Tourism and Travel Commons^™

When Customers Collide Online: The Hidden Power Of Approval In Digital Service Failures, Wei Wei, Lu Zhang, Bobbie Rathjens, Sean Mcginley

Rosen Research Review

The research by Wei, Zhang, Rathjens, and McGinley reveals a surprising twist in how restaurant customers respond to online interactions after a service failure. When fellow customers chime in—either with support or mockery—their comments can dramatically shape how the original complainant feels, engages, and judges fairness. But the real game-changer? Whether the customer craves approval. Those with low need for approval react strongly to the tone of others’ comments, while high-approval seekers remain emotionally steady. This study uncovers the psychological undercurrents of electronic customerto- customer interaction (eCCI), offering fresh insights into empathy, justice, and digital engagement in hospitality.

Putting Humanity First In Service Robotics: For Me, Robotics Is About Giving Hospitality Teams The Breathing Room To Care More Deeply For People., Manuel Rivera, Cynthia Mejia

Rosen Research Review

In an engaging conversation with Juan Higueros, Co-Founder and COO of Bear Robotics, we explore his vision for human-centered robotics and how technology can empower hospitality teams to deliver deeper, more meaningful guest experiences.

Sky-High Expectations: How Drones And Emotions Are Reshaping Food Delivery In Africa, Frank Badu-Baiden, Weisheng Chiu, Eudora Hagan, Victor Anderson Hodibert

Rosen Research Review

The research by Badu-Baiden, Chiu, Hagan, and Hodibert unpacks the emotional, social, and psychological puzzle behind consumer acceptance of drone food delivery in Ghana. Using complexity theory and fsQCA, the study shows multiple adoption paths. Motivation, emotion, perceived risk, and social influence shape intention and willingness to pay. Positive emotions and usefulness drive interest, while privacy concerns and negative feelings hinder it. Trust and cultural context matter deeply.

Boarding By Biometrics: How Smart Technology Is Reshaping Passenger Experience, Xiaoting Chi, Frank Badu-Baiden, Seongseop (Sam) Kim, Junwei Cao, Elena-Nicoleta Untaru, Heekyoung Jung, Heesup Han

Rosen Research Review

The research by Chi, Badu-Baiden, Kim, Cao, Untaru, Jung, and Han explores how biometric boarding transforms airline travel. Using technology acceptance, agenda setting, and behavioral reasoning theories, the study reveals how ease of use, usefulness, media exposure, and attitudes shape adoption. Findings stress convenience, engagement, and targeted communication, with age and gender influencing responses. For airport managers and designers, the research offers practical strategies for secure, efficient, and passenger-centered boarding systems.

The Pleasure Principle: Why Enjoyment May Be The Missing Link In Ai Adoption, Arthur Huang, Ahmet Bulent Ozturk, Tingting Zhang, Efren De La Mora Velasco, Adam Haney

Rosen Research Review

The research by Huang, Ozturk, Zhang, de la Mora Velasco, and Haney reveals a compelling insight: enjoyment—not just efficiency—is a key driver of whether guests will continue using AI in hospitality and tourism. By expanding the expectation-confirmation model, the study shows that perceived enjoyment, alongside performance and satisfaction, plays a pivotal role in shaping future use intentions. This shift toward hedonic value reframes how hoteliers and tourism professionals should design and promote AI services. The findings suggest that delight, fun, and emotional resonance are just as important as functionality when it comes to long-term engagement with AI-powered experiences.

Understanding The Rising Popularity Of (Un)Religious Pilgrims: Belonging Without Believing, Gregory Smith

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

While researchers are in agreement about the positive relationship between spiritual activities (SAs) and mental health (MH) among the general population, the relationship between spiritual tourism (ST) and MH, particularly among young adults, is yet to be adequately investigated. As such, important questions regarding the status of religion in the contemporary world can be addressed through the study of current pilgrimage trends. A ‘pilgrimage boom’ is occurring in Britain and other parts of the global anglosphere (Williams, 2020 & O’Keeffe, 2022). Yet, many of these modern pilgrims do not identify with established religious categories (i.e., Christianity). Significant gaps in our …

The Pilgrimage Paradox: Accepting Hardship As A Pathway To Peace, John K. Moore

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This essay examines the paradoxical relationship between pilgrimage and inner peace, focusing on the Camino de Santiago and referencing the Shingon Buddhist Goma fire ritual in Japan and the holy mountain of Kata Tjuṯa in Australia. While pilgrimage is often associated with physical hardship and discomfort, the paper argues that adopting a mindset of acceptance toward inevitable suffering can foster psychological and spiritual contentment. Drawing on historical, literary, and contemporary examples—including penitential practices, therapeutic walking, and rituals at the Iron Cross—the article highlights how symbolic acts of relinquishing burdens can lead to inner transformation and may set into motion one’s …

The Goshuin Journey: Sacred Seal Pilgrimage In Contemporary Japan, Nachika Kaneko, John Shultz

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Goshuin (御朱印), red stamps accompanied by calligraphic inscriptions obtained at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, have become a universal and critical element of sacred site visitation in Japan. Their collection represents perhaps the most widespread form of pilgrimage in contemporary society. Seal-oriented pilgrimages, known as goshuin meguri (御朱印巡り), are typically free-form and self-directed, and this practice entered a nationwide boom that appears to have peaked around 2019. Despite its popularity, goshuin pilgrimage has received only limited—and often speculative—scholarly attention, with little reliance on empirical data. Kinjoji Temple (金城寺), a Shingon Buddhist temple in Toyama Prefecture, is known for offering a …

Dante Down Under: Poetic Inversion And The Way Back To Eden, Mary A. Watt

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In the closing moments of Dante’s Inferno, as the pilgrim protagonist and his guide, the Roman poet Virgil, finally emerge from the dark depths of hell, their hope of reaching paradise is rekindled as they look up, ‘to see once again, the stars.’ This directional shift has been effected at the centre of a spherical earth, where Dante and Virgil had to invert themselves in order to start the journey to the southern hemisphere. To find his way back to the ‘right road,’ Dante has had to turn himself upside down, but in order to craft a redemptive iter …

The Resurrection Of Doshu-Michi: Reviving A Forgotten Pilgrimage Route In Japan, Ryosei Kaneko

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study reveals the rediscovery of the Doshu-michi, a 30-kilometer historical pilgrimage route associated with Akao Doshu, a devout follower of Jôdo Shin Buddhism (True Pure Land Buddhism) during the late 15th century. The research focused on identifying and reviving the original pilgrimage path traveled by Doshu, a route that begins at Gyotokuji Temple, which he founded, and Dozenji Temple, his birthplace, and ends at Zuisenji Temple, located in what is now Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. The route follows a ridgeline at an elevation of roughly 1,000 meters. Drawing on literature reviews, oral testimony from local elders, and systematic …

The Migrant As A Pilgrim: Decolonising Identity And Belonging, Susan Nemec

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper responds to pilgrimage scholar George Greenia’s assertion that meaningful intersections exist between pilgrimage and various forms of displacement, such as migration or involuntary exile due to famine, war, or political unrest. Greenia proposes that vulnerable, displaced individuals might find shelter, both conceptually and emotionally, within the framing of pilgrimage. By extending concepts of pilgrimage, it can be understood as a deliberate and intentional journey, simultaneously emphasising the transformative potential inherent in migratory movement. By adopting a working definition of pilgrimage as ‘any form of travel that is intentional, purposeful, or transformative,’ the paper considers how migrancy, particularly within …

Ijrtp Volume 14(I) Table Of Contents, Ian S. Mcintosh, Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook, Nichole Lariscy Ph.D., Kevin Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

IJRTP Volume 14(i) Table of Contents

Special Issue papers from annual Sacred Journeys conferences held in Kyoto (Japan) in 2024 and Canberra (Australia) in 2025.

Editorial: Exploring The Personal, Spiritual, Cultural, And Historical Dimensions Of Sacred Journeys, Ian S. Mcintosh, Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook, Nichole Lariscy Ph.D.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The papers in this special issue of the International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage represent a rich sampling of offerings from the annual Sacred Journeys conferences held in Kyoto (Japan) in 2024 and Canberra (Australia) in 2025. Collectively, they explore pilgrimage as a transformative and multifaceted practice that encompasses personal, spiritual, cultural, and historical dimensions.

Pilgrimage On Paper: A Contemplative Writing Practice, Angelika Halstead

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Autobiographers, poets, and journal keepers have always intuitively known the transformative and healing power of personal writing. Some people write in a cathartic way to empty themselves of stored up emotions and experiences. Having freed themselves from old baggage they are prepared for their lives to take new directions. Others write because they want to find out what they think and make meaning of their lives. They write in pursuit of truth and find that as they become honest and face the truth their lives change and their stories turn into new and re-storied versions. It is also known that …

The Stars That Fall At Our Feet: Personal Reflections On The Serendipity Of Liminality In Pilgrimage, Ian Palmer

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

I was not familiar with the concept of liminality before walking the Camino de Santiago (Camino Français) for the first time in 2000. ‘Liminal’ is a Latin word for a doorway. It is the ‘threshold’ or, literally, ‘the-rush-hold’. This paper explores liminality as an in-between space when we are no longer ‘here’ but not yet ‘there’. It is a time when we can take stock, review, remember, and re-frame. That’s a gift of pilgrimage; away from the familiar, away from routines and day-to day responsibilities: an in-between time. Link to this the feelings that come with serendipity and the liminality …

Mundane Or Mystical: Journeying From An Islamic Perspective, Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Within Islam generally, and Sufism in particular, journeying (safar) takes on a great importance. From the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) to the vertical night journey (almiraj), the well-trodden path (shari’ah) to the narrow path (tariqa), there are many kinds of journeying, all of which are ultimately understood as being in the path of Allah (fi sabillillah). Common to all types of journeying is an engagement with Allah’s signs (ayat) ‘on the horizons and within themselves’ so that, correctly understood, this will support the realisation of Truth (Qur’an 41: 53). For …

Pilgrimages In Aotearoa - Uncovering The Hidden, Giving Voice To The Silences, Peter Bowden (Te Atiawa, Ngati Te Whiti), Sarah Bowden

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Aotearoa / New Zealand has a history of colonisation with a significant destructive impact on Mãori, the indigenous people. It is only in more recent decades that this history has become more widely ‘remembered’ by the non-Māori population, in large part due to efforts made by Māori activists, scholars and legislators. The growing awareness of this difficult history is often met with a mixture of bewilderment and anger. The authors have observed a growing readiness in themselves and others to look at the emerging truth of our history. We see the practice of pilgrimage as a powerful tool to amplify …

A Spiritual Passage From Santiago To Sligo: Celtic Pilgrimage From St. John’S Eve To Queen Maeve’S Procession, Nichole Lariscy Ph.D.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the spiritual dimensions of Celtic pilgrimage through a comparative analysis of two journeys: the Celtic Camino, primarily known as the English Way to Santiago, in Galicia, Spain, and the pilgrimage to Queen Maeve’s Cairn in Sligo, Ireland. It examines how invented traditions and mythological narratives contribute to a sense of ancestral connection and spiritual homecoming. The study employs autoethnographic narrative and theoretical frameworks including Simon Coleman’s concept of laterality and Jenny Butler’s observations on neo-pagan re-sacralisation of the landscape. Field observations, personal reflections, and literature review inform the analysis. The paper identifies ritual, festival, and storytelling as …

The Transformative Essence Of Liminality: Pilgrimage And The Example Of St. Francis Of Assisi, John Kruse

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Looking at the life of St. Francis of Assisi (1181/2–1226) through the lens of liminality can help to understand this complex figure. Anthropologist Victor Turner, for example, has explored Francis’s embrace of poverty as a means of experiencing liminality and the communitas that accompanies it. Three episodes in the life of Francis in particular constitute liminal experiences in that Francis left behind old ways of being, crossed thresholds, and experienced transformation: his encounter with lepers, his renunciation of possessions and coinciding embrace of poverty, and his encounter with Sultan Malik al-Kamil. Understanding these episodes as liminal experiences not only helps …

The Journey Of The Soul In Aboriginal Australia, Ian S. Mcintosh

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

For the past decade, I have been studying pilgrimage in all its dimensions in what my colleagues and I have been calling a kaleidoscopic inquiry (McIntosh et al., 2024). In my current investigations, I have been exploring the journey of the soul upon the death of its host. My focus in this working paper is the myths and traditions of the Yolngu Indigenous peoples of northeast Arnhemland in remote northern Australia with whom I lived and worked in the 1980s and 90s. The Yolngu go to great lengths to prepare the dying for their ultimate journey, painting the body with …