Tourism Commons^™

Spirituality And Commemorative Events: The Centenary Of World War One In Australia, Jennifer Laing, Warwick Frost

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

A number of dark commemorative events have been staged in recent years, marking the anniversaries of incidents that are distressing or involve death or suffering (Frost and Laing, 2013). They are a medium for thinking about and remembering the past and potentially promote healing and provide a sense of closure for those affected, yet there is a paucity of research about them from a socio-cultural perspective. This paper examines the role of the Centenary of World War One in Australia in promoting positive social outcomes that are linked to spiritual development and meaningful experiences. This commemoration of the Great War, …

Sacral Heritage In Cultural And Geographical Trans-Boundary Space Of Europe, Tomasz Duda

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Boundary zones are areas of mutual penetration of social, economic and cultural elements. They are conveyor belts of some kind, carriers of information, thoughts, actions, also in the context of broadly understood cultural heritage (including faith and religion). What is important - such regions are the clear nodal points (or even zones), focusing and targeting (or blocking) the transfer of many ideological, religious and cultural elements, often different from each other.

The purpose of this article is to show the diversity of religious heritage in the area of influence of several cultures, faiths and religions, and also an attempt to …

Consumption Of Zamzam Water As A Natural Health Medicine For Visitors Attending Pilgrimage In Makkah, Tariq H. M. Elhadary, Razaq Raj

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The Zam Zam is the name of the well in city of Makkah that provides water to visitors who are attending pilgrimage. Over the last 4500 years billions of people have drunk water from the well of Zam Zam. During the annual Hajj festival pilgrims drink and wash themselves with the Zam Zam. The Quraan has stated in verse 21:30 ‘and we have made of water everything living, will they not then believe’. It is because of its religious character that Zamzam has a unique identification: the most sacred and miraculous water well in the history of Islam if not …

Managing Hosts And Guests In Diyafa Tradition, Shin Yasuda

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This presentation explored the essence of Islamic hospitality by analysing ḍiyāfa practices in adab literature. The practical level of ḍiyāfa and its philosophy were of special focus by analyzing Revival of Religious Science written by Imām al-Ghazālī, which still seems to be a model for diyāfa practices, and other related adab literatures and writings.

On a practical level, Islamic hospitality is described as the practical norms or standards for both host and guest. On a philosophical level, ḍiyāfa practices reflect ethics (akhlāq), generosity (karam), rewards (faḍl), and religious duties (ḥaqq, wājib, farīḍa, or dayn) in the Islamic way, and promote …

Development Of Mosque Tourism Framework As A Tool To Reduce Islamophobia, Kristel Kessler, Razaq Raj

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The geopolitical situation since September 11th has witnessed the development of terrorist acts and the over mediatized notion of radicalisation and religious extremism. Terrorism prones the suppression of liberty, gender equality, critical thinking and tolerance while adhering to strict principles referencing the Sharia Law which are associated to Islam. Consequently terrorism and Islam have often been linked with significant ramifications for the Muslim communities. Terrorism has always existed, however the “new wave of extremism” is unique under the self-proclaimed Islamic State because it does not require well-planned actions with commendatory groups and it rather encourages isolated and individual command and …

Two Saints, Two Aristocrats: Saint Elisabeth Of Hungary And Saint Isabella Of Portugal, A Religious And Cultural Itinerary Between Central Europe And Portugal, Isilda Leitão

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Elisabeth of Hungary (1207-1231), princess/landgrave of Thuringia, and Isabella (Isabel-Elisabeth) of Aragon (1271-1336), queen of Portugal, were two nobles who became famous due to their acts and religious practices. They are linked by the deep faith they felt, the Religious Order they followed (Saint Francis), their humble lives and the services they paid to poor and sick people. They are also related by the royal blood of Hungary’s House/Empire of Arpad, with Saint Isabella of Portugal being the great-niece of Elisabeth of Hungary (San Vicente, 1995). They are equally linked by the miracle that, among others, earned them immortality: …

New Step From Islamic Countries For Tourism: Oic, The Concept Of Capital City Of Islamic Tourism, Yasin Bilim

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

At the end of 2013, in Gambia, all members countries of OIC (the Organization of Islamic Cooperation) agreed to hold a conference to explore and develop Islamic tourism potential in member countries. After this meeting, in Indonesia 4^th member countries’ Tourism Ministries’ Coordination meeting was organized in June 2014. Main discussions of the conference were on understanding the growing demand of Islamic values in global economy and tourism industry. Bases on these goals, OIC announced the concept of “Tourism Capital City of Islamic Countries” firstly and for 2015 Jerusalem, 2016 Konya / Turkey, 2017 Madinah / Saudi Arabia, 2018 …

The Italian Museums Of Shrines. Specificities And Relations With Pilgrimage, Lorenzo Bagnoli, Rita Capurro

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Italy is a country very rich of Shrines in all her regions, destinations of more or less important local pilgrimages. A lot of them have a specific museum deeply connected with the sacred place and its history. The aim of this research is to verify in which way visiting one of those museums is part of the pilgrimage itself, and in which way it is possible to find a link between the religious identity of the pilgrims and the cultural content of the museum. A few case-studies, chosen among museums of little dimensions and representative of different Italian regions, will …

Jacob’S Ladder: Sa‘Ī, Abdulla Galadari

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper looks at the symbolism of the traversing between the hills of Ṣafa and Marwah (sa‘ī) from the traditional Muslim stories pertaining to it, and its intertextualities with the Bible. A linguistic method is used to understand how the Qur’an uses polysemy in its language to symbolize some of its rituals. It is shown that the term “sa‘ī” in the Qur’an is used to symbolize the traversing between death and life. This symbolism is compared with Jacob’s Ladder in Genesis, as Jacob sees the angels ascending and descending from heaven in a location that he …

The Increasing Value Of Cultural Routes And Religious Itineraries For Potential Tourism Destinations., Elisa Piva, Stefania Cerutti

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The increasing value of Cultural Routes and Religious Itineraries for potential tourism destinations.

Osaka’S Thirteen Buddhas: The Proliferation Of Modern Japanese Pilgrimage Routes Extended Abstract, Greg Wilkinson

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Osaka’s Thirteen Buddha Pilgrimage is a route through the greater Osaka area to Buddhist temples. Thirteen Buddha pilgrimage routes have experienced growth in participation over the past few years. This new popularity has increased the number of thirteen Buddha pilgrimages routes. This proliferation in routes are a phenomenon, which deserves attention because pilgrimage participation is often used not only as an illustration of a specific religious practice but also a significant variable in the continuing discourse about Japan’s secularization (Reader 2012). This study investigates more specifically Osaka’s thirteen Buddha pilgrimage sites and how each has become a location for multiple …

Long-Distance Walking In 'The Way': Promises Of Healing And Redemption, Warwick Frost, Jennifer Laing

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Films can be a source of inspiration to travel and influence imaginings about travel (Frost, 2010; Frost and Laing, 2015). This paper analyses the depiction of long-distance walking as an activity that promotes healing in The Way (2010); a film about pilgrims on the Camino Way in Spain. The motif of redemption is used to understand this cinematic narrative. It is the third pillar of ‘the Christian eschatological narratives of sin, sacrifice and redemption’ (Taylor, 2001: 10), but also a common element in many sacred stories (McAdams et al., 2001), where the sinner atones for what they have done and …

The Proliferation, Commercialization, And Secularization Of The Seven Gods Of Good Fortune Pilgrimages In Modern Japan, Daniel H. Olsen, Greg Wilkinson

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Osaka’s Thirteen Buddha Pilgrimage is a route through the greater Osaka area to Buddhist temples. Thirteen Buddha pilgrimage routes have experienced growth in participation over the past few years. This new popularity has increased the number of thirteen Buddha pilgrimages routes. This proliferation in routes are a phenomenon, which deserves attention because pilgrimage participation is often used not only as an illustration of a specific religious practice but also a significant variable in the continuing discourse about Japan’s secularization (Reader 2012). This study investigates more specifically Osaka’s thirteen Buddha pilgrimage sites and how each has become a location for multiple …

Emotional Connection, Cognitive Engagement And Post-Experience Behaviours In Religious Site Visits: A Search On Mawlana Museum In Konya, Turkey, Özgür Özer, Feridun Duman, Özlem Güzel

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This study looks at different motives that tourists experience for their vacations and visit different holiday destinations. Tourist experiences are more than physical travels to places. Therefore, major tourist destinations associate themselves with sacred people e.g. St. Philipius or Virgin Mary, sometimes a Sufi such as Mawlana or Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. These associations with the sacred people create emotional connections and cognitive engagements with these destinations. These emotional connections and cognitive engagements in turn lead to destination loyalty. Within this context, this study specifically aims at (1) exploring the effects of religious sites on emotional connections and cognitive engagements, (2) …

Sanctuaries And Catholic Kitsch: Hypertrophy Of Devotional Production, Fiorella Giacalone

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

For the pilgrim has always been important to establish a link with places of worship, notably by buying religious souvenirs, prayer cards, postcards. The devotional objects, the Catholic kitsch have become a sort hypertrophy of bad taste. The purchase of household objects, statues of the saint, become central components of the trip and remember the same pilgrimage. The paper deals with the dynamics of the religious Kitsch in Cascia and Assisi in Umbria, Italy.

The methodology used is ethnography and observation in the cities of Assisi and Cascia. I have collected many Christian kitsch objects and pictures of the saints …

Developing Spiritual Tourism For Youngsters, The Spirit-Youth Example, Silvia Aulet, Judit Diaz, Dolors Vidal

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Spiritual tourism was coined from an academic standpoint only recently, probably because the word spiritual is difficult to define and the label can therefore include different types of supply. Spiritually motivated tourists are an emerging niche (Aulet, Vidal-Casellas, & Crous, 2015). According to UNTWO estimates, around 330 million tourists visit the main religious sites each year, spiritual motivation being one of the most important reasons for this (Lanquar, 2007). Bywater (1994) also mentioned that spiritual travel occupies an important segment of international tourism and has been growing steadily.

SPIRIT-Youth is a COSME project (COSME-TOUR-2015-3-04) funded by the European Commission’s Executive …

Religious Tourism In The Diaspora: Orthodox Christian Monasteries In North America, Dino Bozonelos

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Religious tourism is flourishing in North America. There is a growing number of sacred sites in the U.S. and Canada that have been popularized by religious tourists. As Olsen (2016) notes, many of these sacred sites were founded by immigrant groups, seeking to recreate reinvent sacred sites they would visit in their homeland. This is especially true among the Orthodox Christian diaspora, where visiting monastic orders for prayer and spiritual reflection is a strong part of one’s Orthodox identity. In addition, Orthodox monasteries have become popular visits with non-Orthodox Christian Americans and Canadians, who come for the serenity and peace …

Religious Tourism & The Azorean Diaspora In The Usa, Cristina Carvalho, Vitor Ambrósio

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The article focuses on the Azorean diaspora in North America in historic and cultural terms. The analysis of official tourist reports and inquiries, newspaper articles and Online sources allow us to perceive which generations preserve the religious factor as pivotal for the attendance of the events, and which one/s already reveal shifting trends.

Religion is still an important element to summon the Azorean diaspora spread across the USA. The Ecce Homo procession is celebrated in towns like Fall River (Massachusetts) and Half Moon Bay (California), although Ponta Delgada (São Miguel island) still remains the devotional core – the former and …

The Body Of Christ (“Corpus Christi”): Feast, Devotion And Local/Regional Tourism In Sao Manuel City (Brazil), Gílson De Lima Garófalo, Terezinha Filgueiras De Pinho

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The contribution addresses the ceremony of The Body of Christ (“Corpus Christi”) in a town in the interior of Brazil in Sao Paulo State - the city of Sao Manuel, where since the 1940s the celebration mobilizes almost the a significant part of the local population in the task of embellishing the streets covered by the procession. Preparations include choice or defining drawings for walkways and ornamental rugs, arrangements concerning the material, including, in specific cases, the artificial coloring, molding, demarcation of soil, divulgation and logistics support to tourists, cleaning of streets post event and alike. The research …

Cultural And Religious Tourism - The Case Of The Tesouro Da Misericórdia Museum, Joaquim Antunes, Henrique Almeida, Cristina Barroco

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper describes the process of implementation and development of “Tesouro da Misericórdia Museum”, a museum that was born in the building of the Misericórdia church in the city of Viseu (Portugal) and has contributed to improvement the tourism activity in the region. The methodology of the study was based on a structured interview with the director of the museum and on surveys of visitors of the museum, in order to perceive the profile of the tourist who visits the museum. A total of 101 questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Finally, future development strategies are presented in an interdisciplinary perspective, …

Smart Media Technologies Impact On The Spiritual Experience Of Hajj Pilgrims, Jahanzeeb Qurashi, Richard A. Sharpley

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Over the last two decades, information and communication technologies have advanced rapidly and continue to do so. Currently, the popularity and spread of SMART Media Technologies (SMT) is not only transforming the lives of tourists around the world in general, but is impacting on the experience of pilgrims on the Hajj in Saudi Arabia in particular,(Brdesee et al, 2013). Indeed, the Saudi government has undertaken a number of initiatives to encourage the use of SMT in the religious tourism industry, (Majid, 2016).

Specifically, the availability of SMT services such as Hajj Apps, E-bracelets for pilgrims, free WIFI and mobile charging …

The Influence Of Facebook In The Holiday Decision Making Of Muslim Women In The Uk, Imran Khan

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Muslim consumer segment now represents the Fourth ‘Billion’ segment after China, India, and women overall in all around the world. Muslim population is increasing faster than the other segments in the UK. Muslim women play a significant role in family decision-making. Yet, researchers have neglected this segment. On the other hand, internet plays a vital role in decision-making and likewise, social media is influencing the family decision-making. Furthermore, women have an influential role at following stages of decision-making specifically in holiday decision making: information search, information processing, and determination of specific holiday package. Muslim population is growing very fast in …

Applying A Systems (Holistic) Approach To Religious Tourism, Tadeja Jere Jakulin, Alan Clarke Professor

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper explores the ways in which the rigour of systems thinking can underpin critical research in religious tourism. Following a brief introduction of the principles of analytical systems approaches, the paper elaborates how these principles can drive analyses of religious tourism.

Systems approach is a methodology for complex phenomena research, theory and cybernetics, the disciplines, which play an important role in different fields of scientific research. Hereby we will present the tourism system from systems point of view with special regards on religious tourism.

Systems Approach uses a different process. It puts the system in the context of the …

Motivations For Pilgrimage: Why Pilgrims Travel El Camiño De Santiago, Angela Antunes, Suzanne Amaro, Carla Henriques

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Given the importance and rise of religious tourism, this study aims to identify pilgrims’ motivations to undertake the Camiño de Santiago and examine differences regarding socio demographics and other characteristics. An online questionnaire was used to collect data from pilgrims that had travelled the Camiño de Santiago at least once. A total of 1,140 valid responses were collected from 45 different nationalities. The results indicate that pilgrims are mostly motivated by spiritual aspects, by wanting new experiences, for the outdoor experience and for cultural reasons. Religious motivations and fulfilling promises are the factors with the lowest averages, demonstrating that modern …

Religion Or Fandom? Secular Ritual In Pop-Culture Pilgrimage, Kyungjae Jang

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper aims to consider the meaning of secular ritual in pop-culture tourism, and to clarify the role of social media as a tool for making and transmitting secular ritual, focuses on Asian fans’ pilgrimage of Japanese mixed media Love Live! School Idol Project.

The paper first introduces contemporary sacred meaning-making as a theoretical framework. Then, based on anthropological research, the paper analyses how secular ritual is made and transmitted, focuses on Asian fans’ popular-culture pilgrimages. The specific popular culture work chosen, after five years of participatory research in Japanese popular culture-related pilgrimage, was an event related to the Japanese …

The Possibility Of Pilgrimage In A Scientific World, Stephen Haller

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper discusses the conflict between science and religion in the context of pilgrimage. Since a scientific world-view rules out many ideas which are traditionally associated with pilgrimage, such as miracles and the effectiveness of prayer, it seems that pilgrimage might be a practice inconsistent with the modern scientific age. Attempts have been made to reconcile this conflict by arguing that science and religion do not conflict, but are non-overlapping spheres of inquiry. Thus, it is possible to make sense of pilgrimage in a scientific age, if one strips their pilgrimage of all aspects to which science might object. However, …

Improving Sacred Sites Management Through New Technologies: The Case Of Montserrat, Sílvia Aulet Serrallonga, Lluís Prats

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

It is proposed in this paper a new method to improve sacred sites management through the use of new media.

Montserrat Monastery, in Catalonia, is the major sacred site of the country, also, one of the most visited places for tourist. Over 2,5M visitors each year visit this sacred place, generating, sometimes, conflicts between different types of visitors and carrying capacity problems.

The project proposes to implement a technology solution based on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi coverage in different areas and buildings of Montserrat. This solution allows geotag visitors using their mobile phone in order to track their behaviour and interact …

Motivations For Visiting Sacred Sites: The Case Of Senhora Da Lapa Schrine, Cristina Barroco, Joaquim Antunes, Hermínio Dias

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Religious tourism in Portugal is extremely rich and integrates a variety of religious festivities, sacred heritage, Jewish legacy, organized and well known routes and famous religious shrines throughout the country. The Nossa Senhora da Lapa Shrine can be distinguished, since it is one of the oldest sacred sites in Europe. According to Raj and Griffin (2015) in the current literature there is relatively limited research exploring the understanding and motivation of religious tourists’ patterns of visitation to sacred sites. Thus, the current study intends to identify what motivates people to visit sacred sites and why visitors choose to visit the …

Understanding Visitor Motivations To A Wayside Chapel In Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, Daniel H. Olsen

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

While academics that study religious tourism tend to focus on large-scale events and sites that attract thousands and millions of people, little has been written about small-scale sites that attract very few people but are still considered to be a part of religious tourism supply. This presentation focuses on a wayside chapel in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. Located on the side of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) , this wayside chapel is visited by hundreds of travelers a year who are passing through Brandon. An analysis of guestbook comments over a number of years highlights some of the reasons why people …

Religious And Pilgrimage Tourism: A Path To Sufism, Tariq Elhadary

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

The paper attempts to shed some light on religious tourism as a broad term which lends itself to cover Muslim tourism, Christian tourism, or any other religion linked with the term ‘tourism’. The paper likens religious tourism to Sufi travel and wander. It inquires about the similarities between Sufi wander and religious tourism, and what they both have in common. Moreover, how far and true religious tourism embodies the essence of Sufism in its search for love, peace, and knowledge. Sufism embraces love as a means of transformation to better human beings; Where does religious tourism stand as far as …