Tourism and Travel Commons^™

Impact Of Social Media On Spiritual Tourism In India: An Sem Analysis Of The Critical Factors Impacting On Decision Making, Alpana Agarwal, Komal Kapoor, Sandeep Walia

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Over the last two decades, an exponential rise has been observed in the growth of spiritual tourism where travellers are preferring and visiting places of religious inclination seeking to align their body and mind. In the current fast paced life where stress, anxiety, insecurities and depression have become common place, travelling to certain places that provide connection with the almighty or peace to the traveller has become very important. Spiritual tourism in India has always been very highly valued and is active as an industry in a country known as the land of temples and gods. Many globally popular destinations …

Experience Dimensions Of Religious Festivals: Religion And Spirituality At Paryaya, Udupi, India, Senthilkumaran Piramanayagam, Partho Pratim Seal

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Festivals and events have been found to be an important motivation for travel, and are a significant component in a destination offering. All religious festivals, irrespective of religion and tradition, aim to develop spirituality. Experience is the core of festivals and events, and the experience is multifaceted. This research aims to analyse the impact of various experience dimensions of religious festivals on participants’ overall festival experience and behavioural intention at a biennial festival called ‘Paryaya’ held at Udupi, India, using the concept of the experience economy. The researchers have adopted a quantitative research approach for the study. The result obtained …

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 …

Exploring The Motivations Of Millennials Opting For Temple Stays In India, Aruditya Jasrotia, Pooja Choudhary, Parvinder Kour, Vibha Yadav

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Millennials are the most promising consumer segment of the tourism industry and the fast pace of development and emergence of newer trends has led to a drastic change in consumer behaviour. Temple Stays are emerging as a significant source of tourism for sites that are transforming traditional religious practices into a complete hybrid of leisure and recreation. Considering this, the current research is framed to analyse the factors that motivate Millennials to undertake spiritual tourism activities, with special focus on Temple Stay programs at various Buddhist sites / monasteries in India and the revisit intentions of Millennials. The research is …

Can Spiritual Tourism In India Be Marketed Properly? Learnings From An Analysis Of Twitter, Veerasamy Senthil, Susobhan Goswami

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The tourism sector is an economic powerhouse for any country and tourism growth improves the quality of people’s lives by providing employment of diverse kinds. Electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) has emerged to become a highly influential strategy of modern marketing and a significant medium as harnessed by travel marketers. Sentiments are a representation of human emotions and present a wide spectrum of varying intensity. The objectives of this research paper are to examine what propels a spiritual traveller towards Indian sites of interest, to appreciate the function of beliefs and where does it yield fruits? It also analyses the …

The Role Of Communication Technologies In Restructuring Pilgrimage Journeys, Reni Polus, Neil Carr

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage has evolved alongside the evolution of communication technology. Emergent communication technology is changing how people present themselves and tell others about their experiences, including within the context of pilgrimages. Building upon this recognition, this paper examines how evolving communication technologies have changed pilgrimage using Victor Turner’s concepts of rite of passage and communitas. This conceptual paper recognises that technologies, such as the internet, mobile phones and social media, all influence the three stages of the pilgrimage ritual process: separation, liminality, and reintegration. This paper provides a conceptual clarification of the differences between how the medieval and the 21st Century …

Revisiting The Inner Self In Times Of Debilitating Distress: Gateways For Wellness Through Spiritual Tourism, Manpreet Arora, Roshan Lal Sharma, Sandeep Walia

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on our bodies, minds and souls. Having suffered it for more than a year now we know how crucial it is to tackle the pandemic at physical, psychological and spiritual levels. We have well-established Standard Operating Procedures alongside vaccines to deal with it at physical level, but equally crucial are mental and spiritual problems caused by COVID-19 (Chopra, 2020).

This paper seeks to explore certain gateways and possibilities of dealing with distress, despair, anxiety, angst, trauma and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in diverse arenas of human activities to ascertain how crucial …

Women’S Experiences In Religious Tourism: An Investigation Into Women’S Involvement In Sabarimala Pilgrimage, Kerala, Shyju P.J., A. Vinodan, S. Meera, Jithendran Kokkranikal

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Preparations for the Sabarimala pilgrimage involves devotees observing a 41 day period of austerity (vrata) during which they practice an ascetic life. Women between the age of 10 and 50 do not visit the shrine at Sabarimala due to long-established customs. However, women do play an important role during the 41-day austerity observed by family members preparing for the pilgrimage, which could be described as a non-participant involvement in the pilgrimage. While there have been many studies on the spiritual and secular experiences of pilgrims, research on this unique form of non-participant involvement in pilgrimages is not found especially in …

Drivers Of Spiritual Tourism: A Destination-Specific Approach, Bipithalal Balakrishnan Nair, M. R. Dileep

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

With a rising number of visitors worldwide, spiritual tourism is becoming more relevant than ever before. Spiritual tourism is defined as travel to discover the goal and significance of one’s life, thus, self-experiences are crucial for the transition of a person’s mind, body, and soul. Because of this, both the destination chosen and the inspiration and intention of the tourists involved play central roles. However, existing research on spiritual tourism mainly focuses on classification and motivation and explicitly focuses on the demand side. Given the recent increase of participation in spiritually-focused tourism, it is important to accurately grasp the practical …

Ijrtp Volume 9(V) Table Of Contents & Editorial, Sandeep Walia, Saurabh Kumar Dixit, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes, Kevin A. Griffin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of Flotation Aids Attached To The Pelvis And Thighs Of Beginning Swimmers, Yasunori Watanabe, Shin-Ichiro Moriyama, Kohji Wakayoshi

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The study aimed to experimentally verify the efficacy of wearing flotation aids to add buoyancy from the pelvis to the side of the thigh on the swimming performance of beginning swimmers who were capable of swimming around 25 meters at a time. The study recruited seven male university students who were members of the Physical Education Department and who lacked experience in specialized swimming instruction. The study found statistical difference in prone flotation between the use of flotation aids (7.27±1.92 sec) and without flotation aids (3.50±0.72 sec). During swimming for distance in a 5 min. swim test, we found statistical …

Hines, Duncan, 1880-1959 (Sc 3623), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3623. Photographs (27) and accompanying narrative of an “adventure in good eating” of Duncan Hines and his wife Clara, consisting of a June automobile trip to restaurants and inns in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. They were accompanied by a photographer and editor for Look Magazine.

Covid-19 And Tourism: Analyzing The Effects Of Covid-19 Statistics And Media Coverage On Attitudes Toward Tourism, Maksim Godovykh, Jorge Ridderstaat, Carissa Baker, Alan Fyall

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

COVID-19 has significantly influenced tourism, including tourists’ and residents’ attitudes toward tourism. At the same time, attitudes and consumer confidence are important for economic recovery in the tourism sector. This study explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s attitudes toward tourism by analyzing time-series data on the number of COVID-19 positive cases, vaccinations, news sentiment, a total number of daily mentions of tourism, and the share of voice for positive and negative sentiment toward tourism. The applied data analysis techniques include descriptive analysis, visual representation of data, data decomposition into trend and cycle components, unit root tests, Granger …

Risk Communication In The Tourism Industry, Lindsay E. Usher, Ashley Schroeder

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

This chapter focuses on risk communication in the tourism sector. Tourism organizations must communicate with a variety of stakeholders when conveying messages about impending severe weather or disasters, which are increasing due climate change and sea level rise. There is also an increased need to distribute information to tourism stakeholders about preparing for, continuing service during, and recovering from, disasters. Stakeholders involved with the tourism industry include business owners, government officials and tourists, all of whom have differing degrees of vulnerability in a destination when a threat occurs. Different messages regarding disaster preparation and recovery must be communicated to the …

In Pursuit Of Happiness: Impact Of The Happiness Level Of A Destination Country On Chinese Tourists' Outbound Travel Choices, Ziyao Huang, Sam Huang, Yang Yang, Ziyan Tang, Yutao Yang, Yijun Zhou

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study examines the impact of the national happiness level of a country on Chinese tourists' travel choices using panel data of 113 countries from 2012 to 2017, controlling for other factors that contribute to Chinese outbound tourism. The results show that the happiness level of a destination country is positively and significantly associated with Chinese tourist arrivals in that country. Examination of the moderation effect reveals cultural distance plays an important role in the impact a destination's happiness level has on Chinese outbound tourism. The influence of a destination's happiness level decreases when the cultural distance increases.

Impacts Of Covid-19 On Chinese Nationals' Tourism Preferences, Songshan (Sam) Huang, Yuhong Shao, Ying Zeng, Xinyi Liu, Zhiyong Li

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examines the impacts of COVID-19 on Chinese nationals' tourism preferences. Employing a mixed-method research design, two rounds of nation-wide online surveys were conducted, one in February 2020 when COVID-19 cases started to peak in China and another one in June 2020 when COVID-19 was a global pandemic; both survey studies were accompanied with semi-structured in-depth interviews and altogether 37 interviews were conducted in two stages. Based on both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data, the research identified that: 1) COVID-19 significantly reduced Chinese nationals' preferences to travel to countries with high infection numbers, and geographically faraway, administratively …

Factors Affecting Satisfaction And Revisit-Intention Of Pilgrimage Tourists: Bà Chúa Xứ Shrine In Vietnam, Bang Nguyen Viet, Si Nguyen Van

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study aims to define and measure key factors of the satisfaction and revisit-intention of pilgrimage tourists to Bà Chúa Xứ Shrine in Vietnam. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative methods: (i) qualitative research was carried out through focus group discussions with pilgrimage tourists, and (ii) quantitative research was conducted through interviews with 288 pilgrimage tourists. The results showed that intentions to revisit the Ba Chua Zu Shrine was directly affected by satisfaction, destination image, cultural contact, and spirituality. The results reveal that pilgrimage destination image, spirituality and cultural contact had positive and direct significant influences on revisit-intention and …

Motivation And Experience Of Sacred Tomb Pilgrimage: Learnings From The Sasak Tribe Lombok, M Sobry, Teti Indrawati Purnamasari

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study analyses the motivations and experiences that drive the pilgrimage to the sacred tombs of the Lombok Sasak Tribe. This sacred graves pilgrimage is a tradition that has survived from the past and a heritage that passes from generation to generation. The study uses a constructivist paradigm with a phenomenological qualitative approach. The research locations are at the tomb of Almagfurlah TGKH Muhammad Zainuddin Abdul Madjid, in Pancor East Lombok; The Batu Layar Tomb in West Lombok; The Ketaq Tomb, Central Lombok; Bintaro Tomb in Mataram City and; the Tomb at the Bayan Beleq, Bayan in North Lombok. The …

The Collection Of Knowledge, Potential, And Direction Of Temple Development For Promoting Buddhism-Based Tourism In Chonburi And Sriracha, Thailand And Direction Of Temple Development For Promoting Buddhism-Based Tourism In Chonburi And Sriracha, Thailand, Sarunya Lertputtarak, Surat Supitchayangkool

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Tourism is a very important industry for Thailand. Spiritual tourism is one of the outstanding types of tourism for a Buddhist country. Thailand has plenty of attractive Buddhist temples which have a long history, distinctive architecture or even famous Buddhist images. This study aimed to collect information about temples, their potential and directions for promotion of Buddhism-based tourism in Chonburi and Sriracha which are important travel destinations in this area. In undertaking the study the researchers explored 45 temples in this area, of which, 20 were selected for qualitative research via in-depth interviews with the leaders of the temples. In …

Representation Of ‘Fractured Memory Regime’ In The Context Of Hasidic Pilgrimages To Uman, Alla Marchenko

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The main goal of this paper is to analyse how ‘memory regime’ (Kubik & Bernhard) could be researched on a local level, using the example of attitudes to Jewish history and Hasidic pilgrimages in Uman, Ukraine. What types of ‘mnemonic actors’ (Kubik & Bernhard) prevail in Uman? Which statements about the contemporary Hasidic pilgrimages are supported by local inhabitants, and how do they reflect positions of the locals in the local memory field? This paper discusses some results of a quantitative survey on local cultural heritage conducted in the frame of the international EU-funded project ‘ReHerit’ in Uman in late …

Buhe Festival In Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church For Event Tourism Development: The Case Of Debre Tabor And Its Surroundings, Dagnachew Nega

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Buhe festival is also called Debre Tabor festival. It is one of the most famous intangible cultural heritage events in Ethiopia. It was only a few decades ago that event tourism became established in both the tourism industry and in the research community, so that subsequent growth of this sector can only be described as spectacular. The festival is becoming highly celebrated at Debre Tabor town, Ethiopia. However, its potential, value and opportunities haven’t been studied so far. Thus, the objective of the study is to explore the practices of safeguarding Buhe festival for event tourism development. The study used …

Mapping And Evaluating The Attractiveness Of Pilgrim Routes From An Experiential Perspective: The Case Of The ‘Paths Through Italy’, Fabio Forlani, Luca Ferrucci, Antonio Picciotti, Simone Splendiani

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The assessment of tourist offerings and the attractiveness of tourist destinations has been the subject of many studies in the tourism management literature over the years. Several authors have examined the territorial characteristics and factors that nurture tourist destination attractiveness in order to create flexible models that are capable of providing recommendations and instructions for destination management policies in the tourism industry. However, one of the fields in which this topic has so far been under-studied is with regard to pilgrim routes.

Calling upon the ‘Atlas of the Paths through Italy’ which represents the official census or count of Italian …

Bus Line 163: A Public Pilgrim Bus To Rachel’S Tomb In Jerusalem, Mustafa Diktaş

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Buses are networks for both physical and social mobility. They permit people to become part of temporary communities of individuals whose goal is to travel along linear routes, which connect multiple stops and reach certain destinations. Through an ethnographic case study of Bus No. 163, which is designated for Jewish pilgrims traveling to Rachel’s tomb in Jerusalem, this paper focuses on the interactions between travelers that took place on this bus during December 2019 and February 2020. The interactions of people on Bus No 163 helps us better understand this liminal phase of pilgrimage. The findings of the research, as …

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 …

Ijrtp Volume 9(Iv) Title Page & Table Of Contents, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes, Daniel H. Olsen

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

No abstract provided.

The State Of The Hospitality Industry 2021 Employment Report: Covid-19 Labor Force Legacy, Robertico R. Croes, Kelly Semrad, Manuel A. Rivera

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the COVID-19 pandemic's ongoing impact on the U.S. hospitality industry. The report details the primary economic issues the industry faces as well as provides a unique workforce analysis that anticipates continued labor shortages as the country moves towards an endemic. The research was conducted using a national survey with almost 1,000 U.S. hospitality workers. The survey includes questions pertaining to COVID-19 related hospitality employee topics such as: the impact COVID-19 had on hospitality jobs, employees' intentions to leave the industry, employees likelihood to accept or look for a hospitality job, employees' perceived …

School Of Culinary Arts & Food Technology - Autumn Newsletter 2021, James Murphy

Other resources

The School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, TU Dublin, Autumn Newsletter captured the many events, research, awards, significant contributions, special civic, community and sustainability activities which the students and staff members of the school have successfully completed up to the Autumn period of 2021. The successful completion of these activities would not be possible without the active and on-going support of the 'INSPIRED' friends of Culinary Arts (school supporters) and our school's industry association supporters. We thank you all, consider getting involved in our New Campus here at Central Quad, Grangegorman, Dublin 7). email: [email protected] for further details and …

Sustainable Tourism Empowered By Social Network Analysis To Gain A Competitive Edge At A Historic Site, Cathrine Linnes, Holly Itoga, Jerome Agrusa, Joseph Lema

Hospitality Faculty Research

Social media has had a strong presence in many people’s lives over the last decade. In addition, social media platforms have allowed people to share opinions, provide advice on numerous factors, including where to visit, as well as to stay connected and maintain friendships. The hospitality and tourism industry, however, can make effective use of these powerful tools for marketing purposes, collaboration and information sharing, and service offerings. Reviewing social media followers’ behaviors and interests offers a wealth of information and valuable data for a variety of tourism organizations. This case study focuses on an analysis of the social networks …

Congruity Of Virtual Reality In-Game Advertising, Joshua M. Lupinek, Jinhee Yoo, Eugene A. Ohu, Eric Bownlee

Department of Hospitality and Tourism Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

With virtual reality (VR) video game users beginning to see beta advertisements within game play, this conceptual article adds a needed digital and interactive marketing research foundation to the new construct of VR in-game advertising (IGA) activation. New consumer VR technology continues to disrupt traditional media as a $7.7 billion USD industry, that is expected to reach $57.55 billion by 2027. As such, marketing researchers must continue to evolve and understand the interdisciplinary VR research evolution as many VR users are likely to view IGA as intrusive. IGA and VR are not new constructs, but IGA within VR is unique …

Thoughts On How New Zealand Could Progress As A More Regenerative Tourism Host, Stephen Bradley

Journal of Sustainability and Resilience

New Zealand has a chance to reset the way we view and manage tourism. We must take this chance to make some changes that will ensure that we have a clean green country to promote as a high quality tourism destination in the future. This perspective advocates that measures such as a high visitor levy, educating tourists and better management of the way tourists travel around the country, can lead to achieving more sustainable tourism industry.