Digital Commons Network^™

H2) Governance At Religious/Cultural Tourism Destination Sites, Dino Bozonelos

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

A series of global factors have led scholars to renewed research into tourism governance, including the lingering effects of the pandemic, overtourism, quality of life issues, sustainability of tourism destination sites (WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024; Vargas-Sánchez, 2023). In addition, there has been a gradual shift in approach to tourism policy literature from the notion of government to that of governance (Hall, 2012; Bramwell and Lane, 2012; Jamal and Camargo, 2018; Piva, et al, 2019; Bozonelos, 2023). Thus, governance is a central issue in tourism. Governance is described as the “act of governing”, or a focus on the …

H1) The Communicative Dimension Of The Religious Event In The Event Management Of Contemporary Culture, Leticia Arráez

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper addresses the renewed resurgence of religious spirituality in contemporary culture and its implications for the management and communication of institutional religious events. As Hoover (2025) observes, “individuals today construct identity and meaning through practices of cultural consumption”, prompting a reappraisal of the religious event as a transformative experience. Drawing on scholarship in religious communication and event management, alongside documents of the Catholic Church’s Magisterium, the study conceptualizes the religious event as a process that offers transcendence attuned to contemporary cultural codes. Within this framework, events in public spaces or along pilgrimage routes emerge as polyhedral realities where the …

G3) Does A More Physically Demanding Pilgrimage Bring More Spirituality And Closeness To Faith, Jaffer Idris, Mohammed Jabar Yaqub

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage is frequently associated with bodily hardship, often interpreted as a pathway to deeper spiritual transformation. This abstract examines whether physically challenging pilgrimages generate greater spiritual benefit than less demanding journeys, drawing on scholarship from religious studies, sociology, and pilgrimage tourism research. Historically, many traditions frame pilgrimage as an embodied practice involving endurance, sacrifice, and discipline. Within this framework, physical exertion can function as ritualized effort that encourages humility, reflection, and detachment from everyday routines. Scholars drawing on theories of liminality argue that demanding journeys intensify pilgrims’ awareness of vulnerability and transition, thereby supporting experiences of meaning, renewal, and transcendence …

Fracture Performance Of Fdm Printed Pla And Petg: Role Of Infill Geometry And Layer Height, Abdulla Ahmed Aldhaheri

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This Additive Manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized modern design and manufacturing by enabling layer-by-layer fabrication directly from 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models. This approach enhances material efficiency, reduces waste, and allows the production of complex geometries. Among various AM methods, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is one of the most widely used techniques. In FDM, thermoplastic filament is heated and extruded through a nozzle to build components layer by layer. Several process parameters significantly influence the structural integrity, mechanical properties, and overall performance of FDM-fabricated parts. Recent research has increasingly focused on understanding the fracture behavior of commonly used materials such as …

E3) Pop As Sacred Space: Rosalía’S Lux And The Reconfiguration Of Contemporary Spiritual Tourism, Dolors Vidal-Casellas

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper analyzes Rosalía’s Lux album as a cultural device that reconfigures the relationships between spirituality, aesthetic experience, and contemporary mobility. Situated within a hybrid lineage of orchestral pop, sacred music, and avant-pop, the album constructs a sonic universe that transcends traditional musical consumption to offer a ritual-like experience. From the perspective of spiritual and cultural tourism, Lux is interpreted as a “symbolic pilgrimage space” where the listener engages in a sensory and affective journey. Its multi-movement structure, linguistic plurality, and references to mystical traditions and female figures from religious heritage shape a narrative of inner displacement that replaces physical …

E2) Religious Tourism As Neoliberal Piety: Islamic Spirituality And Sufism In Egyptian Islamic Tour Operators, Shin Yasuda, Daniel Vecchio

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This presentation examines the characteristics of Sufism and Islamic way of spirituality within the Islamic religious market, focusing on the activities of the shaykhs who serve as spiritual guides for Egyptian Islamic tour operators. Within the Islamic religious market in Egypt, religious practices have become products and services for religious market consumption amid the rise of neoliberalism and market economies. Within this context, spiritual guides in Islamic tour operators have emerged as an occupation that offering pilgrimages (hajj and umrah) and religious visits (ziyara) as packaged religious tours. These spiritual guides are distinctive feature of Egyptian society, who are graduates …

E1) Relics On The Move: Decentring Pilgrimage And The Mobility Of Holy Objects In Diaspora Communities, Dino Bozonelos, Daniel Vecchio

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage is frequently understood through a Western Christian framework, with the Camino de Santiago functioning as an archetypal model. As Coleman (2021) observes, this has encouraged scholars to apply Eurocentric definitions of pilgrimage to diverse religious practices, often obscuring alternative forms and limiting scholarly interpretation. Conventionally, pilgrimage requires religious travelers to leave home in search of the sacred what Victor Turner describes as the spiritual “out there “typically by journeying to a holy site associated with relics, idols, or images. However, such parameters exclude practices in which sacred objects themselves travel, bringing the “out there” home to devotees. In these …

F3) Religious Heritage At The Crossroads: Planning The 2038 Saint Stephen Memorial Year In Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Tamara Rátz, Isilda Leitão

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The designation of 2038 as Saint Stephen Memorial Year in Székesfehérvár, Hungary presents an unparalleled opportunity to leverage the legacy of Hungary’s first king, Saint Stephen I, as a catalyst for sustainable religious and heritage tourism development. Székesfehérvár, historically a coronation and burial site of Hungarian monarchs, possesses rich material and immaterial cultural assets linked to Saint Stephen that remain underutilized within contemporary tourism narratives. This study investigates the current role of Saint Stephen’s heritage in the city’s tourism profile, identifies key challenges in planning a landmark memorial year, and examines the cooperative networks essential for delivering a cohesive, impactful …

F2) Sacred Spaces And Mountain Communities: Regenerative Strategies In A Tourism Context, Carlos Fernandes, Isilda Leitão

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

A buffer zone between Portugal´s only national park and the more populated towns is comprised of mountain landscape with rich and abundant, generally well-preserved religious heritage. Moreover, a common spiritual practice among mountain communities is the act of pilgrimage to certain sacred sites, particularly during the annual ceremony. The honouring of the local patron saint is rooted in a community´s way of life and serves an important role in preserving the local cultural heritage, with elders playing a decisive role in preserving and transmitting this sacred knowledge to younger members of the community. Such ceremonies attract diverse types of participants, …

F1) Walk Of Mutual Repair: Pilgrimage In The Context Of Peirce's Triadic Philosophy, Tadeja Jere Jakulin, Dane Munro

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage and pilgrim tourism are recognised in reductionist everyday thinking as phenomena that occur in the context of belief or tourism, among other things, and are also researched from this perspective. In our research, we will present pilgrimage as a complex system that requires an in-depth, systemic approach to understanding. In doing so, we will draw on Charles Sanders Peirce's triadic philosophy to present the evolution of the pilgrim, who travelled as a believer and passive participant, to the pilgrim who experiences regeneration and actively cares for sacred spaces. The contribution examines the historical development of pilgrimage studies from Turner's …

An Approach To Sacred Spaces From The Perspective Of The Connection Between Nature And Health, Ricard Fernàndez Molinet, Sílvia Gili Olmeda

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

In a context marked by an increasing search for meaning and well-being, sanctuaries are re-emerging as significant spaces within contemporary spiritual tourism. This work proposes an approach to sanctuaries located in natural environments as liminal spaces, in the anthropological sense developed by Victor Turner, where processes of passage, transformation, and the reconfiguration of personal experience are facilitated. Historically, many sanctuaries have been established in places of strong symbolic and ecological significance, often linked to singular natural elements such as mountains, springs, forests, or caves which have been perceived as sites of connection with the numinous. These spaces have functioned not …

Developing Machine Learning Models For Sorption Of Pharmaceuticals To Soils And Sediments, Eyad Mohammed Al Salem

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

The growing environmental presence of pharmaceutically active compounds (PACs) creates a critical need for rapid, cost-effective methods to predict their movement through soils and sediments. Traditional laboratory batch experiments are time-consuming, and previous predictive models often relied on limited data or ignored complex chemical behavior. The primary objective of this thesis is to develop robust machine learning models for predicting the sorption distribution coefficient of PACs. The study aims to determine whether separating data by ionic state improves predictive accuracy and to identify the key physical and chemical factors governing the sorption of PACs onto soils and sediments. A large …

D1) Pilgrimage Routes As Spaces Of Interaction: Shared Experiences Of Blind And Sighted Participants, Jolanta Kručkauskaitė

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This presentation examines pilgrimage routes as spaces of interaction in which blind and sighted participants create shared experiences by traveling together. In this context, pilgrimage is understood not only as a religious or touristic practice, but also as a sociocultural activity that enables social and educational interaction.

Drawing on the concepts of educational interaction, social inclusion, and phenomenological experience, the presentation addresses how walking together along pilgrimage routes shapes relationships between blind and sighted participants, how attitudes toward visual impairment change, and how the pilgrimage route becomes a space for mutual learning. Particular attention is given to the multisensory dimension …

D3) “No Straight Journeys”: Tracing The “Twisted Rope” Of Japan In Will Ferguson’S Hitching Rides With Buddha, Dorothy Lane, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This work is part of an ongoing study of how pilgrimage experience is translated as published story; the experience of pilgrimage may be global, but the act of writing and marketing that journey is characteristic of ongoing perceptions of "west" and "east." In relation to Japan, a country in which travel writer Pico Iyer describes himself as "always a foreigner," the indescribable the space between words is challenged in contemporary popular pilgrimage narratives. My focus here is on Canadian writer, Will Ferguson's, narrative subtitled "Journey Across Japan" to follow the Cherry Blossom Front. Ferguson’s attempt to hitchhike the length of …

D4) From ‘Non-Places’ To Meaningful Places: Lourdes And Camino Lituano Cases, Marius Minkevičius, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

How pilgrimage routes shape cultural heritage practices, place attachment, and the risk of places becoming “non-places” (Augé, 2008).

This presentation contrasts two models of pilgrimage route development. Institutionalized, top-down pilgrimage routes, often embedded in tourism and heritage policies, tend to prioritize economic growth and commercialization. Prominent pilgrimage destinations such as Lourdes (Kaufman, 2005) exemplify how top-down management can transform sacred spaces into functional “non-places” (Augé, 2008), privileging consumption and large-scale flows. This raises questions about whether pilgrimage can retain spiritual meaningfulness under increasingly market-driven logics.

In contrast, community-driven, bottom-up pilgrimage routes provide an alternative model, where social and moral commitments, …

C4) Analysing Tourism Impacts In The Azores: Inducing A Sustainable Tourism Model For A Spiritual Destination, Claudia Faias, Cláudia Hueso Seabra Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The Azores archipelago is recognised for its natural environment and the experiences it offers. Spiritual and sensory tourism fills a gap in contemporary lifestyles. Some researchers define this emerging form of tourism as a high-value product (Pacheco et al., 2022), and many tourists seek holistic harmony between body, soul and mind.

This research focuses on the tourism impacts perceived by residents and how these may influence their support for tourism activity. The literature documents studies on residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts (Charag et al., 2021; Gannon et al., 2020; Suess et al., 2020); however, there are literature gaps regarding how …

C3) Green Spiritual Tourism And Sacred Landscape Experience On Mount Emei, China, Feiran Yang, Katia Hueso Kotekaas Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Mount Emei (China), one of Buddhism’s Four Sacred Mountains and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracts pilgrims and leisure visitors seeking spiritual meaning, nature connection and wellbeing. Yet East Asian sacred mountain traditions remain under-represented in religious tourism debates, particularly regarding how sacred landscape, ritual practice and ecological philosophies co-produce visitor experience. This research examines green spiritual tourism on Mount Emei by integrating restorative environments theory, nature connectedness, authenticity scholarship, and Turner’s concepts of liminality and communitas. Methodology adopts a qualitative case-study design, combining participant observation along sacred trails and at key temples with semi-structured interviews with pilgrims, leisure tourists, …

C2) Integrating Sustainability Into Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq G. Raj Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

As a global phenomenon, involving the movement of hundreds of millions of people per year, religious tourism and pilgrimage has an immense impact on economies, environments and societies. This paper investigates the complex interplay of religious travel and sustainable development.

Mass pilgrimages to sacred sites can lead to localised environmental degradation, the commercialisation of cultural heritage, the erosion of spirituality, but it can also reinvigorate religious practice, generate income and lead to respect for the environment.

This paper explores holistic ways for managing religious destinations. Drawing on international case studies, the paper identifies key strategies to minimise and mitigate the …

C1) Authenticity, Multifunctionality, And Sustainability In Religious Tourism: The Case Of The Strahov Monastery In Prague, Dimitrios Mylonopoulos, Polyxeni G. Moira Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This article examines the dynamics of historic monastic complexes as multifunctional religious spaces in the context of contemporary religious and cultural tourism, focusing on Strahov Monastery in Prague. The study recognizes that these historical sites currently operate in a complex field that intersects sacred tradition with the demands of the tourism market.

A key theoretical starting point is the need for a conceptual distinction between pilgrimage and religious tourism, as well as the difficulty of accurately capturing visitors' motivations. These motivations often fall within a spectrum that includes spiritual, cultural, and recreational motivations. In this context, the Strahov Monastery is …

D2) The Phygital Pilgrim: Navigating Hybrid Sacred Experiences At The World Youth Day Jubilee 2025 In Rome, Justyna Liro, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Religious tourism is undergoing a profound transformation where the boundaries between physical presence and digital engagement are increasingly blurred. This paper presents first results from research analysing the World Youth Day Jubilee 2025 in Rome, examining the event as a "living laboratory" for digitized religious mobility. The study focuses on how hybrid ("phygital") environments redefine the contemporary religious experience and influence spatial behaviours.

Moving beyond the traditional dichotomy of online versus offline, this study examines the pilgrimage as a "platformed experience," co-produced by material urban settings and the communicative logic of social media. The research employs a robust mixed-method design, …

From Policy To Practice: The Significance Of Evida In Shaping Electric Vehicle Adoption Behavior In Philippine Urban Markets, Darylle Angelo Pamintuan Pineda

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the Philippines remains at an early stage despite the implementation of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), which introduced fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to encourage cleaner transport. This study aimed to examine whether Fiscal Incentives Awareness, Non-Fiscal Incentives Awareness, Charging Infrastructure Perception, and Concern on Upfront Cost significantly influence EV Adoption Intention among urban consumers in San Fernando, Pampanga. It also sought to determine whether Consumer Satisfaction with Government Policies mediates these relationships. The study employed a quantitative, descriptive-correlational research design. Data were gathered through a structured survey administered via Google Forms and printed …

Young Lives, Early Journeys: Understanding Teenage Pregnancies Within Blistt, Meri Elijakim Pereyra Mangulabnan, Vhyen Elliz Maliones Laban, Aaron Nash Sebastian Madriaga, Wade Chrysler Rivera Mondina, Aaron Jay Domingo Selan

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

This research investigated the multifaceted experiences of teenage mothers within BLISTT (Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay), where adolescent pregnancy remains a persistent social and public health concern. The study highlighted how these young mothers navigated interrupted education, limited economic opportunities, and fragile family relationships, all compounded by cultural stigmas and a lack of reproductive health education. The core research questions explored the lived experiences of these teenagers, the influence of cultural beliefs on societal attitudes, and the challenges and support systems that shaped their lives and futures. Findings revealed that teen mothers within BLISTT faced profound emotional, social, …

A2) Instagrammable Sacredness: The Commodification And Visual Consumption Of Mosque Tourism, Kristel Kessler

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Tourism experiences are increasingly shaped by digital technologies and social media, with destinations and attractions often selected, consumed, and remembered through their visual appeal. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat have transformed the ways in which tourists select and engage with tourist sites and attractions, including sacred and religious sites. While mosque tourism emerged over a decade ago as a central feature of Islamic tourism, emphasizing the religious, cultural, and social significance of mosques for both Muslim and non-Muslim visitors, the rapid growth of social media has fundamentally altered how these spaces are experienced and represented. Today, mosques function …

A1) When The Oracle Is An Algorithm: The Future Of The Sacred Experience, Po Man Tse

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) into religious sites presents both profound opportunities and significant challenges (Arnold & Shultz, 2025). While AI shows considerable promise for enhancing visitor experiences (Khan, 2024), its deployment in sacred spaces where tradition and authenticity are paramount requires careful investigation. This study explores visitor perceptions of AI-mediated experiences at Hong Kong's Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, a major pilgrimage site uniquely housing Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions. Employing a qualitative approach, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study utilized the vignette method (Finch, 1987) to anchor conversations in a tangible context, …

B1) The Implementation Of Digital Tools In The Interpretation Of Heritage From A Cultural And Pastoral Perspective, Silvia Aulet, Anna Gili Vilanova-Prat

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The digitisation of cultural languages supposes new challenges and opportunities in the interpretation of religious heritage. From a theoretical perspective, sacred sites can be understood as symbolic realities where material and immaterial dimensions converge. Sacred places are not only architectural containers, but spaces of meaning that articulate identity, memory and transcendence (Aulet & Vidal, 2018).

The preservation of the meaning, identity and original function of sacred spaces in contexts of high tourist accessibility (Aulet & Duda, 2020). Technology, far from being a merely instrumental element, can act as a symbolic mediation that reinforces this sustainability if it contributes to improving …

A3) Reconstructing Sacredness In The Digital Age: Mobile Digital Sacred Spaces And Transformative Experiences In Heritage, Dong Wang, Silvia Gili Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This study explores the reconstruction of sacredness and cultural meaning in digital immersive experiences at religious heritage sites. Traditional sacredness is rooted in physical space and material authenticity, while the Longmen Grottoes (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important Buddhist destination in China) is accelerating digital transformation through mobile-based digital incense offerings, algorithmic "Buddha affinity" matching and digital twin visualization platforms, breaking the classical ontology of fixed sacred space.

Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, this study defines digital atmosphere, narrative engagement and interactive rituality as external stimuli, "digital sacredness" a second-order internal psychological state encompassing transcendence, awe, serenity and …

B2) Ai Generated Narratives In Religious Tourism Marketing: Opportunities And Ethical Risks, Md Javed Kawsar, Rashed Gili Khan

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to redefine narrative construction in religious tourism marketing, creating new opportunities for digital engagement while also raising critical ethical concerns. As religious destinations increasingly adopt AI-enabled storytelling tools, ranging from conversational agents to multimodal generative systems, the nature of narrative authenticity, cultural sensitivity, and visitor perception is being significantly reshaped. Recent work on AI-driven religious tourism indicates that AI-enabled conversational agents influence tourists’ cognitive and affective evaluations, shaping memorable religious tourism experiences and future engagement intentions, highlighting the transformative potential of AI in sacred contexts. Likewise, studies examining AI-driven strategies …

B3) Ai-Enabled Religious Pilgrimage: A Human Centred Sacred Framework For Authenticity And Responsible Transformation, Parichay Parivesh, Razaq Gili Raj

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping pilgrimage tourism in India by mediating the practical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of sacred travel. While AI is increasingly used in tourism for personalised recommendations, multilingual assistance, predictive crowd management, virtual interpretation and service automation, its application in religious travel requires deeper cultural and ethical reflection. Using India’s large and diverse pilgrimage ecosystem as the focal context, the paper argues that AI should not be treated merely as a tool for efficiency, but as a socio-technical mediator that influences access, authenticity, ritual participation, trust and post-journey meaning-making.

The paper proposes a Human-Centred …

Sustainable Retrofitting Strategies Of Residential Roofs To Meet Minimal Energy Consumption Targets In The Uae, Alyazia Maktoum Alsheraifi

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Due to the United Arab Emirates having a hot arid climate, residential buildings experience high cooling demands. A major building element for solar heat gain through buildings are roofs. This study evaluates roof retrofitting strategies for existing low rise residential villas in Al Ain. The aim is to reduce cooling energy consumption, improve indoor thermal comfort, and support compliance with current UAE envelope performance requirements. A case-study villa (Majlis space) was monitored during the peak summer period. Indoor temperature data were recorded using a HOBO device and used to derive an operational HVAC schedule for simulation input. The baseline model …

Religious Tourism Promoting A Culture Of Peace, Interfaith Dialogue, And Human Fraternity, Nour Farra Haddad

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Since the 1980s, scholars and organizations including the World Tourism Organization—have discussed how tourism can contribute to international understanding and peacebuilding among the peoples of the world (Moufakkir & Kelly, 2010). Tourism is not only an economic and social activity; it also has the potential to build bridges between diverse cultures and break down barriers that separate societies. Tourism can therefore serve as an avenue for promoting human fraternity and encouraging positive interreligious dialogue. As Jafari (1989, p. 154) argues, tourism has the potential to build bridges and reduce the cultural distances separating people of different races, cultures, and religions. …