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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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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.

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’ …

Ijrtp Title Page And Table Of Contents Vol. 8(5), Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes, Daniel H. Olsen

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Pilgrimage Circuit Of Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove And Shrine, Osun State, Nigeria, Emeka E. Okonkwo, Afamefuna P. Eyisi

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

One religious tourism destination site of note in Southwestern Nigeria is the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove and Shrine, located along the banks of the Osun River in the city of Oshogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. The sacred grove and shrine was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005. This paper examines the routes and trails people take to get to Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove and Shrine with a view to evaluating access to the destination site as well as the factors impacting on the sacred grove. The study uses ethnographic methods to elicit information from respondents and data collected …

How Religious Tourism And Pilgrimages Can Be Beneficial To Communities, Julian C. Zarb

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper highlights the distinction between tourism as a socio-economic industry and tourism as a socio-cultural activity. The defining feature of sustainable , culturally supportive and beneficial tourism is community engagement. This paper proposes that the traditional aspects of hospitality, service and experience can be fully manifest if there is an engagement with local communities, which is thus manifest in immersion by the visitor in the activities around which events are based. This can only occur when development adopts a Community Based Tourism model. If locations such as Malta wish to develop religious tourism to the benefit of all, this …

Moderating Effect Of The Use Of Ewom On Subjective Norms, Behavioural Control And Religious Tourist Revisit Intention, Ofunre C. Iriobe, Elizabeth O. Abiola-Oke

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious activities are a common topic of discussion on various platforms and online forums in Nigeria. These online interactions shape opinions and attitudes of tourist to a religious destination. The use of electronic word of mouth has become a factor in influencing behavioural intention. Hence, this study investigated the relationship between the use of eWOM and tourist revisiting intention to a religious destination and the effect of the use of eWOM on the relationship between Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioural control and Revisit intention of visitors to religious destinations.

The hypotheses for the study was tested using a Hierarchical Regression model. …

Walking To Be Some Body: Desire And Diaspora On The St. Olaf Way, Matthew R. Anderson

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

In ‘Walking to Be Some Body’ Matthew R. Anderson uses the example of North American Scandinavian-background pilgrims walking Norway’s St. Olaf Way to parse the yearning of contemporary diaspora pilgrims who walk repristinated routes along ancient paths toward real or imagined homelands. These travellers literally incarnate contemporary tensions between the religious and the non-religious, the journey and the destination, and between the rootlessness of modern global tourism and the rootedness longed for in community and patrimony.

New Age Visitors And The Tourism Industry, Peter Wiltshier

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This conceptual paper establishes a framework for socially constructed research activity to help gauge the intention of travellers in more-developed countries (MDC) of the wealthy and largely affluent North to undertake forms of continuing personal and professional development (CPD) through their travel experiences. Human physiological needs have in large already been achieved for many in more developed countries and exceeded in terms of nourishment and entertainment. Humans are social and societal creatures and in need of realisation of their spiritual, intellectual and societal choices and selections. New spiritual values are threatened by monetarism, by an ‘enveloping outside world’, as Giddens …

Transformative Potential Of A Short-Term Mission Trip Experience, Patrick J. Holladay

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

With the United Nations World Tourism Organization forecasting 2 billion international tourists by the 2030 there is something to consider. A volume of travel to such a scale means an opportunity to harness the tourism industry to bring people closer to Jesus. This exploratory paper begins an exploration of Christians travel experiences and transformative impacts of those experiences through interactions with other Christians. Using data from a group text messages and a personal journal, this paper presents how one specific trip type - short-term mission - influences the ‘exchanged life’ first posited by the missionary Hudson Taylor in the 1800s. …

Western Travellers In The Land Of The Buddha Legitimising Travel Through The Religionification Of Tourism, François Thibeault

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

On the one hand, tourism has developed to such a point that it now shapes other social realities in global society. On the other hand, pilgrimage phenomena are thriving in the twenty-first century, as they become both more globalised and more particularised. This paper shows that drawing oppositions between pilgrimage and tourism assumes an exclusive, dichotomous view that is misleading. Instead, I insist on an understanding of the reciprocal influence between religion and tourism in which neither of the two spheres subjects itself to the other. The argument is based on the understandings and discourses of legitimation that Westerners travelling …

When Sacred Space Becomes A Heritage Place: Pilgrimage, Worship, And Tourism In Contemporary China, R J. Shepherd

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

When promoted at sites that have traditionally been religious in character, heritage tourism evokes questions of intentionality, commodification, and authenticity. In particular, tourism at such sites is alleged to flatten out local practices, cause social problems, and commercialise the sacred. In short, local cultural practices are presumed to be transformed for the worse by tourism, a presumption which implies the existence of pristine pre-tourist cultures which can serve as baseline tools for measuring the impact of this touristic degradation. In this paper I address these concerns by examining tourism at a particular Chinese religious site, recently designated as a national …

Pilgrimage-Tourism: Common Themes In Different Religions, Noga Collins-Kreiner

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The paper discusses common themes in different religions regarding pilgrimage-tourism and has four main goals. First, it shows that the boundaries between pilgrimage and tourism have become blurred. Second, it characterises the different changes that have taken place in pilgrimage research in recent years. Third, it re-examines three different pilgrimage case-studies in an effort to draw conclusions pertaining to the ‘pilgrimagetourism nexus’; and fourth, it highlights discrepancies between the ‘old’ paradigm, predicated on the assumption that religious elements lie at the core of pilgrimage, and the results of more recent research on secular models of travel, highlighting alternative and complementary …

Grit Or Grace: Packing For The Camino De Santiago, Megan Havard

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

As the director of a new collegiate study-abroad program that will invite students to complete a segment of a Christian pilgrimage across northern Spain, the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James), I am tasked with setting the expectations of students, parents and administrators, and with addressing the needs of student travellers. The present chapter analyses several genres of cultural artefacts that novice pilgrims, such as my students, are likely to encounter prior to departure: travel guidebooks and manuals, publications more generally about sacred journeys, pilgrimage memoirs and films. These texts help to frame the journey ahead as a pilgrimage, …