churches (Iacs) In Johannesburg, South Africa, Constance Nyika, Milena Ivanovic, Kevin A. Griffin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the religious tourism activities of the four most prominent Independent Apostolic Churches (IAC) operating in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is an interpretive qualitative research study based on data from 15 telephone-based semi-structured interviews with congregants and church leaders of the Zion Christian Church, Zimbabwe (ZCC Mutendi), The Apostolic Church of Johane Marange, The Apostolic Church of Johane Masowe and Apostolic Faith Church, Mugodhi. Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the religious tourism activities of all four IACs in the study as they …

Revisiting The Inner Self In Times Of Debilitating Distress: Gateways For Wellness Through Spiritual Tourism, Manpreet Arora, Roshan Lal Sharma, Sandeep Walia

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on our bodies, minds and souls. Having suffered it for more than a year now we know how crucial it is to tackle the pandemic at physical, psychological and spiritual levels. We have well-established Standard Operating Procedures alongside vaccines to deal with it at physical level, but equally crucial are mental and spiritual problems caused by COVID-19 (Chopra, 2020).

This paper seeks to explore certain gateways and possibilities of dealing with distress, despair, anxiety, angst, trauma and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in diverse arenas of human activities to ascertain how crucial …