Business Commons^™

English Language Challenges Faced By Licensed Guide Interpreters In Japan, Naoko Tanaka

International Journal of Tour Guiding Research

This study investigates the challenges licensed guide interpreters in Japan encounter related to using the English language by examining foreign language tour guides’ use of English through interviews and surveys. The findings reveal that guides prioritise effectively conveying information and cautionary points to guests. They adjust their speaking speed, pronunciation, volume, vocabulary, and sentence structures to ensure easy understanding. Approximately 80% of the vocabulary used is at or below B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), indicating the issues which non-native speakings guides face. Moreover, they use various methods to confirm understanding, such as repeating …

Climate Change And Tourism In The Seychelles: Perceptions And Measures, Tatjana Thimm

International Journal of Islands Research

The aim of this paper is to find out in how accommodation providers in the Seychelles perceive climate change and what mitigation and adaptation measures they can provide. In order to answer these questions, a qualitative mixed-method-approach, comprised of twenty semi-structured interviews, an online-survey and participant observation was used. Results show that accommodation providers especially perceive the effects of climate change that directly affect their business and that they have already partly implemented some mitigation and adaptation measures. However, strategies and regulations are needed at the Seychelles’ government level and on a global level to actually achieve CO2 neutral travel.

Religious Tourism At Tana Chirkos & St. Kirstos Semra: Contemporary Issues And Prospects For Sustainable Tourism, Dagnachew Nega

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious tourism is not a new phenomenon or new practice. It has recently received considerable attention in both academia and the public at large. However, even though Ethiopia is endowed with a variety of religious tourism activities, its contemporary issues, and future prospects haven’t been utilised, outlined and managed. In the Amhara region, in the South Gondar zone, Tana Chirkos and Kirstos Semra are among the outstanding sites where lots of religious travellers are going and religious tourism activities are held. Thus, this study stands with the general objective of investigating the issues and future prospects of religious tourism development …

Exploring The Potential Of Halal Tourism In A Non-Muslim Destination: The Case Of Portugal, João Domingues, Sofia Almeida

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Halal Tourism has emerged as one of the most rapidly growing and auspicious market segments within the tourism industry. The main goal of this study is to ascertain whether Portugal has the necessary capabilities to develop a sustainable and competitive halal tourism market and if it can attract Muslim travellers. This research applied a qualitative methodology based on in-depth interviews with representatives of businesses companies and institutions from various subsectors of the tourism industry. Moreover, a netnographic technique was applied to gather secondary information. The results reveal that despite Portugal having full potential and all the conditions to develop halal …

Review Of: Pandemics, Disasters, Sustainability, Tourism: An Examination Of Impact On And Resilience In Caribbean Small Island Developing States, Andrew Halliday

International Journal of Islands Research

Review of: Bethell-Bennett, I., Rolle, S.A., Minnis, J. and Okumus, F. (Eds.) (2022) Pandemics, Disasters, Sustainability, Tourism: An Examination of Impact on and Resilience in Caribbean Small Island Developing States. 265 pp. Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley. ISBN: 978-1- 80382-107-8.

Ways Of Saint James In The Interior North Of Portugal: An Analysis Of Touristic Routes, Pedro Ricardo Coelho De Azevedo

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Ways of Saint James are ancient routes of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela travelled from the 9th century and which in recent years have seen a profound revitalisation of tourism, based on the conversion of these routes into tourist-cultural routes, which in turn allows these routes to be valued and the existing heritage assets to be articulated. This study has as main goals to identify and analyse the transformation of the existing Ways of Saint James in the interior north of Portugal into tourist-cultural routes. At the same time, it is intended to demonstrate how these tourist routes allow …

Exploring Memorable Sacred Tourism Experiences And Place Attachment, Carla Silva, José Luís Abrantes, Manuel Reis, Cláudia Seabra

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Ever since people have travelled to sacred places, religious and sacred sites have become some of the most visited destinations globally (Griftiths, 2011; Nyaupane et al., 2015), providing fascinating forms of travel (Griffin & Raj, 2017). However, despite the global importance and popularity of religious tourism and sacred places, few studies measure the tourists’ experiences in those destinations (Albayrak et al., 2018). Moreover, the standardisation of tourism products, including sacred ones, and the competitive market, requires that tourism destinations distinguish themselves by creating unique experiences. Currently, tourists seek appealing, unique, and memorable experiences that enhance their emotional link with tourism …

Conceptualising Heritage Routes For Tourism: The Miracle Of The Roses, Isilda Leitão, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In this article, a preliminary exploratory study is undertaken to cover a lesser researched topic in the tourism literature concerning the conceptualisation of heritage-based routes. A route of less-known heritage that crosses a territory with varied cultures is proposed. It is intended that the route contributes to the practice of creating itineraries for tourists. The route extends from Central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula and is related to historical and mythical legacies of Elisabeth of Hungary (1207-1231); Landgrave of Thuringia and; Isabel (Elisabeth), Princess of Aragon (1270?-1336) and Queen of Portugal. In this research, we opt for a qualitative approach, …

Host Perceptions Of Socio-Cultural Impacts Of Volunteer Tourism In Vietnamese Farm Communities, Tuan Nien Tran

Theses, Doctoral

Volunteer tourism has grown significantly, contributing enormous economic, environmental, and socio-cultural impacts to host communities over 20 years (Aquino & Andereck, 2018; Lee & Zhang, 2019; Olsen et al., 2021). There appears to be limited research on the impacts of volunteer tourism on host communities, especially the socio-cultural impacts. The academic literature lacks an agreed framework to understand the socio-cultural impacts (Zamani-Farahani & Musa, 2012). The aim of this study is to provide an in-depth understanding of the socio-cultural impacts of volunteer tourism in Vietnamese farms on the host communities. Drawing on the multiple forms of capital perspectives and theoretical …

Estimate Tourism Model Choice For Pilgrim In The Way Of St. James: The Portuguese Way, Rosa Conde, Ana Pinto Borges, Isabel Neira Gómez, Elvira Viera

Articles

The purpose of this study is to examine how the characteristics of the pilgrims and the attributes of travel influence the choose of the Portuguese. It is important to understand the choices tourists make. This study identifies the factors that influence the tourists’ choice of way. The analysis is based on the official statistics of the Portuguese Way of Santiago between 2003 and 2020.

The study provides several important findings concerning tourism’s model choice. Understanding the tourists’ modal choice behavior help public and private organizations to develop appropriate marketing strategies.

The probit model is used to model a relationship between …

A Changed Understanding Of Miracles In Religious Tourism, Stephen F. Haller

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In this modern age, an unsceptical acceptance of supernatural events–those which cannot be explained as part of the natural order of things–is less common than it once was. This trend is reflected in the declining frequency of miracle-cures certified by the Medical Bureau at Lourdes. Yet miracles past, and the promise of possible miracles in the present, still attract multitudes of religious pilgrims and tourists to sacred sites all over the world. While the frequency of miracles goes down, the appeal of miracles goes on, and the number of religious visitors has not declined. What role do miracles now play …

Contribution Of Faith-Based Activities To Tourism Development In Two Religious Sites In Southwest Nigeria, Ngozi Eunice Ezenagu, Patrick U. Okpoko, Chinwe C. Okpoko

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Faith-based activities are dynamic rituals that can bring about spiritual satisfaction. The perceived efficacy of these activities greatly influences the number of faith participants visiting religious centres. Although these activities are primarily practiced as religious obligations, they have helped to precipitate travel and the rise of tourism service industries. These include accommodation, transportation, food, drinks, souvenirs, spiritual objects (anointing oil, ritual mantels, handkerchief, cross emblem, rosary tesbihu (prayer beads), praying mat, and candles) and the likes, which enhance tourism expenditure and income. This study examines the contribution to tourism development of faith-based activities, in two religious centres in south-western Nigeria. …

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 …

Travel Agencies And Tourist Guides Adapting To Crisis: The Portuguese Case, Ilídia C. G. Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding Research

Tourism is constantly changing and new paradigms arise. Most recently, travel agencies and tourist guides have been facing difficulties and have had to quickly adapt themselves to be able to keep a position in the tourism market. COVID-19 brought major changes to travel and experience in destinations and it certainly increased the use of technology, which has totally changed communication systems and relationships in tourism. For this paper, interviews with Portuguese travel agents and tourist guides were carried out and were later analysed allowing the author to gain insights into the current situation regarding these two stakeholders, which were previously …

Cultural Tourism, Religion And Religious Heritage In Castile And León, Spain, Miguel González-González, Óscar Fernández-Álvarez

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Tourism is a driving force of the economy for many countries around the world. The large number of architectural and intangible World Heritage Sites have consolidated those countries in their strong positions as cultural tourism destinations. Within cultural tourism, religious tourism is particularly prominent. This work focuses on Spain and specifically on some of its regions which lack beaches but possess a wealth of religious cultural heritage, such as Castile and León, which have viewed such heritage as an asset to attract a different kind of tourist. The objectives of this study are to highlight the value of religious heritage …

Action Research In Hospitality And Tourism Research, Denise O'Leary, David Coghlan

Books/Book Chapters

In the context of tourism and hospitality studies, the potential of action research for generating robust actionable knowledge has not been yet realized. This chapter provides an account of the theory and practice of action research, demonstrates how it may be designed and implemented, and how it may generate actionable knowledge. It provides illustrative examples and shows how this research approach aligns effectively with some of the themes that currently engage the attention of researchers in the fields of tourism and hospitality such as process improvement, sustainability, and community-based tourism development. Thus, it makes a case for more widespread use …

Festivals And The City: The Contested Geographies Of Urban Events, Andrew Smith, Guy Osborn, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

This book explores how festivals and events affect urban places and public spaces, with a particular focus on their role in fostering inclusion. The ‘festivalisation’ of culture, politics and space in cities is often regarded as problematic, but this book examines the positive and negative ways that festivals affect cities by examining festive spaces as contested spaces. The book focuses on Western European cities, a particularly interesting context given the social and cultural pressures associated with high levels of in-migration and concerns over the commercialisation and privatisation of public spaces.

The key themes of this book are the quest for …

Reflections On Co-Creating, Developing And Evaluating Virtual Reality Fieldtrips (Vrf): The Student’S Perspective, Catherine Gorman, Jennifer Stewart, Louise Bellew

Conference papers

To ensure graduates have the skill to work within the tourism industry, and spurred on by the paradigm shift in teaching due to Covid 19, this research focused on developing innovative solutions using technology. Using virtual assessment techniques, industry co-created evaluation, and integrated assessment, it explored how virtual field-trips can be developed as part of remote teaching methods. To provide context to the topic of sustainable tourism and technology, a student-led virtual seminar with industry was undertaken linking with TU Dublin Green Week 2021. In place of a fieldtrip using Google Earth and Screen-casto-matic, students created videos incorporating the sustainability …

Travelling To The Inner Self: Tourism, Buddhism And Sustainability In The Alpine Area, Tatjana Thimm

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper examines the interdependencies of tourism, Buddhism and sustainability combining in-depth-interviews with Buddhism experts and non-participant observation in a mixed-method approach. The area under investigation is the Alpine region of Austria, Germany and Switzerland, since it is home to Asian and Western forms of Buddhism tourism alike. Results show that Buddhism tourism as a value-based activity on the one hand is not commercial, but since demand is rising, on the other hand tendencies towards more commercial forms can be observed. As a modest form of activity Buddhism tourism does not shape the landscape of the Alpine area and by …

A New Look At The Arba’Een Mega-Event From The Perspective Of Iraqis As The Host Community, Ali Asghar Shalbafian, Neda Zarandian

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The present study explores the impacts of the Arba’een event from the perspective of the inhabitants in the host community, Iraq, as the key stakeholders. Arba’een procession is one of the forms of pilgrimage that has expanded significantly in recent years and has a special place among Muslims. Due to the huge number of pilgrims, this phenomenon can be considered as a mega-event with different effects. One of the best judges of these effects is the host community. To evaluate the judgements, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 Iraqis selected via convenience snowball sampling. The data collected from the interview …

Museums And Shrines: Reflecting On Relationships And Challenges, Lorenzo Bagnoli, Rita Capurro

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The aim of this paper is to introduce a method for analysing a specific kind of contemporary tourism positioned between two different traditional customs: visiting museums and going to pilgrimage sites. The case studies provided are focused on Italian shrine museums where it is difficult to ascertain whether visitors are cultural tourists or pilgrims or a combination of both. Regardless, the tourist flows and networks created by Italian shrine museums can provide promising elements for local development. Four case studies that are representative of different regions in Northern Italy and have specific features in common have been chosen: shrines dedicated …

What Makes Tourists’ Experience Spiritual?: A Case Study Of A Buddhist Sacred Site In Koyasan, Japan, Kaori Yanata

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In postmodern society the importance of traditional religious organisations and practices have declined. As a result, spirituality tends to be sought outside of institutionalised religion. Tourism is seen as one avenue for such spiritual fulfilment. Tourism research commonly frames tourism as a sacred journey and has pointed out that like modern-day pilgrims, tourists seek spirituality through travel. Of course, not all tourist travel is motivated by a search for spirituality, and yet many tourists still describe their travel experiences as spiritual. Therefore, in addition to understanding motivations of travel, the tourist experience is also an important element of making tourism …

Volume 9(Iii) Table Of Contents, Danijel Pavlović, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

The Tangible And Intangible Heritages Of Iranian Nomads: The Touristic Potential Of Pastoral Nomadism, Hossein Noroozi

International Journal of Tour Guiding Research

Iranian people have a rich and significant history of nomadism and are still in contact with this ancient practice. The purpose of this research is to investigate and evaluate the Iranian nomads’ culture from a touristic and aesthetic viewpoint. The literature shows that well-known cultural tourist attractions possess particular characteristics to become a successful and sustainable product / destination. In this paper, we argue that Iranian pastoral nomads, from a geographical, social, cultural, and artistic perspective, have numerous peculiar characteristics which are attractive to international tourists. Internationally, while the sociocultural frameworks of nomadic societies are at risk of extinction when …

Portuguese Tourist Guides And The Digital Age, Ilidia Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding Research

The experts of tourist information, namely, the tourist guides, are a highly qualified professional class and in continuous training. Many of these professionals seem to have certain limitations in terms of using new technologies, since many of those, working today, were not born in the digital age. They have been obliged to accept these technologies and sometimes tend to look at these new ways of communicating in a sceptical way, mainly because they do not properly know how to use them. These professionals are constantly facing the need to learn how to use these new tools, which have become essential …

Review Of: Religious Tourism And The Environment, Jaeyeon Choe

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Despite increasing scholarly attention on the environmental impacts of tourism, there has been little research on the environmental impacts of religious tourism and pilgrimage. As the oldest form of tourism, millions of people continue to travel to sacred places across the globe each year. In addition, despite the continuous growth of religious festivals and ceremonies at sacred sites such as Kumbh Mela, India, the impact of religious tourism on the environment and its role in the sustainable development of destinations is under explored. Religious Tourism and Environment edited by Kiran A. Shinde and Daniel H. Olsen is an original edited …

The Increasing Significance Of Religious Tourism: A Case From Uttar Pradesh, India, Aruna Dhamija

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Tourism, in its numerous forms is a major source of income for various nations. India is no exception to this. Within some countries, a few states bring the major chunk of tourists. Uttar Pradesh is one such state for India which, on the virtue of its diversity, population and geographical size, has been at the forefront of attracting tourists from not only the country but globally. There has been a consistent shift in the profile of visiting tourists as they have displayed a marked change from those seeking recreational activities to those who visit a tourist destination owing to its …

Ijrtp Title Page And Table Of Contents Vol. 8(8), Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

The Covid-19 Pandemic And Religious Travel: Present And Future Trends, Daniel H. Olsen, Dallen Timothy

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has had dramatic effects on both the health and economic stability of countries around the world. While several scholars and media commentators have suggested that the pandemic would be a good time to reset an unsustainable tourism system, left out of these discussions has been the impacts on religion and religious travel. The purpose of this paper is to review the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion and religious travel, including the tensions that have arisen between religious communities, governments and health officials. The paper then discusses potential futures regarding religious travel in a …

The Impact Of Coronavirus On Religious Tourism: Is This The End Of Pilgrimage?, Maximiliano E. Korstanje

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The present paper, attends to the theme of COVID-19 and its negative effects on the tourism and pilgrimage industries. To be honest, although conclusive findings on this topic are premature in view of the velocity of facts, no less true seems to be that COVID-19 reaffirms a tendency originally stipulated just after 9/11 and declaration of the War On Terror by Bush’s administration. COVID-19 not only has shocked the world cancelling international flights, closing borders and airspaces, making irreparable damages to tourism and hospitality but it has operated on a much deeper level, developing a culture of fear, where ‘other’ …