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The Role Of Spatial Configuration In Enhancing The Environmental Ambiance For Devotional Ecstasy At Temple Towns Of Braj Mandal, Sunanda Kapoor, Vandana Sehgal, Mayank Mathur

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious sites in Braj Mandal, India are visited by millions of pilgrims throughout the year. To meet the growing needs of pilgrims, rapid urbanisation is taking place with the result that there is change in the ancient spatial configuration. This research aims to explore the desired environmental ambiance for enhancing devotional ecstasy. The spatial configuration has been documented through physical mapping and visual preferences have been identified via a pilgrim opinion survey. Conclusions have been drawn regarding the identification of parameters of spatial configuration that enhance the environmental ambience for devotional ecstasy.

Signature Events: The Role Of Representative Major Events For The Branding Of Catholic Pilgrimage Sites (Germany), Markus Hilpert

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

A new trend in destination marketing has been emerging for several years. Instead of many small events, locations rely on one brand-strengthening Signature Event that draws attention to the destination through its uniqueness. Because pilgrimage is arguably the oldest form of mass tourism, places of pilgrimage may have invented such Signature Events to attract devout travellers. If so, signature events at pilgrimage sites are valuable research objects for investigating their success factors. Not only are they the prototypes in which the DNA of Signature Events can be studied, but in many cases, they also had centuries to optimise their experience. …

Environmental Impact Of The Hajj, Abdullah Abonomi, Terry De Lacy, Joanne Pyke

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Every year, millions of Muslim worshippers visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj which is the fifth and last pillar of Islam. In 2018, Mecca hosted more than 2,300,000 people from around 183 different countries and cultures. Based on the objective of Vision 2030 of the Saudi Arabian government, the number of pilgrims was planned to grow to 2.5 million in 2020, and the rate of increase was projected to be 13% per year. This goal, however, has not been achieved due to Covid-19. The pandemic forced the government to severely reduce the number of pilgrims in 2020 to …

Holy Week In Spain: Negotiating Meanings In Tourism Contexts, Antonio M. Nogués-Pedregal

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

What is known as religious tourism has experienced spectacular growth in Spain in recent years. To highlight some aspects of the relationship between tourism and religious practices during Holy Week, this paper describes some occurrences involving processions and itineraries, understanding these itineraries to be social ways of creating symbolic spaces within the city layout. The paper analyses the case of a mature coastal tourist destinations in Southern Spain.

There is general agreement among scholars that tourism produces commodification either through the commercialisation of culture by way of its recreation and inclusion in the category ‘heritage’ or through the invention of …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Independent African Churches (Iacs) In Johannesburg, South Africa, Constance Nyika, Milena Ivanovic, Kevin A. Griffin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the religious tourism activities of the four most prominent Independent Apostolic Churches (IAC) operating in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is an interpretive qualitative research study based on data from 15 telephone-based semi-structured interviews with congregants and church leaders of the Zion Christian Church, Zimbabwe (ZCC Mutendi), The Apostolic Church of Johane Marange, The Apostolic Church of Johane Masowe and Apostolic Faith Church, Mugodhi. Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the religious tourism activities of all four IACs in the study as they …

Socio-Cultural And Economic Impacts Of Religious Festivals On Sustainable Local Community Livelihoods In Kerala: The Case Of Palakkad, Dr. Bindu V T Nair, Aiswarya Babu N

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Festivals depict the heritage, culture, and traditions of a particular region. They create a state of exhilaration and enthusiasm. Kerala is a state in southwest India with its own distinct culture and traditions. The state is also known for its religious pluralism. This study attempts to understand the perceived impact of religious festivals on the local community livelihoods in Palakkad, a district in central Kerala. Twelve temples in which religious festivals are held annually, with attendance in the range of thousands, were selected. The selected temples are famous for hosting specific religious festivals which attract a large number of visitors, …

Ancient Religious Sites As Tools For Sustainable Tourism Development: An Empirical Study In The North Of Bali, I Made Pageh, Putu I. Rahmawati Ph.D, Terry Delacy Prof. Dr., Min Jiang Ph.D

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Bali, a thousand temple island, is an ideal destination for spiritual tourism with magnificent temples containing a variety of unique religious carvings, statues, and ornaments. The beauty of Bali’s religious rituals, social and cultural events, and cultural performances underpin its spiritual tourism. An emerging body of literature has reported spiritual tourism and spiritual tourism is one of the pillars of sustainable tourism development (UNWTO, 2015). Religious tourism is a growing segment with significant economic impacts, however, limited research focuses on developing spiritual tourism and none of this in the North of Bali. This research takes a qualitative case study approach …

Recovery Strategies To Sustain Religious Tourism Post-Covid-19: Evidence From Iran, Moslem Bagheri, Ali Asghar Mobasheri, Amin Nikbakht

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious tourism, as one of the most significant types of tourism, is among the most seriously affected economic sectors worldwide as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This study sought to identify and prioritise the strategies for sustaining post-COVID-19 religious tourism. The study was an applied survey that drew on a mixed research design. The results of the qualitative data analysis obtained through a systematic literature review revealed that the recovery strategies to boost businesses in the field of religious tourism in the post-COVID-19 future could be divided into four main strategies (dimensions) and 24 sub-strategies (criteria). Furthermore, the …

Spiritual Quest In Rural Hungary And Slovakia: Developing An Innovative Thematic Route, Brigitta Pécsek, Denisa Halajova

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The purpose of this study is to present a paper about the design of a themed route through rural areas in Hungary and Slovakia to promote sustainable rural tourism. Rural cemeteries were chosen as a focus because these cemeteries are laden with history, culture and associated narratives, yet there is a paucity of empirical research connecting rural cemeteries to tourism development.

The ten cemeteries were selected based on desk research and field trips, following specific criteria set by the authors, including forest and water resources in the vicinity of the research sites. All of the chosen cemeteries have an enormous …

Developing Halal Tourism: The Case Of Bongo Village, Gorontalo, Indonesia, Ahmad Izudin, Sriharini Sriharini, Latifhul Khuluq

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious tourism is one of the oldest forms of tourism in Indonesia’s Gorontalo Province, which is rapidly growing to be a halal tourism destination. Such a tourism concept has created new products in the industry. However, limited research has curtailed the potential of religious tourism in Gorontalo. As a contribution to the research on religious tourism, this paper explores of religious tourism as a new method to develop Indonesia’s tourism industry. The study uses qualitative methods to review the potential of religious tourism in Gorontalo. The case study was undertaken with in-depth interviews, documentation, and observation to examine the benefits …

Hajj Pilgrims’ Perceptions Of Trust And Internet Use For (Emergency) Information, Sudha Arlikatti, Hassan A. Taibah, Praveen Maghelal, Simon A. Andrew, Saad A. Alkhurayyif

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This empirical study examines the patterns of internet use during Hajj, with the broader aim of providing suggestions on how organisations can improve risk communication at crowded religious venues using traditional and new media. The research team adopted a convenience sampling strategy to conduct in-person surveys of 348 Hajj pilgrims in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia during the October 2013 season. Of these, 150 pilgrims used the internet and their responses were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and binary regression analyses. The findings of this study suggest that Hajj pilgrims prefer accessing the internet through …

A Case Study Of Pilgrimage As Experiential Learning: Reflections Of A Buddhist Pilgrim, Yen Ping Ki

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper narrates my learnings as a pilgrim in India and Nepal based on an analysis of my response to different experiences and observations throughout the journey. The significant impacts of this experience on life were reflected using Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning. The learning process is described based on the four processes of the model: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. It is believed that pilgrims are motivated to satisfy their needs as indicated in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This article also acknowledges some established key ideas from other pilgrimage scholars. However, this paper presents only …

Religious Servicescape: Does Convenience Matter For Revisit Intentions And Positive Word Of Mouth?, Ghada Talat Alhothali, Islam Elgammal, Felix T. Mavondo

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Umrah is an optional holy ritual that is highly rewarded when performed in the month of Ramadan. Hence, managing such an event is a challenging mission facing stakeholders. However, limited studies have examined the quality of services provided in the Umrah site (i.e., the Holy Mosque in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia) from the pilgrims’ perspective. The current study examines the influence of religious servicescape on service convenience and investigates whether service convenience matters to pilgrims. Further, the study tests the role of religious attractiveness (i.e., of the Kaaba) on pilgrims’ behavioural outcomes (i.e. intention to revisit and Positive …

Ijrtp Volume 10(I) Table Of Contents, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

IJRTP Volume 10(i) Table of Contents

Review Of Pilgrims: Values And Identities, By Darius Liutikas, Raphael Campana Marinho

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Review Of: Holy Land Pilgrimage By Stephen J. Minz, Lucrezia Lopez

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Hospitality On The Camino De Santiago: Clues From Interviews With Hospitaleros During The Pandemic, Berenika Seryczynska, Piotr Roszak, Tomasz Duda

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The practice of making the pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago (the Way of Saint James), one of the three most important medieval pilgrimage routes in Europe, has undergone various transformations related to religious, cultural and political considerations. In 2019, the Pilgrim’s Reception Office in Santiago de Compostela recorded 327,378 pilgrims from all over the world. The aim of this research was to understand the impact of the pandemic on hospitaleros – the individuals who host pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago – and perform a comparative analysis against the hotel industry. In particular, it was noted that in a …

Pilgering Researchers Or Researching Pilgrims: Experiences From Four Student Projects On The Camino De Santiago 2016-2019, Andreas Braun

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Between 2016 and 2019, I accompanied four student groups on the Camino de Santiago - however the planned 2020 project was cancelled due to the coronavirus epidemic. In this article, I describe the project, its planning, its implementation, and its conclusion, as well as some experiences and impressions of the participating students on the basis of an ethnographical approach. The projects presented have two objectives: on the one hand, to teach the students qualitative and quantitative research methods in a delimited, protected environment, and on the other hand, to introduce the students to the fascination of pilgrimage and the Camino …

The Way Of St. James In Religious Tourism Research, Xose M. Santos

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Camino de Santiago as a tourist and cultural phenomenon has grown exponentially in recent decades. This route, of medieval origin, began to receive general attention in the second half of the 20th century. This interest manifested itself almost in parallel in two interconnected areas. On the one hand, there is the revival of traditional pilgrimages, i.e. on foot or by non-mechanised means of transport. On the other hand, the Way of St. James has become an object of attention in research, initially with a historical and artistic focus, but as time goes by, a tourist perspective is incorporated into …

Assessing The Development Of The Portuguese Way To Santiago In Times Of Pandemic, Vitor Ambrósio, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The aim of this study is to explore a holistic approach to assessing the level of development of a pilgrimage route using a model proposed by Ambrosio et al. (2019). In accordance with this model, a diagnosis matrix structures the surveying of predefined variables and enables the evaluation of pilgrimage routes. This tool allows an understanding of both, material and immaterial elements that comprise part of pilgrimage experiences, and of the respective routes as tourism products. The study takes as reference two Municipalities along the Portuguese Way to Santiago—one in the South, Vila Franca de Xira, and another in the …

The Camino De Santiago In Late Modernity: Examining Transformative Aftereffects Of The Pilgrimage Experience, Snežana Brumec

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Based on a content analysis of 32 pilgrim travelogues it was assumed that certain values resulting from the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage would tend to be persistent, and these rather meaningful and memorable experiences may result in changes to a pilgrim’s personal hierarchy of values. To explore these assumed transformative aftereffects an online survey (n = 500) was carried out to examine self-reported value changes using the Short Schwartz’s Value Survey. The greatest increase post pilgrimage showed the importance of values that emphasise concern for the welfare and interests of others (universalism, benevolence). The only and quite substantial decreases we …

Apostolic Activity Of St. James The Apostle: Leading To The Formation Of The Camino De Santiago, Remigijus Oželis

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

For pilgrims, 2021 is a Year of Saint James. This happens every few years (the last was in 2010 and the next will be in 2027), i.e. when July 25, the Day of St. James, is on Sunday. Pilgrims have been travelling to the tomb of St. James for centuries. The Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago) to Santiago de Compostela in Spain became a special spiritual asset of European cultural heritage following the Declaration of the Camino de Santiago by the Council of Europe on 23 October 1987, and official branches of the way have been drawn across …

Non-Dual Experiences For The Dual Pilgrim: From The Spanish Way Of Saint James To The Japanese Kumano Kodo, Fernando Echarri

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The twinning of Sacred Paths is a new experience because of the possible synergy it creates. This article studies the twinning of the Way of Saint James in Spain with the Japanese Kumano Kodo. This twinning unites the pilgrimages, unites spirituality, unites nature, unites creation, unites culture, but in totally different contexts. From Western Christian culture we pass to Eastern Buddhist-Shintoist culture. The pilgrim acquires significant life experiences, Non-Dual experiences on both routes and is transformed, and thus accredited, as a dual pilgrim. Different spheres of the person will be affected: the perceptual sphere, emotional sphere, cognitive sphere, social, relational, …

Walking On The Camino Paths: A Spiritual And Biopsychosocial Journey, Ofra Walter

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Camino de Santiago is an ancient network of pilgrimage routes that lead to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. This qualitative study was conducted to explore contemporary pilgrims’ experiences on the route. I walked the route for 14 days, interviewing other pilgrims about their reasons for taking the journey and their experiences while on it. The methodology thus involved gaining wisdom on two levels: the researcher’s level and the participants’ level. Nineteen people from various counties and of different ages consented to an interview. The participants expressed an interesting mix of biopsychosocial experiences. They mentioned self contemplation and spiritual experiences. …

Dimensions Of The Saint James’ Way Pilgrimage: Portuguese Socioeconomic Impacts, Vítor João Pereira Domingues Martinho Prof.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

These days pilgrimage is seen as something that has more than a religious dimension. In fact, pilgrimage also currently links with cultural, environmental and tourist domains. As a consequence, the positive socioeconomic effects from the pilgrimage are relevant for the local communities which are visited along the routes travelled by pilgrims. In this way, the aim of this paper is to firstly analyse the context of the Way of St. James’ pilgrimage, in general, and subsequently the socioeconomic dimensions of the pilgrimage within the specific Portuguese framework. Data from the ‘Oficina del Peregrino’, Eurostat and Statistics Portugal were all taken …

Manifestations Of Religious Freedom In The Context Of The Camino De Santiago, Berenika Seryczyńska

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study analyses the positive manifestations of religious freedom among pilgrims on the Way of St James (Camino de Santiago, Spain), a pilgrimage way that pilgrims have followed to the tomb of St James the Apostle in Spanish Galicia, since the Middle Ages. The purpose of this study is to present the manifestations of religious freedom in the experience of Polish pilgrims on the Way of Saint James on the basis of in-depth interviews conducted in the summer of 2019 in Santiago de Compostela (n=50).

Camino De Santiago Papers Published In The International Journal Of Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage 2013-2021, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Ijrtp Volume 9(Vi) Table Of Contents, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Could Television Streaming Sites Lead The Charge For Film-Induced Tourism Post Covid?, Jennifer Stewart

Books/Book Chapters

By focusing on television film-induced tourists, this chapter will contribute to a better understanding of tourist behaviour in relation to motivations for travel to filming locations. The chapter combines, analyses, and critiques the main debates raised by key authors in relation to identifying the motivational factors that prompt site-specific film tourism as well as providing contributions from this author’s 2016 research on television film-induced tourism in Ireland. The chapter is divided into the following sections: a brief history of film and television and a review and discussion on film tourism, a breakdown of the different categories of film tourist and …

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 …