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An Exploration Of The Theological Tensions In The Use Of Churches For Events, Ruth Dowson (Rev.)

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The increasing prevalence of events within leisure and business activities (Dowson & Lamond, 2017), is reflected in the models of engagement by church organisations with their congregations and visitors. This increasing need for venues for events has brought about a new concept of ‘venuefication’ (Dowson & Lamond, 2017), which means that it is possible for any building, space or site to become a venue for an event. The growth of the experience economy in which consumers are moving from amassing possessions to acquiring experiences (Wood, 2009) influences a trend towards the Eventization of faith (Dowson 2018). For churches and other …

Tourists, Pilgrims And Cultural Routes: The Case Of The Kumano Kodo Route In Japan, Polyxeni Moira, Dimitrios Mylonopoulos, Georgia Konstantinou

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Cultural Routes are one of the most important tools for the promotion and the interpretation of cultural heritage. They are itineraries designed around a core theme and they include, inter alia, monuments of archaeological or historical interest, architectural monuments, industrial heritage buildings, religious heritage edifices, traditional settlements, spiritual places. In Japan, one of the most important routes, in Kii Mountain Range, is the Kumano Kodo religious-cultural route. The route reflects the merging of the ancient worship of nature – which is believed to be inhabited by Gods or spirits - Shintoism and Buddhism. The route, due to its great importance, …

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, …

Religious Travel To Sheikh Quro’S Tomb, Karawang, West Java, Diah Sri Rejeki, M. Sapari Dwi Hadian, Evi Novianti, Herlina Agustin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The tomb of Sheikh Quro Karawang attracts many visitors for religious tourism. The visitors, called pilgrims in the context of this study, have different motivations or purposes and reasons. This study aims to determine the motivation of the pilgrims to conduct religious tourism to the Tomb of Sheikh Quro. To do this, descriptive survey research is undertaken in association with quantitative methods. The data were collected using questionnaires and observation in addition to the study of documentation, and expert interviews. The study results reveal that various motives encourage pilgrims to come to this region, this includes both religious and traditional …

‘We Were Very Much Surprised At Their Worship’: American Girls And Religious Tourism In The Early Republic, 1780-1835, Sharon Halevi

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Following the Revolution, the United States formally embraced the ideal and practice of religious freedom. But how was this ideal instilled and practiced? Could a form of pilgrimage have been mobilised in order to inculcate it? In this article I argue that in the early American republic, religious freedom was demonstrated and imparted to adolescents through a unique form of pilgrimage: visiting and attending the worship services of religious minorities while on tour. I demonstrate my argument by considering the travel accounts of fifteen, Protestant, American adolescent girls (aged 10 to 21) between 1782 and 1835; I trace their visits …

Religious Tourism Development Strategies In Qom Province: Using And Comparing Qspm And Best Worst Methods, Hooshang Asheghi-Oskooee, Marzieh Ramezanzadeh, Mohammad Hasan Maleki

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

After Mashhad county, Qom province has the most valuable religious, cultural, historical and natural potential as the second Iranian pilgrimage centre. This study was conducted to formulate strategies for the development of religious tourism in Qom province using the most influential view of the strategy-formation process named design school. This school normally uses External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix, Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) Matrix, SWOT Matrix, QSPM matrix, and some other tools. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were determined using IFE and EFE matrices. The SWOT matrix was prepared and then the proper strategies for the development of religious tourism …

Attractiveness Of A Religious Theme Site: The A-Ma Cultural Village In Macau, China, Kwok Shing Chan

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Specific attributes of a destination and visitors’ perceived value are two major and complementary components of tourism destination attractiveness. Based on 329 questionnaires, this study evaluates the level of attractiveness and specificity of A-Ma Cultural Village in Macau, China in the context of the emerging significance of Mazu-related heritage and religious tourism in Asia. Also, the similarities and differences between visitors from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, regarding visit motives, satisfaction, needs and preferences are examined. The statistical tools of analysis used in this study include descriptive statistics, ANOVA and chi-square test. The survey found that the A-Ma Cultural Village’s …

Analysing Religious Tourism’S Influence On Tourism Policy Makers, Aleksa Š. Vučetić

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This article seeks to determine whether there are any differences in managers’ perceptions of the impact of religious tourism on tourism policy makers. The focus is on Montenegro as an old religious tourism destination, with a long tradition of religious tourism development.

The initial survey sample had 2,104 cases, and the work sample had 2,076 cases. One-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used for testing the work hypotheses. The survey was conducted electronically and without any influence on managers as respondents. For data processing, IBM SPSS Statistics 26 was used.

The highest number of statistically significant differences was shown …