Sociology Commons^™

F2) Sacred Spaces And Mountain Communities: Regenerative Strategies In A Tourism Context, Carlos Fernandes, Isilda Leitão

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

A buffer zone between Portugal´s only national park and the more populated towns is comprised of mountain landscape with rich and abundant, generally well-preserved religious heritage. Moreover, a common spiritual practice among mountain communities is the act of pilgrimage to certain sacred sites, particularly during the annual ceremony. The honouring of the local patron saint is rooted in a community´s way of life and serves an important role in preserving the local cultural heritage, with elders playing a decisive role in preserving and transmitting this sacred knowledge to younger members of the community. Such ceremonies attract diverse types of participants, …

E3) Pop As Sacred Space: Rosalía’S Lux And The Reconfiguration Of Contemporary Spiritual Tourism, Dolors Vidal-Casellas, Adriana Figuerola Cortez

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper analyzes Rosalía’s Lux album as a cultural device that reconfigures the relationships between spirituality, aesthetic experience, and contemporary mobility. Situated within a hybrid lineage of orchestral pop, sacred music, and avant-pop, the album constructs a sonic universe that transcends traditional musical consumption to offer a ritual-like experience. From the perspective of spiritual and cultural tourism, Lux is interpreted as a “symbolic pilgrimage space” where the listener engages in a sensory and affective journey. Its multi-movement structure, linguistic plurality, and references to mystical traditions and female figures from religious heritage shape a narrative of inner displacement that replaces physical …

E2) Religious Tourism As Neoliberal Piety: Islamic Spirituality And Sufism In Egyptian Islamic Tour Operators, Shin Yasuda, Daniel Vecchio

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This presentation examines the characteristics of Sufism and Islamic way of spirituality within the Islamic religious market, focusing on the activities of the shaykhs who serve as spiritual guides for Egyptian Islamic tour operators. Within the Islamic religious market in Egypt, religious practices have become products and services for religious market consumption amid the rise of neoliberalism and market economies. Within this context, spiritual guides in Islamic tour operators have emerged as an occupation that offering pilgrimages (hajj and umrah) and religious visits (ziyara) as packaged religious tours. These spiritual guides are distinctive feature of Egyptian society, who are graduates …

F3) Religious Heritage At The Crossroads: Planning The 2038 Saint Stephen Memorial Year In Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Tamara Rátz, Isilda Leitão

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The designation of 2038 as Saint Stephen Memorial Year in Székesfehérvár, Hungary presents an unparalleled opportunity to leverage the legacy of Hungary’s first king, Saint Stephen I, as a catalyst for sustainable religious and heritage tourism development. Székesfehérvár, historically a coronation and burial site of Hungarian monarchs, possesses rich material and immaterial cultural assets linked to Saint Stephen that remain underutilized within contemporary tourism narratives. This study investigates the current role of Saint Stephen’s heritage in the city’s tourism profile, identifies key challenges in planning a landmark memorial year, and examines the cooperative networks essential for delivering a cohesive, impactful …

F1) Walk Of Mutual Repair: Pilgrimage In The Context Of Peirce's Triadic Philosophy, Tadeja Jere Jakulin, Dane Munro

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage and pilgrim tourism are recognised in reductionist everyday thinking as phenomena that occur in the context of belief or tourism, among other things, and are also researched from this perspective. In our research, we will present pilgrimage as a complex system that requires an in-depth, systemic approach to understanding. In doing so, we will draw on Charles Sanders Peirce's triadic philosophy to present the evolution of the pilgrim, who travelled as a believer and passive participant, to the pilgrim who experiences regeneration and actively cares for sacred spaces. The contribution examines the historical development of pilgrimage studies from Turner's …

An Approach To Sacred Spaces From The Perspective Of The Connection Between Nature And Health, Ricard Fernàndez Molinet, Sílvia Gili Olmeda

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

In a context marked by an increasing search for meaning and well-being, sanctuaries are re-emerging as significant spaces within contemporary spiritual tourism. This work proposes an approach to sanctuaries located in natural environments as liminal spaces, in the anthropological sense developed by Victor Turner, where processes of passage, transformation, and the reconfiguration of personal experience are facilitated. Historically, many sanctuaries have been established in places of strong symbolic and ecological significance, often linked to singular natural elements such as mountains, springs, forests, or caves which have been perceived as sites of connection with the numinous. These spaces have functioned not …

D3) “No Straight Journeys”: Tracing The “Twisted Rope” Of Japan In Will Ferguson’S Hitching Rides With Buddha, Dorothy Lane, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This work is part of an ongoing study of how pilgrimage experience is translated as published story; the experience of pilgrimage may be global, but the act of writing and marketing that journey is characteristic of ongoing perceptions of "west" and "east." In relation to Japan, a country in which travel writer Pico Iyer describes himself as "always a foreigner," the indescribable the space between words is challenged in contemporary popular pilgrimage narratives. My focus here is on Canadian writer, Will Ferguson's, narrative subtitled "Journey Across Japan" to follow the Cherry Blossom Front. Ferguson’s attempt to hitchhike the length of …

C4) Analysing Tourism Impacts In The Azores: Inducing A Sustainable Tourism Model For A Spiritual Destination, Claudia Faias, Cláudia Hueso Seabra Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The Azores archipelago is recognised for its natural environment and the experiences it offers. Spiritual and sensory tourism fills a gap in contemporary lifestyles. Some researchers define this emerging form of tourism as a high-value product (Pacheco et al., 2022), and many tourists seek holistic harmony between body, soul and mind.

This research focuses on the tourism impacts perceived by residents and how these may influence their support for tourism activity. The literature documents studies on residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts (Charag et al., 2021; Gannon et al., 2020; Suess et al., 2020); however, there are literature gaps regarding how …

C2) Integrating Sustainability Into Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq G. Raj Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

As a global phenomenon, involving the movement of hundreds of millions of people per year, religious tourism and pilgrimage has an immense impact on economies, environments and societies. This paper investigates the complex interplay of religious travel and sustainable development.

Mass pilgrimages to sacred sites can lead to localised environmental degradation, the commercialisation of cultural heritage, the erosion of spirituality, but it can also reinvigorate religious practice, generate income and lead to respect for the environment.

This paper explores holistic ways for managing religious destinations. Drawing on international case studies, the paper identifies key strategies to minimise and mitigate the …

D2) The Phygital Pilgrim: Navigating Hybrid Sacred Experiences At The World Youth Day Jubilee 2025 In Rome, Justyna Liro, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Religious tourism is undergoing a profound transformation where the boundaries between physical presence and digital engagement are increasingly blurred. This paper presents first results from research analysing the World Youth Day Jubilee 2025 in Rome, examining the event as a "living laboratory" for digitized religious mobility. The study focuses on how hybrid ("phygital") environments redefine the contemporary religious experience and influence spatial behaviours.

Moving beyond the traditional dichotomy of online versus offline, this study examines the pilgrimage as a "platformed experience," co-produced by material urban settings and the communicative logic of social media. The research employs a robust mixed-method design, …

C3) Green Spiritual Tourism And Sacred Landscape Experience On Mount Emei, China, Feiran Yang, Katia Hueso Kotekaas Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Mount Emei (China), one of Buddhism’s Four Sacred Mountains and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracts pilgrims and leisure visitors seeking spiritual meaning, nature connection and wellbeing. Yet East Asian sacred mountain traditions remain under-represented in religious tourism debates, particularly regarding how sacred landscape, ritual practice and ecological philosophies co-produce visitor experience. This research examines green spiritual tourism on Mount Emei by integrating restorative environments theory, nature connectedness, authenticity scholarship, and Turner’s concepts of liminality and communitas. Methodology adopts a qualitative case-study design, combining participant observation along sacred trails and at key temples with semi-structured interviews with pilgrims, leisure tourists, …

D1) Pilgrimage Routes As Spaces Of Interaction: Shared Experiences Of Blind And Sighted Participants, Jolanta Kručkauskaitė

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This presentation examines pilgrimage routes as spaces of interaction in which blind and sighted participants create shared experiences by traveling together. In this context, pilgrimage is understood not only as a religious or touristic practice, but also as a sociocultural activity that enables social and educational interaction.

Drawing on the concepts of educational interaction, social inclusion, and phenomenological experience, the presentation addresses how walking together along pilgrimage routes shapes relationships between blind and sighted participants, how attitudes toward visual impairment change, and how the pilgrimage route becomes a space for mutual learning. Particular attention is given to the multisensory dimension …

C1) Authenticity, Multifunctionality, And Sustainability In Religious Tourism: The Case Of The Strahov Monastery In Prague, Dimitrios Mylonopoulos, Polyxeni G. Moira Dr

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This article examines the dynamics of historic monastic complexes as multifunctional religious spaces in the context of contemporary religious and cultural tourism, focusing on Strahov Monastery in Prague. The study recognizes that these historical sites currently operate in a complex field that intersects sacred tradition with the demands of the tourism market.

A key theoretical starting point is the need for a conceptual distinction between pilgrimage and religious tourism, as well as the difficulty of accurately capturing visitors' motivations. These motivations often fall within a spectrum that includes spiritual, cultural, and recreational motivations. In this context, the Strahov Monastery is …

D4) From ‘Non-Places’ To Meaningful Places: Lourdes And Camino Lituano Cases, Marius Minkevičius, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

How pilgrimage routes shape cultural heritage practices, place attachment, and the risk of places becoming “non-places” (Augé, 2008).

This presentation contrasts two models of pilgrimage route development. Institutionalized, top-down pilgrimage routes, often embedded in tourism and heritage policies, tend to prioritize economic growth and commercialization. Prominent pilgrimage destinations such as Lourdes (Kaufman, 2005) exemplify how top-down management can transform sacred spaces into functional “non-places” (Augé, 2008), privileging consumption and large-scale flows. This raises questions about whether pilgrimage can retain spiritual meaningfulness under increasingly market-driven logics.

In contrast, community-driven, bottom-up pilgrimage routes provide an alternative model, where social and moral commitments, …

B1) The Implementation Of Digital Tools In The Interpretation Of Heritage From A Cultural And Pastoral Perspective, Silvia Aulet, Anna Gili Vilanova-Prat

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The digitisation of cultural languages supposes new challenges and opportunities in the interpretation of religious heritage. From a theoretical perspective, sacred sites can be understood as symbolic realities where material and immaterial dimensions converge. Sacred places are not only architectural containers, but spaces of meaning that articulate identity, memory and transcendence (Aulet & Vidal, 2018).

The preservation of the meaning, identity and original function of sacred spaces in contexts of high tourist accessibility (Aulet & Duda, 2020). Technology, far from being a merely instrumental element, can act as a symbolic mediation that reinforces this sustainability if it contributes to improving …

B3) Ai-Enabled Religious Pilgrimage: A Human Centred Sacred Framework For Authenticity And Responsible Transformation, Parichay Parivesh, Razaq Gili Raj

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping pilgrimage tourism in India by mediating the practical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of sacred travel. While AI is increasingly used in tourism for personalised recommendations, multilingual assistance, predictive crowd management, virtual interpretation and service automation, its application in religious travel requires deeper cultural and ethical reflection. Using India’s large and diverse pilgrimage ecosystem as the focal context, the paper argues that AI should not be treated merely as a tool for efficiency, but as a socio-technical mediator that influences access, authenticity, ritual participation, trust and post-journey meaning-making.

The paper proposes a Human-Centred …

A3) Reconstructing Sacredness In The Digital Age: Mobile Digital Sacred Spaces And Transformative Experiences In Heritage, Dong Wang, Silvia Gili Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This study explores the reconstruction of sacredness and cultural meaning in digital immersive experiences at religious heritage sites. Traditional sacredness is rooted in physical space and material authenticity, while the Longmen Grottoes (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important Buddhist destination in China) is accelerating digital transformation through mobile-based digital incense offerings, algorithmic "Buddha affinity" matching and digital twin visualization platforms, breaking the classical ontology of fixed sacred space.

Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, this study defines digital atmosphere, narrative engagement and interactive rituality as external stimuli, "digital sacredness" a second-order internal psychological state encompassing transcendence, awe, serenity and …

A1) When The Oracle Is An Algorithm: The Future Of The Sacred Experience, Po Man Tse

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) into religious sites presents both profound opportunities and significant challenges (Arnold & Shultz, 2025). While AI shows considerable promise for enhancing visitor experiences (Khan, 2024), its deployment in sacred spaces where tradition and authenticity are paramount requires careful investigation. This study explores visitor perceptions of AI-mediated experiences at Hong Kong's Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, a major pilgrimage site uniquely housing Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions. Employing a qualitative approach, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study utilized the vignette method (Finch, 1987) to anchor conversations in a tangible context, …

A2) Instagrammable Sacredness: The Commodification And Visual Consumption Of Mosque Tourism, Kristel Kessler

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Tourism experiences are increasingly shaped by digital technologies and social media, with destinations and attractions often selected, consumed, and remembered through their visual appeal. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat have transformed the ways in which tourists select and engage with tourist sites and attractions, including sacred and religious sites. While mosque tourism emerged over a decade ago as a central feature of Islamic tourism, emphasizing the religious, cultural, and social significance of mosques for both Muslim and non-Muslim visitors, the rapid growth of social media has fundamentally altered how these spaces are experienced and represented. Today, mosques function …

B2) Ai Generated Narratives In Religious Tourism Marketing: Opportunities And Ethical Risks, Md Javed Kawsar, Rashed Gili Khan

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to redefine narrative construction in religious tourism marketing, creating new opportunities for digital engagement while also raising critical ethical concerns. As religious destinations increasingly adopt AI-enabled storytelling tools, ranging from conversational agents to multimodal generative systems, the nature of narrative authenticity, cultural sensitivity, and visitor perception is being significantly reshaped. Recent work on AI-driven religious tourism indicates that AI-enabled conversational agents influence tourists’ cognitive and affective evaluations, shaping memorable religious tourism experiences and future engagement intentions, highlighting the transformative potential of AI in sacred contexts. Likewise, studies examining AI-driven strategies …

Religious Tourism Promoting A Culture Of Peace, Interfaith Dialogue, And Human Fraternity, Nour Farra Haddad

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Since the 1980s, scholars and organizations including the World Tourism Organization—have discussed how tourism can contribute to international understanding and peacebuilding among the peoples of the world (Moufakkir & Kelly, 2010). Tourism is not only an economic and social activity; it also has the potential to build bridges between diverse cultures and break down barriers that separate societies. Tourism can therefore serve as an avenue for promoting human fraternity and encouraging positive interreligious dialogue. As Jafari (1989, p. 154) argues, tourism has the potential to build bridges and reduce the cultural distances separating people of different races, cultures, and religions. …

Adapting And Promoting Tourism For Children In Venice And The Lagoon Islands: A Comparative Analysis Of Food-Related Discourse Strategies In English And In Italian, Daniela Cesiri Prof.

International Journal of Islands Research

According to the latest available version of the Annual Tourism Survey drafted by the City of Venice, in 2023, 12,628,079 tourists visited Venice and the Lagoon Islands (Bettiol & Marini, 2025). This survey does not provide data on the age groups of these visitors, but they are available in the previous version of the same Survey (Bianchetto & Marini, 2022), which reports that 29% of tourists were in the 46-71 age group. Therefore, we can presume that, excluding the older age groups, quite a large proportion of visitors is likely composed of young tourists and families with children. This study …

The Applicability Of Artificial Intelligence In Tour Guiding: Perspective Of Sustainable Service Innovation In Tourism With Technology, Chiranjib Kumar Choudhary Phd, Aditi Choudhary

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming various sectors of the tourism, travel, and hospitality industry. Among these, the role of tourist guides remains crucial, as they act as cultural ambassadors representing destinations and nations. The primary objective of this study is to explore the applications of AI in developing intelligent audio-visual tour guides and assistive devices that enhance tourists’ real-time experiences at heritage sites, tourist attractions, and places of archaeological significance. The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilising secondary data gathered from academic literature, printed and electronic resources, online databases, and expert opinions from tourism professionals. The collected data were …

Change Of Accessibility In The Izu Islands Before And After Tourism Development In The Pre-World War Ⅱ Period, Kantaro Takahashi

International Journal of Islands Research

This study compares accessibility on the Izu Islands, an inhabited archipelago. part of Tokyo Prefecture, from around the 1910s to the 1930s, during the early years of tourism development. Most islands in the archipelago started attracting tourists during the economically prosperous 1960s and 1970s; uniquely, Izu Oshima, the largest island, had been a tourist destination since before World War II. Tourism research on this region and period has predominantly employed a descriptive approach; quantitative studies have been rare owing to the dearth of data. Addressing this gap, this study conducts a network analysis of data acquired from the books of …

Monastic Botanical Gardens: Medicinal Plants, Cultural Heritage, And Tourist Routes, Polyxeni G. Moira Dr, Dimitrios Mylonopoulos

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

in the natural environment. The natural environment, of which humans are an integral part, served as the first laboratory for the production of medicines. Medicinal botany can be traced back to ancient Greece, continued through ancient Rome, was closely linked to Islamic tradition, and persisted through the rise of Christianity in monasteries, enduring to the present day. Monastic botanical gardens serve as living proof of the relationship between humans, nature, healing, and spirituality. These gardens, which for centuries cultivated plants for medicinal, nutritional, and functional uses, can now be leveraged to promote tourism, cultural heritage, and environmental awareness.

This study …

Connectivity And Tourism Flow In Small Island Developing States, Edmir Luciano Dos Santos Ferreira, João Paulo Madeira

International Journal of Islands Research

Tourism in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) faces unique sustainability challenges, with connectivity emerging as a critical factor. These nations, often situated in remote locations, encounter significant accessibility constraints and limited infrastructure, which restrict tourist flows and adversely affect economic development. The primary aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between connectivity and tourism flows in SIDS, exploring how connectivity, proxied by geographical and cultural-political distance, influences tourism in these regions. Furthermore, the study seeks to determine whether belonging to different SIDS regions or exhibiting varying levels of development helps destinations attract greater tourist flows, by examining several …

The Migrant As A Pilgrim: Decolonising Identity And Belonging, Susan Nemec

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper responds to pilgrimage scholar George Greenia’s assertion that meaningful intersections exist between pilgrimage and various forms of displacement, such as migration or involuntary exile due to famine, war, or political unrest. Greenia proposes that vulnerable, displaced individuals might find shelter, both conceptually and emotionally, within the framing of pilgrimage. By extending concepts of pilgrimage, it can be understood as a deliberate and intentional journey, simultaneously emphasising the transformative potential inherent in migratory movement. By adopting a working definition of pilgrimage as ‘any form of travel that is intentional, purposeful, or transformative,’ the paper considers how migrancy, particularly within …

How To Train Social Intervention Professionals In A Polarised World?, Bruno Michon

Journal of Social Care

This article examines the challenges of training social intervention professionals in an increasingly polarised society. Drawing on theoretical perspectives on political and affective polarisation, it explores how contemporary social divisions shape social work practice. The analysis includes findings from a five-year qualitative study on radicalisation prevention in France, highlighting tensions between security imperatives and the ethical foundations of social work. These tensions often generate mistrust and professional dilemmas for practitioners. The article argues that social work education must address polarisation directly. It proposes three key responses: reaffirming human rights as the ethical foundation of the profession, adopting professional stances that …

Developing Transformative Pilgrimage Tourism: Seeing The Relationship Between Stakeholders In Religion-Based Tourism Practices In Quds, Indonesia, I Nyoman Ruja

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The growing transformation of the pilgrimage tourism sector worldwide cannot be separated from relations between community groups, pilgrims and the tourism industry. This research analyses the relationships between stakeholders involved in faith-based tourism practices in Quds, Indonesia. Through a qualitative approach, we investigate, in Quds the interactions and relationships of multiple parties involved in the religious tourism industry, including pilgrims, government, local communities and related institutions. This research collects data through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The results show that stakeholder relationships significantly create a sustainable religious tourism experience in Quds. Collaboration between pilgrims, the government and local …

The Correlation Between Spiritual Tourism And Mental Health Of Young People In Binh Duong, Vietnam, Anh Nguyen

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

While researchers are in agreement about the positive relationship between spiritual activities (SAs) and mental health (MH) among the general population, the relationship between spiritual tourism (ST) and MH, particularly among young adults, is yet to be adequately investigated. As such, this research was conducted to determine the contribution of ST towards the MH of the younger generation. The respondents are undergraduate students located in Vietnam’s industrial province of Binh Duong. The findings, from the quantitative research approach, indicate that young people perceive ST mainly as a means for visiting places of worship, with little consideration for the MH benefits …