Tourism Commons^™

K3) From Sacred Landscape To Pilgrimage Environment: The Case Of Monte San Giorgio And Mendrisio, Lorenzo Cantoni, Adine Gavazzi

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Across Europe, numerous historic pilgrimage landscapes no longer function as dominant religious destinations, yet devotional practices persist in fragmented, latent, or reinterpreted forms. Pilgrimage however appears to be undergoing a process of transformation within postsecular communities, where spiritual meaning coexists with heritage tourism, community identity, and cultural landscape management. Building on religious tourism studies, pilgrimage is understood as mobility toward sacred sites as well as a ritual process embedded in tradition, motivation, and lived experience (Griffin & Raj 2017). Contemporary scholarship emphasises that pilgrimage preserve the experiential and relational practice linking people, landscape and belief systems, while fighting the tourist …

K2) (Over) Tourism And Tolkien’S Doors Of Durin: Challenges And Opportunities For St Edward’S Local Parish Church, Ruth Dowson, Karen Wellman

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper considers the impacts of overtourism on the local parish church in the English Cotswolds that allegedly inspired Tolkien’s Doors of Durin (Lord of the Rings), and which was also the location of the ending of the English Civil War in the 17th Century. As a convenient stopping place for coaches, the picturesque village of Stow-on-the-Wolds has numerous tea shops; its unique historical and literary connections have made St Edwards Parish Church into a destination for approximately 200,000 visitors a year (the equivalent of ten coaches every day). This research project assesses the visitors’ footprint: demographics; where they come …

J1) Reorienting The Pilgrim-Tourist Dichotomy, Daniel H. Olsen

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Over the past decade, the pilgrim–tourist dichotomy, originally articulated by Smith (1992), has come under sustained scrutiny, particularly in light of postmodern critiques that problematize rigid dualisms and emphasize the fluidity of personal identity. Scholars have long debated the usefulness of this binary framework. On one hand, some have sought to refine the dichotomy by inserting additional categories along a spectrum, attempting to capture the nuances between pilgrims and tourists. On the other hand, many critics have dismissed the model’s analytical utility entirely, often without offering a concrete alternative to understand the distinctions between these two types of travelers.

This …

J2) Whose Sacredness? A Systematized Review Of Theoretical Grounding And Social Representation In Tourism Studies, Ana Maria Candell Saldarreaga, Silvia Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper presents a critical and systematized literature review of how sacred spaces and sites are conceptualized within tourism studies. Although research increasingly engages with religious, spiritual, heritage, and secular sites, the concept of 'sacredness' is frequently employed without explicit definition or consistent theoretical grounding, often leading to an analytical ambiguity between traditional devotion and contemporary heritage consumption. Consequently, the central question this study addresses is: In what ways is tourism scholarship conceptualizing sacrality, and what is being overlooked in the process. To address this, the study examines dominant disciplinary perspectives, the types of spaces analysed, and the positioning of …

I3) The Apparitions Of Notre Dame Du Lac (Our Lady Of The Lake) In Togo: Or The Roman Church's Strategy In Africa, Pierre Fournié, Henri Dou

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

"Our Lady of the Lake. Mother of Mercy”, reads the inscription on the statue of Virgin Mary. Overlooking Lake Togo, visible from many points within the Marian shrine, it symbolizes the devotion that illuminates the site since its inauguration in November 1973. The weakest, the poorest, those who suffer come here seeking the care and protection. Since the Virgin was seen by villagers above the waters in 1971, and the visit of Pope John Paul II consecrating the place in 1985, the sanctuary welcomes every year on the shores of Lake Togo, thousands of believers, faithful, curious people, but also …

J3) The Autopoiesis Of Pilgrimage Tourism: How Cruise Passengers Self-Organise Transformational Meaning In Mass Tourism, Taja Macek, Tadeja Jere Jakulin

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Modern cruise tourism presents a theoretical paradox for the Mediterranean basin. Every year, millions of passengers sail along maritime routes that follow ancient pilgrimage routes. They head towards Rome, the Holy Land, and the coastal approaches to Lourdes, Santiago, and Montserrat. All this takes place within one of the most operationally regulated and commercially standardised forms of mass tourism. Even within this structural rigidity, travellers regularly report profound personal transformation, spiritual encounters, and meaning-making that are strikingly reminiscent of traditional pilgrimage narratives (Collins-Kreiner, 2010; Olsen & Timothy, 2006). This discrepancy between the system's design and the individual's experience poses a …

I1) Ancient Pilgrimage Routes As Tools For Durable Territorial Development: Insights From The Camino De Santiago And The Via Francigena, Maria Laura Gasparini

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage is a practice common to all major religions, involving a journey undertaken for spiritual or religious purposes towards a sacred site (Smith, 1992). Considered a forerunner of modern tourism (Di Giovine & Elsner, 2016; pilgrimage today is experiencing a notable phase of rejuvenation (Collins-Kreiner, 2016), increasingly marked by personal quests for meaning and spirituality (Trono, 2015). Beyond its religious and spiritual dimension, pilgrimage has been revitalised globally as a form of outdoor and slow tourism. The growing development of both historical and contemporary routes has captured the attention of policymakers, who increasingly recognise their potential for fostering local development, …

I2) Unlocking The Potential Of Pilgrimage Tourism For Post War Tourism Recovery: Evidence From Tigray, Ethiopia, Asefash Dejine Asefash Ayallew, Silvia Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This study examines the role of pilgrimage tourism for supporting post conflict tourism recovery in Tigray, Ethiopia, with particular focus on the pilgrimage site of Saint Mary Axum Zion in the historic city of Axum. The region possesses rich religious and cultural heritage that has historically attracted large number of pilgrims and visitors.

The need for this study arises from the devastating Tigray war (2020–2023), which resulted the destruction of religious sites, looting of artifacts, collapse of tourism services and loss of livelihoods connected to the sector. However, despite these challenges several pilgrimage destinations have continued as important point of …

From Interpretation To Experience: Narrative As A Space Of Encounter With The Sacred In Religious Tourism, Tomasz Duda

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

No abstract provided.

H3) "Between Paths And Beliefs: Religious Tourism As A Tool For Cultural Understanding And Social Transformation", Maria Angelica Alvarez Orozco, Silvia Aulet

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

From the beginning of humanity, walking has been the way humankind has regained its equilibrium, creating a natural connection towards the path and what it represents. Pilgrimage was the first form of tourism to emerge thousands of years ago; in fact, the development of tourism cannot be understood without understanding the practice of pilgrimage since ancient times.

Therefore, this ongoing research, entitled "Between Paths and Beliefs: Religious tourism as a tool for cultural understanding and social transformation," aims to delve into the understanding of pilgrimage as a religious tourism itinerary that contributes to the transformation of individuals through travel. Through …

G4) Polish Pilgrimages In The Holy Year (Jubilee 2025): Structure, Scales And Directions, Elżbieta Bilska-Wodecka, Mohammed Jabar Yaqub

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Jubilee 2025 created a framework for intensified religious mobility in Europe and beyond. According to Vatican sources, more than 33 million pilgrims participated in Jubilee-related events. Official statistics are not yet available for all Jubilee celebrations. However, data from the Jubilee of Youth indicate that between 12,000 (official registrations) and approximately 20,000 (ecclesial estimates) participants came from Poland, placing Polish pilgrims among the most numerous foreign national groups present in Rome during this event.

Focusing on the Polish case, this paper analyses pilgrimage mobility during Jubilee 2025 through a multiscalar lens. While Rome represented the most symbolic global destination, Polish …

G2) Pilgrimage As Biographical Resource: A Process-Based Typology Of Camino De Santiago Pilgrims, Andreas Braun

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Research on the Camino de Santiago has predominantly classified pilgrims along single dimensions: by motivation before departure, by the type of experience encountered on the road, or by the meaning derived from the journey (Cohen, 1979; Brumec et al., 2023a). What has rarely been attempted is a typological approach that treats the full biographical trajectory from departure through experience and change to return as an integrated unit of analysis.

This article develops such a process-based typology. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of 588 open-ended written responses from German-speaking Camino pilgrims, it reconstructs six ideal-typical biographical configurations following the method of …

G3) Does A More Physically Demanding Pilgrimage Bring More Spirituality And Closeness To Faith, Jaffer Idris, Mohammed Jabar Yaqub

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage is frequently associated with bodily hardship, often interpreted as a pathway to deeper spiritual transformation. This abstract examines whether physically challenging pilgrimages generate greater spiritual benefit than less demanding journeys, drawing on scholarship from religious studies, sociology, and pilgrimage tourism research. Historically, many traditions frame pilgrimage as an embodied practice involving endurance, sacrifice, and discipline. Within this framework, physical exertion can function as ritualized effort that encourages humility, reflection, and detachment from everyday routines. Scholars drawing on theories of liminality argue that demanding journeys intensify pilgrims’ awareness of vulnerability and transition, thereby supporting experiences of meaning, renewal, and transcendence …

H2) Governance At Religious/Cultural Tourism Destination Sites, Dino Bozonelos

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

A series of global factors have led scholars to renewed research into tourism governance, including the lingering effects of the pandemic, overtourism, quality of life issues, sustainability of tourism destination sites (WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024; Vargas-Sánchez, 2023). In addition, there has been a gradual shift in approach to tourism policy literature from the notion of government to that of governance (Hall, 2012; Bramwell and Lane, 2012; Jamal and Camargo, 2018; Piva, et al, 2019; Bozonelos, 2023). Thus, governance is a central issue in tourism. Governance is described as the “act of governing”, or a focus on the …

G1) Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage In A Global Future World, Darius Liutikas

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper examines the evolving intersection between societal development and sacred mobility, focusing on how emerging technologies, as well as cultural and environmental changes, are reshaping religious and spiritual travel in the 21st century. As societal transformations become increasingly embedded in cultural, religious, and touristic practices, it is essential to understand how these changes are transforming the ways individuals plan, experience, and interpret pilgrimages and other forms of religious mobility. The paper begins with foundational concepts of religious travel and valuistic journeys, situating contemporary developments within broader theoretical frameworks of faith, mobility, and meaning-making.

Building on this foundation, the paper …

H1) The Communicative Dimension Of The Religious Event In The Event Management Of Contemporary Culture, Leticia Arráez

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

This paper addresses the renewed resurgence of religious spirituality in contemporary culture and its implications for the management and communication of institutional religious events. As Hoover (2025) observes, “individuals today construct identity and meaning through practices of cultural consumption”, prompting a reappraisal of the religious event as a transformative experience. Drawing on scholarship in religious communication and event management, alongside documents of the Catholic Church’s Magisterium, the study conceptualizes the religious event as a process that offers transcendence attuned to contemporary cultural codes. Within this framework, events in public spaces or along pilgrimage routes emerge as polyhedral realities where the …

E1) Relics On The Move: Decentring Pilgrimage And The Mobility Of Holy Objects In Diaspora Communities, Dino Bozonelos, Daniel Vecchio

International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conferences

Pilgrimage is frequently understood through a Western Christian framework, with the Camino de Santiago functioning as an archetypal model. As Coleman (2021) observes, this has encouraged scholars to apply Eurocentric definitions of pilgrimage to diverse religious practices, often obscuring alternative forms and limiting scholarly interpretation. Conventionally, pilgrimage requires religious travelers to leave home in search of the sacred what Victor Turner describes as the spiritual “out there “typically by journeying to a holy site associated with relics, idols, or images. However, such parameters exclude practices in which sacred objects themselves travel, bringing the “out there” home to devotees. In these …

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 …