Business Commons^™

Pilgrimage Routes As Opportunities For Local Development: Case Study Of The Way Of St James In The Alto Minho Region, Portugal, Mariana Oliveira, Goretti Silva

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The policies implemented by the Member States of the Council of Europe have as their main purpose to protect and realise the ideals and principles which are their common heritage and facilitate economic and social development (Statute, 1949). The Council of Europe considers cultural itineraries, including pilgrimage routes, which make a significant contribution to the cultural tourism sector, and a key role in territorial development policies, in economic, social, and cultural terms.

The Way of St James (Camino de Santiago), one of the main pilgrimage routes in the world, was the first Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe …

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 …

Promotion Of Religious Tourism Sites On Facebook By Ntos, Sonja Zlatanov, Jovan Popesku

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Tourism related to religious sites and festivals, pilgrimage and spirituality is considered an extremely important sector of the tourism market. The true value of religious sites lies in supporting basic tourism products outside pilgrimage destinations, as churches, cathedrals and monasteries attract many visitors, including those who are not travelling for religious purposes only. For tourists who are not driven by religious motives, religious sites are no different than any other tourism attraction – they need to attract tourists’ attention in order for them to decide to include those sites in their future trip. Therefore, appropriate promotion of religious sites is …

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 …

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 …

Religious Rites And Ceremonies As The Expression Of Local Identity And An Opportunity For Local Development: The Case Of The “Fòcara” Di Sant’Antonio Abate” In Novoli (The Bonfire Of St Anthony Abbot) In A Small Town In The Salento Peninsula In Southern Italy, Anna Trono

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious ceremonies play an important role when understood as an opportunity for improving the image of a city, improving the socio-economic situation and promoting regional development. These are the objectives of the local administration in Novoli, a small town in the Salento peninsula in Puglia, south-eastern Italy. The most important religious, social and tourist event of the year in Novoli is the feast of Saint Anthony Abbot, which falls on the 17th of January. The festivities continue for many days and include religious rites, street lights, exhibitions, food stands, popular music and brass band concerts, markets and conferences. There are …

English Cathedrals: Events And Spiritual Capital, Simon Curtis

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper investigates the recent trend for cathedrals in England to develop a wider and more ambitious scope to their event and activity programmes. It sets out to explore the types of events now hosted at cathedrals, to consider barriers to such ambitions and the opportunities presented by event programming to develop new audiences and grow attendances. The research focuses on the 42 Anglican cathedrals of England and has involved a review of recent reports published by church and cathedral organisations, supported by an in-depth review of event activity and objectives at five selected cathedrals in southern England.

Despite declining …

Sacral Landscape And Its Influence On The Tourism Space Development In The Region (Based On The Example Of Western Pomerania Region Nw Poland), Tomasz Duda

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Formed through the centuries, cultural landscape of the region includes not only the material realm in the form of numerous historical buildings, monuments and other evidences of local society’s development, but also significant immaterial realm, which manifests itself in the form of spiritual heritage, faith, tradition, customs and language. Interesting, often unique in terms of religious and historical point of view, religious buildings, as well as traditional pilgrimage routes and local shrines are now undeniable qualities, shaping the touristic space of the region. The study of the tourism movement and a detailed valuation analysis of sacred objects showed that the …