Tourism and Travel Commons^™

Social Production And Consumption Of Space: A Lefebvrian Analysis Of The Kumbh Mela, Christine Buzinde, David Manuel-Navarrete, Jyotsna (Josi) M. Kalavar, Neena Kohli

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest pilgrimage gathering on the shores of the River Ganges. Drawing on Lefebvre’s (1991) trialectics of space framework, this paper interrogates the spatial dynamics of the Kumbh Mela through the spatial meanings espoused by local and international pilgrims. Accounting for dominant discourses that frame the event as occurring in and around a sacred waterscape, five focus groups with pilgrims were conducted at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India. The findings indicate that local pilgrims were aware of river pollution, but they used discursive strategies to decouple this material fact from their lived spiritual experiences; from …

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

The Rise Of Southern Nevada As A Cluster For Metropolitan Transit Technology Innovations, Arthur C. Nelson

Policy Briefs and Reports

Southern Nevada is emerging as the nation’s leader in private sector-driven innovations in transportation technologies. From the humble beginnings of a monorail system serving a portion of major hotel and gaming venues along the Las Vegas Strip, now supplemented by an array of people movers, Southern Nevada continues to attract transit innovations in tunneling, Hyperloop, and driverless vehicle delivery technologies. The region may soon anchor a high-speed rail system connecting Southern Nevada to Los Angeles. The purpose of this briefing paper is to frame the nature of this emerging transportation cluster and the opportunities this creates for Southern Nevada to …

Employment With The Northwest Territories Aquatics Program: A Significant Life Event?, Sebastien Denize, Audrey R. Giles

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

For over 60 years, the Northwest Territories Aquatics Program (NWTAP) has employed university students from southern Canada with little to no exposure to northern Canada to run seasonal swimming pools and waterfronts in isolated northern communities. In this article, we examine the impact that working for this program had on nine former employees’ lives and whether or not working for the NWTAP could be categorized as a significant life experience. We used thematic analysis of the data from retrospective semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires and identified four themes: (1) employment by the NWTAP enhanced the employees’ self-confidence, independence, and self-efficacy; …

More Than Just A Workplace: A Case Study Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Marriott International Inc. Hotels, Julia Selin

Experience Industry Management

Diversity, equity, and inclusion practices are essential for a hotel to function. Having diversity is an important aspect of a company because it allows for multiple perspectives that bring new ideas together, and most importantly multiculturalism. The purpose of this study was to examine the diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in the workplaces of Marriott International Inc. Hotels. Research for this study was conducted using a case study. The results indicated that Marriott values diversity, which is seen though corporate programs and global initiatives. Marriott is an international company that helps create job opportunities around the world and forms mentor …

Exploring “Smart And Green” Concepts: A New Synergy For Irish Hospitality, Yi Sheng Tan, Angela Wright

Dept. of Organisation & Professional Development Publications

The spotlight on “smart and green” has never been so bright and, within the hotel sector, emphasis on opportunities such as sustainability and digitisation are quickly shaping the agenda. This paper explores key components of the “smart and green” agenda among Irish hotels in the Republic of Ireland and how these concepts relate to their public customer image. While the multifaceted hybrid model of “smart and green” hotels is rapidly emerging as the new theme in the sustainable tourism industry, previous literature failed to address the issue in relation to a lack of uptake from Irish hoteliers. A post-positivistic paradigm …

Vr In Tourism: A New Call For Virtual Tourism Experience Amid And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Maksim Godovykh, Carissa Baker, Alan Fyall

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Virtual reality has become a more common phenomenon in both destination marketing and on-site experience. The recent challenges such as overtourism and the COVID-19 pandemic have created a pressing need to examine virtual tourism as an alternative to traditional travel. This conceptual article aims at clarifying virtual experience in tourism, discussing the main antecedents and outcomes of virtual experience, and proposing a conceptual model of virtual tourism experience. The review of the literature revealed that virtual experience in tourism is influenced by factors related to information, quality, technology acceptance, and affective involvement and has significant effects on tourists' attitudes and …

Travel Ban Effects On Sars-Cov-2 Transmission Lineages In The Uae As Inferred By Genomic Epidemiology, Andreas Henschel, Samuel F. Feng, Rifat A. Hamoudi, Gihan Daw Elbait, Ernesto Damiani, Fathimathuz Waasia, Guan K. Tay, Bassam H. Mahboub, Maimunah Hemayet Uddin, Juan Acuna, Eman Alefishat, Rabih Halwani, Herbert F. Jelinek, Farah Mustafa, Nawal Alkaabi, Habiba S. Alsafar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Global and local whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 enables the tracing of domestic and international transmissions. We sequenced Viral RNA from 37 sampled Covid-19 patients with RT-PCR-confirmed infections across the UAE and developed time-resolved phylogenies with 69 local and 3,894 global genome sequences. Furthermore, we investigated specific clades associated with the UAE cohort and, their global diversity, introduction events and inferred domestic and international virus transmissions between January and June 2020. The study comprehensively characterized the genomic aspects of the virus and its spread within the UAE and identified that the prevalence shift of the D614G mutation was due to …

A User-Generated Content Analysis On The Quality Of Restaurants Using The Tourqual Model, Tiago S. Mondo, Andre R. C. Perinotto, Valerio Souza-Neto

Journal of Global Business Insights

The restaurant market is becoming more competitive, and businesses are challenged to differentiate themselves in this sector in terms of quality of services. This research aimed to identify the specific indicators for measuring the quality of restaurant service in Brazil. Based on a quantitative paradigm, we adopted a user-generated content analysis with a sample of 1,143,631 customer reviews from 35,611 restaurants in seven Brazilian cities available on the TripAdvisor platform. We collected and registered the data in text and analyzed the results with the support of T-LAB software. Moreover, we adopted TOURQUAL Protocol (Mondo, 2014) to identify the main requirements …

Co-Occurrence Network Analysis (Cna) As An Alternative Tool To Assess Survey-Based Research Models In Hospitality And Tourism Research, Mehmet A. Koseoglu, John A. Parnell, Hasan E. Arici

Journal of Global Business Insights

Hospitality and tourism (H&T) researchers employ structural equation modeling (SEM) and other multivariate techniques to test their models with survey data. These approaches assess relationships among constructs and model fit, but they do not highlight the most influential survey items or links among them. Other challenges include method-specific requirements for appropriate data, the best indices to identify optimal models, minimum sample sizes, missing data, and interpreting the results from complex models. Co-occurrence network analysis (CNA) can mitigate these limitations. This study validates CNA in the H&T field with a survey dataset that assesses market strategy, nonmarket strategy (NMS), organizational values, …

A Proposed Governance Model For The Adoption Of Geoparks In Australia, Alan Briggs, David Newsome, Ross Dowling

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Good governance is crucial in establishing and managing geoparks and is a requirement by UNESCO if global status is to be achieved. Australia has three levels of government, government agencies and not for profit organisations that can assist in the reintroduction of geoparks to Australia. This paper examines a range of governance models used by UNESCO Global Geoparks. Design/methodology/approach: This paper explores mechanisms that could be applied in the reintroduction of geoparks into Australia and considers how future geoparks might be managed. The suggested model is based on a review of existing UNESCO Global Geopark governance and their management …

From Strategic Goal To Reality: The Development Of The Myrtle Beach Invitational Basketball Tournament, Mark Mitchell, Dennis Edwards, John Marcis

The Coastal Business Journal

The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, area was selected to serve as one-time hosts for two tournaments in 2017: the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Men's College Basketball Tournament, when circumstances required those events to relocate on very short notice. Following the success of these two one-time events, the region sought to become a permanent host of an annual men's college basketball tournament to be played in November or December. This manuscript examines the development process of this tournament and illustrates how tournament organizers addressed the most common elements found in such events.

A Risk-Based Approach To Cybersecurity: A Case Study Of Financial Messaging Networks Data Breaches, Xiang Michelle Liu

The Coastal Business Journal

With banking becoming increasingly global and largely digital, a magnitude of data breach incidents resulted from cyberattacks have been observed and can be frequently traced to ineffective security practices and procedures. Cyberattacks do not require physical proximity, nor are they deterred by national borders. Cybercriminals can remain undetected for a long period of time. Such breaches inevitably result in losses of reputation, customer confidence, and in some instances, productivity. The purpose of this study is to take a deeper look into various breaches of the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) messaging network to illuminate vulnerabilities inherent in the …

Understanding Residents' Opinions And Support Toward Sustainable Tourism Development In The Caribbean: The Case Of Saint Kitts And Nevis, David Mc.A Baker, Ramaprasad Unni

The Coastal Business Journal

Saint Kitts and Nevis are two islands forming one nation in the Caribbean. This paper examines differences in the perceived economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts of tourism between residents of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the residents' attitudes about the pace and direction of tourism development. A self-administered household survey was used to assess perceptions of these impacts from tourism among residents. After excluding 53 non-residents, effective sample size was 269. ANOVA was used to analyze differences between the two islands. Residents of both islands shared similar perceptions about the pace and direction of tourism development in their islands. However, …

Promoting Ecotourism To Millennials Through Social Media, Melissa Clark, Paul Clark, Michael Latta

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper explores how coastal ecotourism marketers can utilize social media to effectively market to millennials. Coastal Tourism is one of four types of ecotourism identified by Honey and Krantz (2007) in their study Global Trends in Coastal Tourism sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. An online survey of university students from the millennial generation was utilized. Findings indicate that millennials are interested in ecotourism and gather information about it from friends and social media. They check their accounts several times a day and usually from their smartphones. They would choose an ecotourism destination if money were not an issue. …

The Strategic Problem Of Information Security And Data Breaches, Michael Dinger, Julie Terrill Wade

The Coastal Business Journal

This paper considers the strategic uncertainties and impacts created by high-profile data breaches and discusses the unique strategic problem presented by information security breaches for organizational executives. Based on theory regarding strategic uncertainties, we develop a framework depicting a strategic perspective on breaches within and outside the firm. Then, within the major categories outlined by the framework, this research evaluates instances of 17 public disclosures of high-profile data breaches over the past four years. Based on our discussion of these 17 cases, we identify six major issues complicating strategic decision-making regarding security breaches and discuss guidance for managers.

The Role Of Forensic Accounting In U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts, Amie L. Haun, Madison Gaither, Joanie Sompayrac

The Coastal Business Journal

The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center directed international attention to the financial component of terrorist operations. The demand for forensic accounts has continued to increase because of a growing intolerance for fraud and terrorist activity. Forensic accountants have and will continue to have a vital role in United States' counterterrorism efforts in the post-9/11 era by detecting acts of fraud and money laundering. Comprehensive review of relevant literature including books, peer-reviewed articles, government databases, court records and news media confirms that forensic accountants are equipped with special skills and analytical tools that make them valuable members of …