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Representation Of Pre-Christian Baltic Religion In The Balts’ Road Tourism Route In Lithuania And Latvia, Michael Strmiska

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Balts’ Road tourism route in Latvia and Lithuania is an interesting example of how religious tourism may be packaged within a framework of cultural heritage tourism. The Balts’ Road offers travellers insight into the medieval Baltic world before the coming of Christianity. In this context, pre-Christian religious beliefs and practices constitute but one dimension of the historical tableau that the tourism route is intended to conjure. This article examines the manner in which the pre-Christian Baltic religion is represented on the Balts’ Road, displaying a certain ambivalence that seems related to the past religious history and current religious power …

Potential Of The European Cultural Route Of Saints Cyril And Methodius For The Development Of Cultural Tourism, Peter Ivanič, Hilda Kramáreková, Alfred Krogmann, Henrich Grežo, Lucia Petrikovičová

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Cultural Route of Saints Cyril and Methodius was established in 2021 as a certified route within the program of Cultural Routes managed by the Council of Europe. The idea was to connect places with the Cyrillo-Methodian and Great Moravian traditions. The development of this cultural route is managed by the European Cultural Route of Saints Cyril and Methodius with a Permanent Secretariat in Zlín in the Czech Republic. The association currently has 23 members from 8 countries (CZ, SK, GR, SI, HU, BG, HR and IT). The Cultural Routes Program of the Council of Europe, which has been in …

Working Paper Part 1 : The Very First Pilgrimage - An Inspired Trajectory Out Of Africa, Ian S. Mcintosh

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

One hundred thousand years ago, give or take, the forebears of some of Australia’s First Nations—by some accounts as few as 150 people—left Africa on an immense journey. After some 2,000 generations, the passage through new and unfamiliar territories of these first modern human beings terminated in a supercontinent that included Australia, Papua, and Tasmania. By some estimates, no more than 150 people—the same number that had originally left Africa—made the final sea crossing that separates Indonesia and Australia. Research on such ancient migrations emphasises population growth, the ‘selfish gene,’ and the territorial imperative, as key drivers of mobility. This …

A Semi-Autoethnographical Account Of The Order Of Malta’S Annual Pilgrimage To Lourdes, Dane Munro Km

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Lourdes, in the French Pyrenees, has been a pilgrimage site since 1858. At present, about six million Roman Catholic pilgrims and others visit Lourdes every year. During the annual weeklong pilgrimage of the Order of St John, an average of about 7,500 participants from 45 countries, including 380 doctors, nurses and pharmacists, 250 priests and other volunteers, are nursing and caring for 1,500 malades (the sick and suffering). This semi-autoethnographical account is based on many years of visitation as a member of the Order of St John and describes the various changes of a political and societal nature, while the …

Emotions At The Border: Verbal Aspects Of The Attari-Wagah Patriotic Pilgrimage, Anna V. Bochkovskaya

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

For over sixty years the Attari-Wagah checkpoint at the border between India and Pakistan has been a site for the Beating Retreat, a colorful ceremony of lowering the national flags performed jointly by the Indian Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers. This emotional ritual is generally perceived as a demonstration of aggressive designs, on the one hand, and as a symbol of goodwill and possible cooperation between neighbouring countries, on the other.

In recent decades visiting/viewing the border (sīmā darśan) has become an essential part of tourist packages for travellers in North-West India, while the notion of ‘patriotic pilgrimage’ …

The Pilgrimage To The Grand Magal In Ṭūbā, Senegal, Tahar Abbou

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Grand Magal in Ṭūbā, in Senegal is the third biggest religious event in the Muslim community after the pilgrimage to the mausoleum of Imam al-Hussayn in Karbala, Iraq and the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. This paper deals with the pilgrimage to Ṭūbā that celebrates the life and teachings of Shaykh Amadou Bamba, the founder of the Sufi Murīdiyya Brotherhood. The event takes place on the 18th of Safar, the second month in the Islamic lunar calendar. Murīds (novices committed to spiritual enlightenment), pilgrims, and visitors from over the world descend onto the city of Ṭūbā to visit the …

Pilgrimage Sites As Magnets Of Interfaith Tolerance: The Case Of Kemaliq Lingsar In Indonesia, Suhadah Suhadah, Deddy Mulyana, Pawit M. Yusup, Nuryah A. Sjafirah

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study aims to reveal the practices of tolerance between the adherents of Islam and Hinduism when they were engaged in worship at Kemaliq Lingsar, a sacred religious site which is used as a pilgrimage site where both parties pray and perform religious tourism and rituals. Drawing on the interpretive approach, this study found the wisdom of the two religious communities in Lingsar Village, West Lombok Regency, Indonesia. This area exhibits unique strategies for sharing the same pilgrimage site: two communities performing their respective rituals in turn and in unison in the same space with complete understanding. This tolerance practiced …

Signature Events: The Role Of Representative Major Events For The Branding Of Catholic Pilgrimage Sites (Germany), Markus Hilpert

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

A new trend in destination marketing has been emerging for several years. Instead of many small events, locations rely on one brand-strengthening Signature Event that draws attention to the destination through its uniqueness. Because pilgrimage is arguably the oldest form of mass tourism, places of pilgrimage may have invented such Signature Events to attract devout travellers. If so, signature events at pilgrimage sites are valuable research objects for investigating their success factors. Not only are they the prototypes in which the DNA of Signature Events can be studied, but in many cases, they also had centuries to optimise their experience. …

Experience Dimensions Of Religious Festivals: Religion And Spirituality At Paryaya, Udupi, India, Senthilkumaran Piramanayagam, Partho Pratim Seal

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Festivals and events have been found to be an important motivation for travel, and are a significant component in a destination offering. All religious festivals, irrespective of religion and tradition, aim to develop spirituality. Experience is the core of festivals and events, and the experience is multifaceted. This research aims to analyse the impact of various experience dimensions of religious festivals on participants’ overall festival experience and behavioural intention at a biennial festival called ‘Paryaya’ held at Udupi, India, using the concept of the experience economy. The researchers have adopted a quantitative research approach for the study. The result obtained …

Proposing A Model For Religious Tourism Development: Evidence From Iran, Fatemeh Shekari, Zahra Moaven, Ali Asghar Mobasheri, Moslem Bagheri, Mehrdad Kiani, Ardeshir Bagheri

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study proposes a model for religious tourism as one of the most promising types of tourism worldwide, by focusing on the conditions of Iran as a potentially popular destination for religious tourism. The study relies on a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) method. The qualitative phase identifies the model dimensions and strategies. To do this, practitioners and experts were interviewed and the data collected were investigated through the thematic analysis method. This process revealed four main dimensions and 18 subsidiary strategies. In the quantitative phase, the dimensions and strategies identified were arranged in a questionnaire and through the survey method, …

Going Beyond A Pilgrimage: The Feast Day Of Saint George In Lod-Israel, Mustafa Diktaş

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religion and spirituality are common motivations for travel, with many major tourist destinations having developed largely because of their connections to sacred people, places and events. Pilgrimages are one of the most important forms domestic tourism in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. On November 16 of every year, the church of St. George in Lod is filled with hundreds of worshippers who arrive for the Feast of St. George / Khidr, the day commemorating the translation of his relics to the church at the heart of Lod. Pilgrims travel from Nazareth and Bethlehem and as far away as Jordan to …

Mount Banahaw’S Enigma Of Power: A Personal Reflection On Signs And Symbols At The Santa Lucia Complex, Katherine B. Arceta

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In the Philippines, Mount Banahaw in Quezon province is a pilgrimage site for locals and believers alike. Considered a holy mountain or even a ‘new’ Jerusalem in a mystical sense, people flock to its forested sacred sites or puwestos. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify signs and symbols within the sacred space of Mount Banahaw; (2) to explain how signs and symbols within the mountain are able to convey various religious meanings to the worshippers and; (3) to understand how pilgrims derive and interpret the meanings associated with these signs and symbols. The author retraces a pilgrim’s …

The Imprint Of The Pilgrimage An Ethnography Of A Tattoo Studio In Jerusalem, Mustafa Diktaş

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Several major religions exhibit complex attitudes towards self-mutilation and adornment. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity forbid marking the body and associate it with sin. Still, many people apparently have continued to feel a need for confirmation of their religion and their religious journeys by marking their bodies. This ethnographic study focuses on the recent situation in pilgrimage tattooing, utilising the local and daily processes of a tattoo shop called Razzouk Tattoo located in the Christian quarter of the old city of Jerusalem. The aim of this paper is not only to give a panoptic view of the tattoo studio but also …

Improving The Economy Of Local Communities Through Innovation Of The Potential Of Shariah-Based Natural Tourism In East Java, Maula Fadhilata Rahmatika, Agus Suman

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

An area will experience rapid progress if local government alongside the community is able to develop local potential with various innovations. This study aims to describe the potential of nature and innovation by the government alongside the community based on Shariah when creating tourism destinations with economic value. The research was conducted in the coastal environment of Santen Island of Banyuwangi district, East Java with a qualitative approach to the research and case study design. Data were collected through participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis. With interactive data analysis, it was found that the Shariah-based innovation conducted by the …

Branding The Sacral Landscape: Religious Content In Regional Tourism Marketing, Set In A Post-Secular Society, Markus Hilpert

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

There is a paucity of research on the branding of sacral landscapes as a regional strategy in tourism marketing. On the one hand, the concept of place branding, to date, has been transferred very little to sacred destinations, while on the other hand, religious content and modern tourist marketing barely fit together. Nonetheless, the perception of religion in a postmodern society opens up new opportunities for sacred places to reposition themselves in the competition faced by tourist destinations. The aim of this article is to show how German tourism regions with a religious focus build their brand. Through analyzing six …

Local Faith-Based Tourism And Volunteers Within Related Entities: A Maltese Perspective, Oliver Cassar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In 2017 a research study was carried out by the Cultural Commission of the Pinto Philharmonic Society (Soċjetà Filarmonika Pinto Banda San Sebastjan) of Qormi, Malta. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of volunteers that are active in different non-governmental organizations within different Christian parishes around Malta and Gozo. Within the research confraternities in diffe rent parish, local band clubs and chivalric orders had been identified as particular entities having good potential to enhance the niche market formation for faith-based tourism. Although volunteers recognise the positive inputs from tourism, the research also discusses local traditions. Further discussed is the …

Negotiating With The Sacred Other: The Ancient Mechanisms Of The Personal Vow Practice, Mirela Hrovatin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

By questioning the anthropological definition of vows as instrumental prayers, which has been generally accepted since William Christian (1989) introduced it, the paper will discuss the notion of a vow as a personal prayer in the effort to expand it beyond the mere request for a miracle or fulfilment of a pilgrim’s or believer’s wish. The votive prayer is mentioned already in the Bible (Deut. 23) as a somewhat problematic way of communicating with God due to a promise it contains. Based on the Amir Mashiach’s (2014) interpretation of prayers as performative utterances in the Jewish tradition and Radoslav Katičić's …

Pilgrims’ Play On The Santiago Way, Daniel Moulin-Stożek

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The popularity of the walking pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela across Northern Spain is often understood as a new kind of spiritual tourism rather than a revival of religious practice. In order to examine this claim, I explore common symbolic and ritual practices on the trail such as rock placing, message making, role playing, and partaking in communal play activities. I elaborate the concept of play to explain these behaviors and consider how they relate to transcendental and sacred meanings. This analysis has important implications for explaining the current popularity of the Camino. In particular, it helps explain how the …

Perspectives On The Improvement Of Uzbekistan As A Destination For Multi-Confessional Self-Organised Pilgrims, Bakhtiyor Negmatovich Navruz-Zoda, Nutfillo Ibragimov, Akmal Rakhmanov

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

By accenting the tourism industry as one of the most valuable sectors for prosperity and appreciating its potential in new social-economic reforms, the administration of the Republic of Uzbekistan has been making visible steps for its development. Particularly religious tourism and pilgrimage are noted as offering opportunities for modernisation in a global world. Carrying a major geographical role in the connection of main trade routes between East and West, the country became the crossroad of civilisation and religious diffusions. Consequently, with new religious tourism and pilgrimage flows: following the earliest dominating beliefs of Zoroastrianism, and its New Age followers; being …

Cultural Routes Crossing Portugal: History And Traditions, Odete Paiva, Cláudia Seabra, José Luís Abrantes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Cultural routes across different regions create real opportunities to improve tourism dynamics, offering tourists more valuable experiences bringing benefits to the entire tourism value chain and to all tourism-related sectors (Perdomo, 2015). This study analyses the potential of a cultural and tourist product based on two routes in the Centre of Portugal, one following the path laid out by the 3rd French Invasion and another following the Historical National Road Nº2. The main goal is to investigate the attractiveness and market potential for the two routes specifically in the domestic market. Based on the results of a questionnaire applied to …

Pilgrimage, Existence, And Psychic Distress: An Exploration Of The Bodily And Psychic Phenomenon Of Pilgrimage, Christine Jamieson

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In ‘Pilgrimage, Existence, and Psychic Distress,’ Christine Jamieson draws on the work of psychoanalyst and linguist Julia Kristeva, tracking the haunting desire for healing and liberation inherent in pilgrimage as it touches the deep and irresolutely corporeal experience of what it means to be human.

Introduction : The Body Is The Place Where Pilgrimage Happens, Sara Terreault

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper lays the groundwork for reflection on pilgrimage in Christian and postChristian contexts, specifically as a cluster of performative practices of movement through time and across space, originating and substantiated in the lived flesh of pilgrim bodies-in-the-world. Thinking with Eade, Sallnow, and Poteat, no less than with Badiou, Eagleton, and Ricoeur, the author theorises the pilgrim body at the nexus of bodies, topographies, mobilities, and narratives.

Interpreting Contemporary Pilgrimage As Spiritual Journey Or Aesthetic Tourism Along The Appalachian Trail, Kip Redick

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage and tourism can be interpreted as overlapping travel experiences. Given all the changes mass transportation and communication technologies have brought, understanding the phenomenon of pilgrimage becomes fraught with ambiguity. Is pilgrimage better understood as a tourist excursion that affords instances of religious devotion? Pilgrimage routes and long distance scenic trails have their aesthetic appeal, which pilgrims and tourists enjoy. Is there a difference in the way these two groups walk these trails that become manifest through aesthetic experiences and encounters? Looking at long distance hiking on the Appalachian Trail as spiritual journey opens up a reinterpretation of both pilgrimage …

What Is Pilgrimage? A Report Of The Panel At The 2017 Symposium On Pilgrimage Studies, William & Mary, October 7, 2017, Robert C. Nickerson, George D. Greenia, Ian S. Mcintosh, E. Moore Quinn

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Narrating Religion For Tourists: Tourist Guidebooks’ Depictions Of Ganden Sumtseling Monastery In Xianggelila County, Yunnan, Emmelie Korell

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Located in recently renamed Xianggelila County in north-western Yunnan in the People’s Republic of China, Ganden Sumtseling Monastery constitutes a highlight for any visiting tourist. Originally erected in 1679 to reflect the significance of Tibetan Buddhism in the region, it now contributes to the tourism-generated income earned by the County. Religion has become a factor in tourism: as motivation, as a resource or even as a concept to describe the practices of tourism itself (Graburn, 2001; Oakes and Sutton, 2010; Strausberg, 2011). The question posed in this paper asks how religion is narrated in travel literature. Specifically: what story does …

India’S Buddhist Circuit(S): A Growing Investment Market For A “Rising” Asia, David Geary

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

With the growing economic rise of Asia most of the international spotlight has focused on the rapid growth and industrialisation spearheaded by China and India, with little attention on the role of India’s robust religious tourism market that remains a vital part of its economic growth. In recent years, the development and promotion of religious circuits has become a cornerstone of India’s tourism marketing campaign that aims to capture both domestic and foreign exchange earnings. To explore the relationship between tourism and India’s religious circuits further, this article examines the role of India’s Buddhist circuit and how a series of …

Book Reviews Vol 5(Iii), Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Pilgrimage Upside-Down: Kabir Ulatbansi Pilgrim, Vinod Verma

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Cultures in India, like cultures in other parts of the world, continue to surprise by their topsy-turvey existence in time, space and practices. The Nijamuddin Dargah in Delhi is one such example of composite cultures. To illustrate it further the Bhakti movements, a wave of the Nirgun/Sagun saint traditions in Indian medieval histories of literary cultures, is an appropriate example which represents a strong case of pilgrimages, alternative pilgrimages and pilgrims without pilgrimages. The poetry of the Alvars, Kabir, Malik Muhammad Jayasi, Tulsidas, Nanak, Raidas, Surdas, Mirabai, Dadu Dayal, Malukdas, Kamal, Sunderdas, Raskhan, Dhruvdas, Namdev, Lal Ded, Avvayyar and Akkamahadevi …

The Determinants Of Tourist Satisfaction In Religious Destinations: The Case Of Montserrat (Spain), Gema Canoves, Josep M. Prat Forga

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In the last few years, the historic region of Bages in Catalonia (Spain) has developed the tourism advantage it enjoys because of the medieval relics of the monastery of Montserrat that it treasures, to the point of becoming a major resort area. Montserrat is an example of synergies between religious heritage and tourism. On the mountain of Montserrat, religious devotion, regional identity, cultural heritage and linguistic tradition, landscape, and the nearness of Barcelona join together to create a tourist product of great importance. This working paper shows how religious tourism is an expression of the commercialisation of culture and religion. …

Pilgrimage And Its Dual Functions In Iranian Shiitsm, Zahra Khoshk Jan

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Salvation is the main concern not only for theistic religions but also for atheistic ones, therefore, all of them try to offer doctrines for achieving both salvation and redemption in this world or in another world. Followers of the Twelver Shiism strongly believe in salvation through the Imam. Imamat and Imam, do not just refer to a special person, more than that, they involve a spiritual / worldly doctrine toward a complete and multilateral salvation, and also socio-political leadership. One of the important parts of this doctrine that involves spiritual / worldly salvation is intercession via religious rituals like praying, …