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Religious tourism- what is it and how does it work?

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Religious tourism makes up a big part of the tourism industry worldwide. Learn more about religious tourism, what it is and how it works in this article….

What is religious tourism?

Why is religious tourism important, missionaries, religious sightseeing, religious tourism in india, religious tourism in the philippines, religious tourism in italy, religious tourism in israel, religious tourism in turkey, religious tourism in poland, religious tourism- further reading.

Religious tourism

Religious tourism is a branch of tourism which involves people travelling for religious purposes (like a pilgrimage ) or to see things of religious importance (sightseeing). It is also known as faith tourism. It also incorporates missionaries. Religious tourism isn’t just for religious people, of course. Many people who engage in religious tourism are actually of no religion themselves!

Religious tourism is an important branch of tourism for many reasons. It allows people to connect to their religion in a way they might otherwise not be able to – for example, a Muslim person living in a predominantly Christian country or area may have little opportunity to visit a mosque. They may also not have the chance to meet other Muslims very often. By visiting a place where Islam is the prominent religion, they might be able to build a better connection with their religion. 

It also provides a way for humanity to preserve our common heritage. All religions are practised in different places across the globe, as humanity has spread through the centuries. By visiting religious monuments and locations, we are able to learn more about the histories behind different religions, making religious tourism a great form of educational tourism too.

Religious tourism also helps to provide funding for the upkeep and preservation of religious sites. Entry fees to places like the Vatican are useful when it comes to repairs and paying for the staff who maintain the physical aspect of the Catholic Church. As well as this, as more people visit certain areas, governments are forced to ensure that roads, water supplies and infrastructure are taken care of.

Religious tourism activities

There are various activities which can come under the arm of religious tourism. One major one is a pilgrimage. I have an in-depth article about this, which you can read here . A pilgrimage is an often lengthy trip to a place of particular significance to your religion. An example of this is Muslims visiting Mecca, or Catholics heading to Lourdes. You can find some other religious tourism activities below…

Religious tourism

A missionary is a person sent on a mission by their religion. They are sent to an area in order to promote this religion, and also provide services that this area may need. The most famous missionaries are members of the evangelical church, a branch of Christianity. The term comes from the Bible, when Jesus himself used it to refer to sending his disciples to preach the gospel in his name. However, the term’ missionary’ can be used in relation to any religion.

The most popular form of religious tourism is sightseeing. This is something which many people do, regardless of their particular religion. Every year, over 5 million people visit the Vatican – and they are not all Catholics heading there to pray or connect to the religion. They are also people who are interested in art and architecture, or history buffs, or people who want to tick ‘visiting the world’s smallest country’ off their bucket list.

The same goes with people visiting other religious sites. They may not necessarily be religious themselves. Many are, of course, and visit these sites for reasons similar to why people go on pilgrimages. They want to connect with other people of the same religion, or visit a place that is important to the religion itself.

There are many places you can go if religious sightseeing is something you enjoy. You’ll find some popular ones below!

Religious tourism destinations

Pretty much every town and city across the globe has a church, mosque, temple, cathedral or synagogue (and so on) – which means religious tourism can take place anywhere. There are some places, however, where it is much more prominent than others.

Religious tourism

Religious tourism in India is huge. Spirituality is a massive part of Indian culture , with the main religion being Hinduism. 79.8% of the population identify as Hindu, with 14.2% practising Islam and 2.3% being Christians. Sikhism and Buddhism, while not as popular in India now, were both actually founded here.

With that in mind, there are many places of religious importance to visit in India. 

Haridwar and Varanasi are two famous religious places in India, and have been since ancient times. They are two sites with a lot of significance in Hinduism. Haridwar is where the River Ganges exits the Himalayan foothills, and there is a nightly river worshipping ceremony held here. Tiny flickering lamps are floated off the steps of the sacred ghat here. Varanasi is believed to have been the home of Lord Shiva, a prominent figure in Hinduism. Varanasi sees many pilgrims visiting in order to purify themselves by bathing in the River Ganges at sunrise.

There are also hundreds of beautiful churches, temples and mosques across the country which make for wonderful sightseeing.

Religious tourism

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country. 83% of residents are Roman Catholic, with other branches of Christianity being the next popular religion followed by Islam. There are many Catholic sites you can visit as a religious tourist. These include:

  • Monasterio de Tarlac, San Jose, Tarlac – with its statue very reminiscent of Christ the Redeemer in Rio
  • National Shrine of the Divine Mercy, Marilao, Bulacan – with healing flower water in its basement
  • Tatlong Krus, Paete, Laguna – the site of three tall white crosses with breathtaking views, a popular pilgrimage site
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan – a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, with 14 Stations of the Cross
  • Manila Cathedral – inside the walled historic city of within the modern city of Manila

Religious tourism

When it comes to religious tourism, Italy is one of the best places. You’ll find so many churches, cathedrals, museums and historic religious sites to visit whether you are religious or not. Being the location of the Vatican, which is the heart of the Catholic Church, it comes as no surprise! Statistics show that Italy is home to at least 1,500 shrines, 30,000 churches, and 700 diocesan museums. As well as this, there are a large number of monasteries and convents across the country.

Assisi is one of the most important places in Italy for religious tourism. This is where St Francis (patron saint of Italy) lived! His remains are buried at the basilica here.

Loreto is another important destination. People come here to visit the Basilica della Santa Casa, home to some of the relics of the holy house of Nazareth. Legend says this is the house where Mary would have grown up – and where she would have received the message of Jesus’ birth.

Rome , of course, is where you can go to visit the Vatican. St Peter’s Square is an incredibly important destination for religious tourism, as people flock here to catch a glimpse of – or be blessed by – the Pope.

Religious tourism

More than half of tourists visiting Israel are religious tourists. Home of the Holy Land, it is no wonder that so many Christians and Jews come here. Recent statistics show that:

  • 90% of all Christian tourists visited Jerusalem
  • 89% visited Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee
  • 86% visited Nazareth
  • 85% visited the Dead Sea area
  • 83% visited Capernaum 
  • 86% of pilgrims visited Bethlehem

Within these regions, there are so many places to see which are of religious importance to Christians and the people of the Jewish faith. These include Via Dolorosa, the Western Wall, Mount of Olives, the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Annunciation and many more.

Religious tourism

There is a lot of religious tourism in Turkey too. Here there are many churches, mosques, mausoleums, crypts and so on. Religious tourists can visit the ‘first church in the world’, which is the Church of Saint Peter. Located near Antakya, it is a cave carved into the mountainside. Saint Nicholas lived in Turkey, too, so there are various locations linked to him – including the alleged site of his burial in Demre.

It’s not just Christianity that is so present in Turkey. There are so many Islamic sites of importance across the country too. Istanbul is home to the only remaining items of clothing of the prophet Muhammad; there are beautiful mosques in every area of the country, and you’ll be able to hear the call to prayer wherever you are.

Religious tourism

Poland is another destination which is popular for religious tourism. One very popular site is the Pauline Monastery on Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. This is where tourists can find the blessed icon of the Black Madonna, worshipped globally. Wadowice is the birthplace of Pope John Paul II – and there is a lot of information about him in Krakow too, as the two places are relatively close. Generally, the country has many beautiful churches and monasteries. These make for brilliant sightseeing trips, a major part of religious tourism as stated above.

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Religious Tourism: What is it and why is it so important?

Religious tourism is one of the earliest forms of tourism and is a fast growing market. Here, Peter Wiltshier, Consultant Researcher Community & Tourism Development NZ at Research Consultancy NZ, New Zealand , explains what it is and why it is so important.

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View to Jerusalem old city, Israel

What is religious tourism?

Religious tourism has taken place since the dawn of civilisation. Pilgrims travelled to pay homage to the sacred places and their guardians throughout the world. Tourism to sacred sites has merged with pilgrimage in the past 2,000 years. More recently, in the past 200 years wealthy Europeans visited special sites of sacred ritual in both the New World and throughout Europe.

Why is it so important?

Sites of special sacred significance have been visited for millennia. What is now important is that these sites need protection, conservation and interpretation. There are few guardians of these special places of worship and visitation and even fewer sources of funds to maintain and manage sites for visitors and worshippers. We do make a distinction between worshippers and visitors, as the religious sites cater for both in roughly equal amounts at some very special places like Lourdes in France and Fatima in Portugal.

Religious tourism in history

The management of religious tourism presents many challenges that are unique in both breadth and application. Sites of religious significance have existed since biblical times and pilgrimage in the Judeo-Christian context is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, for example, in the story of Elkanah, who travels annually to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice (1 Samuel 1:1-28). It is also present in the New Testament Pentecost story, when Jews from all over the world went to Jerusalem for the Passover (Acts 2: 1-12). Many of these sites still exist and other sites, although not as old, have considerable heritage value. The management of heritage sites present particular problems, one of which relates to the cost of maintenance.

Managing sites of religious tourism

Most religious sites are owned by religious organisations, and this may cause challenges for their management, as they must balance the needs of worshippers with those of their visitors. Mosques are at the centre of Islamic tourism and are visited by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Muslims may visit mosques while travelling as a tourist attraction or as a place of worship. Many mosques have a dual role, functioning as both a place of worship and as a community centre. The role of community centre means that the mosque will be open for functions and festivities that are not strictly religious in nature and may include non-Muslims.

Muslim countries, such as those in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) welcome tourism, especially religious tourism. But they make a distinction between pilgrimage, the most well know being the Hajj, and other forms of religious tourism. While non-Muslims are welcome at sites such as mosques, they are not welcome at the Hajj. The Hajj is one of the most important forms of pilgrimage today with millions of Muslims travelling to Makkah (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia and, without question, the most important Muslim pilgrimage. It is therefore important to distinguish between Muslim travellers to Muslim sites and non-Muslim visitors to these sites. For example, it is not acceptable for non-Muslims to enter the region of Hejaz where the cities of Mecca and Medina are located. There is some conflict related to ‘ownership’ of these sites, and this is discussed below. Other religions have similar problems in relation to conflicting motivations.

Visitors and worshippers

One of the conflicts that has been noted is between visitors to religious sites and worshippers. While many visitors see worshippers as part of the experience, some worshippers do not like the feeling of being observed. Worshippers do not want to feel that they are part of a ‘show’, but are happy to share their religious space, and are proud of the architecture and history that attracts visitors to the site. Sacredness does not readily cross cultural boundaries. What is viewed as sacred by one group, such as congregants, may be seen as culturally interesting by another visitor group. Given that some visitors may wish to engage in worship, Church authorities may need to determine when a request to participate in a service should be accepted as an expression of genuine interest and/or intention.

Developing sites of special significance requires the dissemination and sharing of both intellectual and practical contributions to meet those needs in a planned and stakeholder-driven approach. Traditional approaches to development emerged half a century ago with a focus on core competencies and the agreed understanding that open and fair competition would raise quality and assure reasonable profit margins. It is important to create awareness of services and products and map those to marketing practices.

Analysis and synthesis through primary research enable cleric and manager to grasp visitors’ and worshippers’ needs and develop audiences for sites. In the book, we present the importance of maintenance and plans for developing sites to accommodate factors in both internal and external environments that acknowledge the requirement to remain competitive.

How can religious tourism sites stay competitive?

The importance of networks, grappling with the wider community and perhaps establishing a wider, even global, reach, is appraised as important. In seeking to tap into resources traditionally not employed in managing religious and pilgrimage sites, we elevate the need for an enterprise culture.

Our book features great practices for supporting tourism to sites of worship and pilgrimage from China and Nepal through to Salt Lake City, Australia and diverse but important sites in England, Hungary, Spain, and Ireland. Emerging practices in festival and event management at these sites are coupled with new interpretation through the use of virtual reality technology. Emerging good practices for emulation come with sites that are now employing funding managers prepared to manage the risks of increased visitation against the pressures to conserve and protect the ancient sites at the centre of the visitor experience.

Managing Religious Tourism book cover

This post also appears on the University of Derby blog .

Managing Religious Tourism is now available from the CABI Bookshop.

You might also be interested in reading From too many to too few: the impact of COVID-19 on overtourism

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What Is Religious Tourism And What Are The Challenges It Is Facing?

Religious tourism, which is also known as faith tourism, is the type of tourism whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for reasons related to religion or spirituality in their quest for meaning. It could be under pilgrimage, missionary, or leisure purposes. Practiced since the dawn of civilization, religious tourism one of the oldest forms of tourism. For religious travelers, it is not a vacation exactly but, a transformational journey during which, new insights are given, a deeper understanding is attained, new and old places in the heart are visited, blessings are received, healing takes place, and after this journey, life is seen with different eyes.

Religious Tourism, Buddhist Temples in India

Pilgrims pay homage to the sacred places and their Gods by traveling around the world (or even if just in the country). These sacred or holy sites may include the place of birth or death of founders (or saints), or the place of their “calling” or spiritual awakening, or of their connection (visual or verbal) with the divine, to locations where miracles were performed or witnessed, or locations where a deity is said to have lived, or any site that is seen to have special spiritual powers. The religious tourists attach spiritual importance to these sites, which are commemorated with shrines or temples that devotees are encouraged to visit for their own spiritual benefit. These benefits would be:

  •         to confirm, deepen or reflect upon their faith,
  •         to be healed
  •         or have their questions answered 

Due to these goals, religious travelers are known to be committed travelers. They tend to save up for their religious experiences. As a result, the religious tourism segment is known to be less sensitive to economic ups and downs than the overall tourism market.

Religious tourism includes many facets of the travel industry; for example:

  •   Visit religious tourist attractions
  •     Go for pilgrimages: Pilgrimage, as a part of religious tourism, is the act of moving from one place to another, often traveling through foreign lands; an ordered march of a group of people, usually with a religious connotation.
  •   Monastery visits and guest stays
  •   Faith-based cruises and Faith-based camps
  •   Religious conventions and rallies
  •   Leisure (fellowship) vacations

The most famous and most visited Religious Destinations are:

  •   Vatican City, Italy
  •   Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
  •   Bodhi Gaya, Bodh, India
  •   Karnak Temple complex, Egypt
  •   Golden Temple, Amritsar
  •   Notre Dame, Paris, France
  •   Al-Haram Mosque, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
  •   Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City
  •   Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams Temple, Andhra Pradesh, India
  •   Kashi Vishwanath, Varanasi, India

Challenges faced by the management of Religious tourism are:

  •   Poor infrastructure,
  •   Hassling,
  •   Heritage trafficking,
  •   Limited community participation,
  •   Cultural degradation, and
  •   Lack of attention
  • Religious tourism

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Religious Tourism Around the World

religious tourism definition

What is Religious Tourism?

Popularity of religious tourism.

  • Gratitude and Confession: When people face a crisis in life, they tend to turn to the divine to get help. If they tide over their crises, they visit the shrine to thank the deity, god, or goddess for their divine intervention. Others may resort to religious tourism as a way to absolve themselves of their sins. They may believe that their problems are due to their sins and will visit a sacred site based on their belief to communicate with the divine and ask for forgiveness.
  • Spiritual Salvation: In many societies, going on a pilgrimage is seen as a mark of piety. This belief is especially true among Hindus, who visit religious sites to accumulate religious merits while Buddhist go to a sacred place as it is considered the first step in attaining enlightenment. Many seniors embark on religious tourism when they want to make peace with themselves before their leave behind their mortal remains.
  • Celebrate Religious Events: When people have the financial means, they visit a religious site to celebrate specific religious events. These events are mentioned in sacred tenets and during religious festivities, they are reenacted as a way to commemorate them.
  • Communicate with Other Believers: Religious visits also give people a chance to meet and socialize with fellow believers. It helps the person reaffirm their religious beliefs in a modern environment.

Popular Places for Religious Tourism

St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

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Religious Tourism, Pilgrimage, and Cultural Tourism

Profile image of Somnuck Jongmeewasin

2016, Silpakorn University

Abstract The aim of this study is to provide a critical review of the literature in the following areas: concepts related to the intersection of tourism and religion, religion and spirituality are still among the most common motivations for travel, religious tourism and pilgrimage, sacred motivations for pilgrimage, development of tourism destination for pilgrimage route, and challenges for pilgrimage route in cultural tourism. Religious Tourism, so-called “Faith Tourism”, is a form of tourism, whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for reasons related to religion or spirituality in their quest for meaning. It could be under pilgrimage, missionary, or leisure purposes. Many of today's most popular tourist destinations are related to ancient places of worship or to the site of apparent miracles. In addition, Pilgrimage, as a part of religious tourism, is the act of moving from one place to another, often traveling through foreign lands; an ordered march of a group of people, usually with religious connotation. It is a ritual journey with a hallowed purpose; every step along the way has meaning; the pilgrim knows that the journey will be difficult and that life-giving challenges will emerge. Basically, sacred destinations and places of pilgrimage associate with the mainstream faiths: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Sikhism. Nowadays, at least three hundred million pilgrims visit the world's key religious sites every year. The study also presents an implication to distinct pilgrimage from religious tourism. In term of pilgrimage, its incorporation conveys religious involvement into the journey. Motivations for pilgrimage will differ from those of religious tourism. The pilgrimage has a mediation function between the natural and the cultural world & between the natural and the supernatural world. It is not a vacation, but a transformational journey during which significant change takes place; new insights are given, deeper understanding is attained, new and old places in the heart are visited, blessings are received, healing takes place, and on return from the pilgrimage, life is seen with different eyes and nothing will ever be quite the same again. While pilgrimage has ultimate spiritual goal, the search for eternal truth and becoming one with God, it is a journey resulting from religious causes, externally to a holy site, and internationally for spiritual purposes and internal understanding. Sacred site that houses holy artifacts promotes ritual practice and attracts religious travelers or pilgrims, who often mark the time and extend the space of the journey by returning home with mementos. The review includes the development of tourism destination for pilgrimage route. Pilgrimage is as the ancient forerunner and analogue of modern tourism. At the same time, tourism is as a kind of pilgrimage of modern civilization. Tourist is half a pilgrim, if a pilgrim is half a tourist. Indeed, tourism and pilgrimage can be identified as opposite end points on a continuum of travel. While changing motivations of the traveler, whose interests and activities may switch from tourism to pilgrimage and vice versa, even without the individual being aware of the change. The study also found valid connections between sacred people, places, and events. Challenge for pilgrimage route in cultural tourism has been finally discussed. Tourist attractions are symbols of modern consciousness, the modern cathedrals of consumption, and venerated through sight sacralization. Sightseeing becomes a modern ritual. New means of consumption can be seen as cathedrals of consumption. Must-see attractions replace the must-see religious sites. There is an emergence of experience industry from the pilgrimage route, as cultural heritage attraction, in view of cultural tourism, aimed at consuming experiences and engaging in enchantment. The study found that religious-based experiences could provide experienced-based economies. Religion, as a tourist experience, becomes part of the symbolic economy. In conclusion, the experience industry with tourist attractions derived from the pilgrimage routes has been broadly developed in form of cultural tourism in our time. These tourist attractions are also known as cultural heritage attractions, functioning as the travel motivations of tourist.

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Tourism is an economic activity capable of promoting the development of regions, creating wealth and contributing to the preservation of heritage. Thus, the tourism sector in general, and in particular, the new typologies of tourism that take advantage of cultural resources, such as religious tourism, have in recent years become the focus of attention by economic, political and scientific agents. Religious tourism started the moment man began to move due to a question of belief, that is to say, with a religious manifestation, the pilgrimage, being a pilgrim a tourist with religious motivation. Currently, according to UNWTO estimates, between 300 and 330 million tourists visit the main religious sites every year. Taking into account the increasing interest in the subject of religious tourism and pilgrimage, a review of the academic literature on this type of tourism is carried out in this chapter by means of a descriptive bibliometric study of articles, books and of book chapters inc...

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This discussion paper explores the topic of religious tourism and pilgrimage, examining it from a tourism industry perspective, reflecting on definitions, motivations and scale of the ‘product’ as reported at a global level. Mindful of the fact that international records of religious tourism are scant to say the least, this is an attempt to bring together definitions, classifications and data which come from a variety of sources. The paper draws together understandings from different religious traditions, presenting data and motivations on a variety of pilgrimage types. As the paper demonstrates, this ‘niche’ product is indeed enormous, and if industry projections are correct, is set to become an even more important element of international travel and tourism.

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The interconnectivity and reciprocity between pilgrimage and tourism are integral part of human travel. That is how ‘pilgrimage-tourism’ is conceived as an alternative for the solution; of course this is more inclined to metaphysical issue and life philosophy: meeting sacred-and-profane. Pilgrimage-tourism is considered now as strategy for heritage awakening, deeper experiences and transferring the religiosity into global humanism and spirituality. The sustainable frame of pilgrimage-tourism and heritage should be promoted in three ways: philosophical, organisa-tional, and managerial. The eco-healing approach to pilgrimage-tourism is considered as a post-modernist way to consider pilgrimage as a bridge between recreation and spirituality; this way pilgrimage-tourism will provide a rational alternative for cultural consciousness and strategy for poverty alleviation. Realisation by personnel and trusts involved in promoting pilgrimage will further help in better development programmes. Keywords: components, ecospirituality, ethics, faithscape, hermeneutics, perspective, resource management, sustainability, spatiality.

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The European market potential for religious tourism

The religious tourism market covers a broad range of tourism products, including pilgrimage trips, visiting sacred sites, church tourism, travel for worship and religious missions. While a large part of European residents are Christian, halal tourism has been growing in the last few years, as well as the demand for spiritual tourism. Important target markets in Europe include Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on the religious tourism market.

Contents of this page

  • Product description
  • What makes Europe an interesting market for religious tourism?
  • Which European countries offer most opportunities for religious tourism?
  • Which trends offer opportunities on the European religious tourism market?

1. Product description

Religious and spiritual tourism refers to travel for religious or spiritual purposes, such as undertaking a pilgrimage and visiting sacred sites. Also known as sacred or faith tourism, it is one of the oldest forms of tourism. Religious tourism is a niche within the segment of cultural tourism , comprising four specialist niches: pilgrimages, visiting sacred sites, church, mosque and temple tourism, and travel for the purpose of mission or worship.

Table 1: Specialist niches of religious tourism

Many tour operators combine various of these specialist niches. For example, Pilgrim Tours offers pilgrimages, naturally, but also trips involving visiting sacred sites and churches.

Travellers who visit religious sites can be divided into two main target groups: believers and non-believers. Both are important target groups, but they require different approaches.

Believers seek spiritual support or reinforce their religious beliefs. Often, they undertake a pilgrimage for religious reasons or for the purpose of worship. Examples of these kinds of trips include the Hajj to Mecca for Muslims, pilgrimages to Jerusalem or the Vatican for Christians, and traveling to Bodh Gaya for Buddhists. Most religious tourists are very motivated to travel, so they are willing to spend more money than the average traveller. This inherent motivation also makes religious tourism less vulnerable to economic lows. Believers like to travel in groups of like-minded people.

Nonbelievers

Non-believers are attracted to sacred sites, churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship, not because of their religious value, but for their cultural significance, architectural importance, aesthetic beauty or historic value. Non-believers may be religious, but religion is not their main purpose for traveling. Some non-believers who seek self-improvement by travelling to religious sites require some form of catering geared to offering a spiritual experience with the destination. Collete’s faith tours are an example of putting this idea to work, offering travel to sites and places of religious significance, supplementing the trip with a spiritual angle related to the place.

For most developing country operators, Europe’s non-believers offer a much bigger market than believers because a very large part of European believer travellers already go to the Middle East.

Religious tourism can be considered a high-quality form of tourism, because of the positive payback for the destination’s culture and society. This form of tourism helps to raise awareness of people’s common heritage s, which helps with their preservation, in addition to the financial gains that can eventually be reinvested into conservation of the local culture and religious heritage. Religious tourism is a great source of community empowerment and development as well. The interest of tourists in local values and communities helps in developing a sense of empowerment and pride in the local community, its culture and history. Naturally, religious tourism also contributes to regional economic increase, employment and better quality of life.

Figure 1: Varanasi, a holy city in India that attracts many believers as well as non-believers

​ [Click and drag to move] ​

Source: TourmyIndia

  • Be aware of the religion aspects in a specific destinations, and make sure to take into account all aspects of its aspects, especially habits and believes. This includes anything from food to the time of certain events, to the music played, to religious calendars. If not all parts of your product are well established and connected, you may lose customers.
  • Look into tour operators that organise faith trips to see what their needs are: Globus Faith focuses on Christians, Dham Yatra on Hinduists, and Asia Buddhist on Buddhists.
  • Regularly organise meetings with your local community to make sure that everything is in order. Support from the local community requires full integration and engagement with tourism.
  • Cooperate with other religious sites, tourism agencies and cultural routes, in order to create a better product aligned to related business. This also provides opportunities for making a product that can be combined with others. Creating a hiking trail, for example, can connect multiple activities and accommodations, such as the kora around Mount Kailash in Tibet .
  • Contact European churches or Christian missionary organisations to attract Christian missionaries. These purpose of these travellers is to contribute for the sake of religion, but many will also make use of the trip to see your country. Use the websites Missionfinder and Mission Africa to find some missions in your country.

Religious sites and places of worship are important meeting grounds for different kinds of visitors and hosts. Tourism breaks down cultural and religious barriers and builds bridges between people and communities. This results in better cross-cultural understanding, which improves social cohesion. Tourism businesses should appreciate and understand possible conflicting ideologies, underlying deeper meanings and forms of interaction with religious sites, which may conflict with the socioeconomic and political norms of the parties concerned.

In order to maintain religious tourism sustainable, two criteria must be met:

  • preservation of the religious sites or monuments
  • upholding respect to local traditions and religious practices

The main reason for making a trip can be religious, but visiting a religious site or place of worship can also just be part of another trip, or it can provide additional attractions to a specific destination. The level of religious tourism can be anything from small scale, visiting specific places of worship (temples, altars, etc.), to medium scale, such as visiting Mecca, Jerusalem or the Vatican, and even large scale, such as visiting Israel as a whole.

  • As there are many forms and levels of religious tourism look at what is already available nearby to see if you can add something to it. There doesn’t necessarily have to be a religious site nearby to justify a religious tourist attraction. Look, for example, for any artefacts or other historical facts that relate to the place and focus on that. An example of this in England is called ’ champing ’, which means camping in churches. Remember, however, that different religions have different values, rules and standards. It is therefore necessary to acknowledge and respect those differences, as well as give everyone the freedom to think and express what they want.
  • In order to compete effectively in the religious tourism market, use faith in your product name and other branding, making it easily recognisable with signs and marks. Branding helps to enhance connection with the place, create desired perceptions and generally attract people to the place.
  • Remember that different tourists require different information and see different things based on their motivations. Try to customise your tour or information guide according to your customers by making it diverse or by having multiple versions.
  • Be creative about possible streams of revenue. Among the many goods and services related to religious or spiritual tourism, consider souvenir items, religious books, outlets for halal or kosher food, faith-based music, spiritual or faith-based centres in local communities.

2. What makes Europe an interesting market for religious tourism?

The global market for religious tourism is one of the biggest tourism segments. In 2018, an estimated one-third of 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals travelled for religious purposes. This means that approximately 450 million international trips were made for religious purposes. The popularity of faith-based tourism cannot be understated, as even 25% of travellers are interested in this kind of tourism.

For many countries, religious tourism around its historical and religious heritage is a significant part of their total tourism market. Saudi Arabia, for example, received 13 million religious tourists in 2019, and is expected to more than double this number to 30 million visitors by 2030. In the state of Gujarat, in India, almost 36% of all of tourist visits are spiritual tourists . The religious tourism market in Brazil is one the largest tourism segments in the country, estimated at €14 billion generated by 20 million trips.

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to affect every tourism segment. All markets are expected to decline, since virtually all attractions and accommodations had to be closed at least temporarily. The European overall outbound tourism market is expected to shrink by 39% in 2020, then return to the same level of 2019 in 2021. Of course, these estimates heavily depend on the duration and impact of the pandemic.

In one example of how the pandemic is affecting religious tourism, in the southern governorates of Iraq, this segment is reported as the second-largest source of income after oil. Normally, religious tourism generates billions of dollars and creates thousands jobs in Iraq every year, but in the city of Najaf, which used to host approximately 5,000 visitors a day, 300 out of 350 hotels are closed. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis is already noticeable in Mexico as well, where millions of religious travellers are normally expected, but most religious sites have been sitting empty this year.

  • Read our study on how to respond to COVID-19 in the tourism sector to learn what you should do if your company is affected by the pandemic.
  • Focus on tour operators instead of targeting free independent travellers directly. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, European tourists will be far more interested in buying from tour operators in the coming years, because they provide a feeling of security.
  • In order to keep religious sites accessible, create a virtual visit of your destination. The Vatican , churches, mosques and other religious sites and places of worship already See other examples of virtual tours on the Rome Reports website.
  • Improve online visibility by using social media, interactive website and blogs. We also recommend investing in trying to improve your Google ranking, following tips from the website of Neil Patel or Google’s SEO Starter Guide .
  • Make sure that sites and routes in your location are easily accessible for people with reduced mobility. Make sure to mention it upfront in case you have any places which might prove difficult for some people to access. The website of the United Nations offers more information and links to resources on how to promote accessibility at your destination.

3. Which European countries offer most opportunities for religious tourism?

Although Christianity is the most prevalent religion in Europe, it is split into different branches and churches, and those also vary among European countries. Table 2 shows demographic data on religion in the most important European source markets for religious tourism: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, and Netherlands. Most of these source markets offer opportunities for Christian pilgrimage and travel for the purpose of worship, as well as visiting sacred sites and tourism to places of worship for non-believers.

Table 2: Percentage of the population per religious movement

Source: European Union , 2019

The percentage of Christians in the German population is one of the highest in Europe: approximately 60%, which means that Germans are relatively fast drawn to other religious sites when they are on vacation. The number of Muslims in Germany is relatively high, comprising 4% of the country’s population.

With approximately 82 million citizens, Germany has the largest population in the EU. The country also has the largest GDP in the EU, and fourth in the world: €3.3 trillion equivalent to €50 thousand per capita. In addition, Germany also has the largest EU market for outbound travel . Germans spend on average €2,500 on their summer holidays, which is approximately 25% more than the European average. All of this makes Germany a great target market for religious tourists. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the German GDP is expected to shrink by 7% in 2020, then grow 5% in 2021.

In 2017, German travellers made 10 million trips to developing countries. According to Europ Assistance, German travellers find discovering new cultures very important , as 37% see exploring new cultures as an interesting aspect of their holiday. Since religious tourism for non-believers and cultural tourism overlap in many ways, destinations in the developing world where local customs have religious origins can benefit from this interest.

Table 3: German travellers long-haul destinations, 2017

Source: Reiseanalyse , 2020

When trying to attract German tourists, you need to offer plenty of information. German tourists tend to read a lot before choosing to visit a place. They are, like most Europeans, direct in their communication, and are well known for their tendency towards organisation and punctuality.

Table 4: Key statistics on the attitude of German travellers towards tourism

Source: EU, 2016

United Kingdom

The potential religious tourism outbound market of the United Kingdom is significant as well. With a population of 66 million and a gross domestic product of €2.3 trillion, the United Kingdom is it the fifth-largest economy in the world and the second in Europe. With a GDP per capita of €44 thousand per year, the British have less to spend than the Germans. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the British GDP is expected to shrink by 6.5% in 2020, then grow 4.7% in 2021. The UK officially left the European Union on 1 February 2020 (Brexit), but the country remains in the EU common market, under the same EU rules, during a transition period that goes until 31 December 2020. At this moment, it is still unclear what will happen afterwards, as the EU and the UK negotiate the post-Brexit terms.

Although the British economy is smaller than Germany’s, British travellers have a higher preference for destinations in developing countries than German travellers. British travellers find discovering new cultures very important , as 52% sees exploring new cultures as an interesting aspect of their holiday, which is an important indicator of interest in religious tourism. British travellers spend on average €2,100 on their summer holidays. Turkey (1.6 million trips), Thailand (1.0 million trips) and India (1 million trips) are the most important developing country destinations for British travellers, who tend to speak only English and no other foreign language.

The United Kingdom is one of the main sources of religious tourism in Uttarakhand, India.

Table 5: Key statistics on the attitude of British travellers towards tourism

France is the world’s fifth-largest outbound tourism market , so it naturally offers good opportunities. Israel is a destination particularly in demand among the French, who are second in the number of visitors to Israel. France has almost 31.5 million Christians, who make up 47% of its population, and are therefore are a great target group for religious travel operators. France also has the largest population of Muslims in Europe at 5.72 million, equivalent to 5% of the total French population.

France has the third-largest population in the EU, with approximately 65 million people. It is also the EU’s third-largest economy and the seventh-largest in the world, with a gross domestic product of €2.5 trillion (2019). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the French GDP is expected to shrink by 7.2% in 2020, then grow by 4.5% in 2021.

Regardless of the duration, 46% of French travellers favour packages holidays (excluding all-inclusive packages). Most holidays are purchased online in France, via providers such as tour operators and airline companies (33%) or private housing (25%). The French prefer to spend their holidays with friends and relatives (long holidays 27%, short holidays 35%) or in paid accommodation, such as hotel, B&B, cruise or a youth hostel. Friends, colleagues and relatives provide the most important source of information when the French plan for their holidays (57%).

The GDP of Italy is the fourth largest in Europe at almost €2.1 trillion. The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to shrink Italy’s GDP by 9,1% in 2020, but it will then grow again to 4.8% in 2021. Among the 60 million Italians, an overwhelming 85% are Christian . The outbound tourism market of Italy amounts to €30 billion annually. Italian travellers prefer culture over nature and have a relatively high preference for discovering new cultures . According to Europ Assistance, 34% of Italian travellers see it as an interesting activity during holidays, which suggests that Italians are also interested in religious tourism, such as visiting religious sites, churches and other places of worship. Italian travellers do not often plan their trips too far in advance.

Spain itself has some of the most popular religious sites and places, like Santiago de Compostela. Religious tourism is very popular in Spain, but the country also has a great outbound market worth €24 billion. Spain’s population of approximately 47 million makes it a large market to focus on when entering the European market. The country’s GDP per capita is €31 thousand. The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to shrink the Spanish GDP by 8% in 2020, but it will then grow with 4.3% in 2021. Spaniards tend to prefer culture over nature: 56% of the Spanish tourists see discovering new cultures as an important aspect of their holiday, which suggests they may also be interested in religious tourism.

Netherlands

The Netherlands has a population of just 17 million, but it has a relatively large GDP of €870 billion, which results in €50 thousand per capita, the seventh largest in Europe . Dutch workers on payroll receive a mandatory holiday pay of at least 8% of their annual salary , which indicates that Dutch travellers have more disposable income to use for travelling. The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to shrink the Dutch GDP by 7.5% in 2020, then grow by 3% in 2021.

  • Stay up to date on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the countries you want to target. The CBI study on managing the effect of COVID-19 in tourism offers many good country-specific resources.
  • Help educate your guests about local customs and cultures, especially the target group of non-believers.

4. Which trends offer opportunities on the European religious tourism market?

Media influence on destinations in southeast asia.

Influenced by mass media, including Hollywood movies, blogs, books, social media, but also by tourism depictions of particular people and places, South East Asia has seen an increase in the number of spiritual tourists. Combined with the positive effects of spiritual practices, these travellers seek activities that involve meditation, yoga, and other spiritual pursuits. They travel to learn about and practice meditation, such as mindfulness, seeking relaxation, self-knowledge and self-growth. Improvements in tourism infrastructure have increased accessibility to religious sites, boosting popularity, but strategic marketing and development of these sites has helped boost visitor numbers.

Media influence example 1: Eat, Pray, Love

In 2010 the popular movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ was released. This movie is about a woman searching for what meaning in life. She visits Italy to discover food, India to discover prayer and Bali, to discover love. The movie has stimulated and changed tourism to those destinations , as more tourists travel for the purpose of worship .

Figure 2: A poster of the movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’

Poster of the movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’

Source: Flickr

  • Target spiritual tourism travellers offering new and unique activities. These travellers are often more open new experiences and tours than other religious tourists.
  • Read our study on inner wellness tourism , to find more information about this niche market.
  • Combine multiple activities into a tour to create a complete spiritual journey. SOTC is an example of a tour operator offering spiritual journeys to India and Bhutan.
  • Showcase the immersive spiritual experience to strengthen brand value. Branding creates a perception of a desired destination, also helping travellers to keep your location in mind. Word-of-mouth advertising still is the most successful marketing tool .

Search for authenticity

The search for authenticity is a developing trend among travellers searching for more authentic experiences, such as immersing themselves in the spiritual and cultural traditions associated with specific religions and pilgrimage sites. The immersion often includes participation in or in connection with the local community.

An example of this is a visit to the Dani tribe in Indonesia , combined with other religious sites. Although many Dani are Christians nowadays, they still have many rituals and ceremonies dating from their old animist gods. Note that uniqueness is highly appreciated by European travellers, but it also brings risks. For example, a European tour operator offered tours to the Dani tribe, in which visitors could participate in the religious Dani Pig Feast , including cutting open a pig and eating its raw flesh, which may be too far for European tourists.

Halal tourism on the rise

Islam is the fastest growing religious group globally. Muslims are expected to make up to 25% of the world population by 2030, including a growing and thriving middle class, with increasing buying power. It is important for tourism businesses to meet specific religious requirements, such as preparing food under halal rules, adapting meal times during Ramadan, offering prayer facilities, providing separate swimming pools for males and females and offering entertainment catered to Muslims. Halal tourists often travel with their families and stay for about 17 days .

Looking for the unusual

A growing group of people currently seek more unusual holidays, and more diversification on their travels. Travellers are now not just better informed but overinformed through the internet and social media, so this new group of travellers is seeking something different from the regular tourism destinations the know. What they seek is to see and experience something that they and the rest of the world have not done yet.

In the context of religious tourism, which used to involve a lot of sightseeing, like strolling around Jerusalem or visiting religious archaeological sites, unusual experiences have become far more important. One such example, is a trip to Surinam e to meet people from different religious backgrounds who live together.

  • Talk with tour operators, destination managers and clients to learn which services are appreciated and which are not. Offering the unusual is often a balancing act that can work but it can also backfire. Offer your clients sufficient information in advance, so they know what to expect.
  • Read our study on community-based tourism to learn more about offering trips to local communities.
  • Set up experiences that create added value to a product or service, such as including stories, music, food and other aspects associated with the destination. This trip visiting the Maasai in South Sudan is a good example of an experience that includes local religion, culture, music, and dance. To achieve this kind of product, we recommended that site and destination managers engage a broad range of stakeholders in developing, promoting and managing tourism.
  • Invite bloggers or social media influencers free of charge to your destination to reach a larger public. Search for popular bloggers or influencers to see what sorts of trips and tourism products they use, as well as who are their audiences, so you find someone who is highly likely to relate to your destination.
  • Keep your own social media channels up to date. Post daily or several days a week on your social media. For more advice, read our study on how to be a successful company online .

This study was carried out on behalf of CBI by   Molgo  and  ETFI .

Please review our market information disclaimer .

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

International congress on religious tourism and pilgrimage.

International Congress on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

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WATCH DAY TWO OF THE CONFERENCE LIVE HERE

WATCH DAY ONE OF THE CONFERENCE HERE

On the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of Fatima (1917-2017), the International Congress on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage will be organized jointly by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Ministry of Economy of Portugal and the Municipality of Ourém.

The Congress will reflect on the potential and the role of religious tourism and sacred places as a tool for socio-economic and cultural development of destinations. Knowing the motivations that lead millions of peoples to travel to sacred places is an essential condition for the sustainable development of destinations. The visitor of sacred places in general and the one of Fatima in particular, is characterized by a remarkable loyalty to the visited site. Hence, it can be said that tourist’s loyalty is in these cases an essential element of the relationship that the religious tourist and the pilgrim establish with the destinations which they are visiting.

Thus, a key principle is to preserve the spirit of the destinations, authenticity and integrity in the way that they are managed and promoted while making them accessible for all. On the other hand, these places of spirituality have the potential to drain part of their tourist flows to other tourist attractions in the region, therefore, with adequate promotion strategies; it is possible to get visitors to lesser known areas and complementary places that are offered in holy places. Additionally, religious tourism destinations are usually less affected by trends and economic crisis.

Taking note of the United Nations (UN) declaring 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the congress will discuss how effective partnerships, in sacred places, can benefit local communities and encourage their sustainable development and socio-economic empowerment in the long run. It will also discuss the need for specific policies for protection and management of religious and sacred sites that take into account the distinct sacred or spiritual value associated with the place, as a key factor for their conservation.

For further information please consult:   http://fatimaiy2017.ourem.pt/

For previous editions please chek the below links:

2016 - Utrecht, The Nethelds

2014 - Santiago de Compostela, Spain

2014 - Elche, Spain

  • Final draft programme

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Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information.

Heritage of Religious Interest

UNESCO Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest

religious tourism definition

There exist a great variety of religious and sacred sites that are representative of the different cultures and traditions of the world. Approximately 20 percent of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List have some sort of religious or spiritual connection.

These properties to be found in most countries around the world constitute the largest single category on the List. Specific and significant spiritual meanings are mentioned to justify the Outstanding Universal Value of a large number of the World Heritage properties. Numerous historic cities on the List possess components of religious significance and are recognized as holy cities by different communities.

religious tourism definition

Communities

religious tourism definition

Contributions

religious tourism definition

History and terminology

"As cultures encompass lifestyles, different ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs, the protection and promotion of their rich diversity invite us to rise to new challenges at the local, national and international levels. This will involve integrating the principles of dialogue and mutual knowledge in all policies, particularly education, science, culture and communication policies, in the hope of correcting flawed cultural representations, values and stereotypes."

2010 United Nations International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures

In recent years UNESCO played a leading role in the development and promotion of a powerful normative action related to the protection of cultural and natural heritage in all its forms.

A corpus of standard-setting documents, including charters and recommendations, exists on the subject of monuments and sites. A number of research studies and analyses of religious heritage and sacred sites were carried out by the Advisory Bodies - ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. There were a number of conclusions and recommendations drawn from previous meetings and activities on religious and sacred heritage, such as the ICCROM 2003 Forum on the conservation of Living Religious Heritage , the 2005 ICOMOS General Assembly resolution calling for the "establishment of an International Thematic Programme for Religious Heritage", and 2011 ICOMOS General  Assembly Resolution on Protection and enhancement of sacred heritage sites, buildings and landscapes, as well as the UNESCO MAB/IUCN Guidelines for the Conservation and Management of Sacred Natural Sites .

Several recommendations directly or indirectly concern the safeguarding of the spirit of place, namely their living, social and spiritual nature, in particular the Nara Document on Authenticity adopted at the Nara Conference on Authenticity in relation to the World Heritage Convention held in 1994 and the Quebec Declaration on the Preservation of the Spirit of Place , adopted at the 16th General Assembly of ICOMOS in 2008.

The term "Religious property", as used in the ICOMOS study " Filling the Gaps - an Action Plan for the Future ", defines "any form of property with religious or spiritual associations: churches, monasteries, shrines, sanctuaries, mosques, synagogues, temples, sacred landscapes, sacred groves, and other landscape features, etc.".

The term "Sacred site" embraces areas of special spiritual significance to peoples and communities; and the term of "Sacred natural site" corresponds to the areas of land or water having special spiritual significance to peoples and communities," as proposed by the UNESCO/IUCN Guidelines for the Conservation and Management of Sacred Natural Sites, 2008

According to ICCROM, living religious heritage has characteristics that distinguish it from other forms of heritage. Sacred sites, which, according to the UNESCO MAB Programme, "are indeed the oldest protected areas of the planet", and "have a vital importance for safeguarding cultural and biological diversity for present and future generations." Collectively, the religious and sacred properties capture a range of cultural and natural diversity, and each can singularly demonstrate the spirit of a particular place.

religious tourism definition

Religious communities as World Heritage stakeholders

Understanding the continuing nature of religious and sacred heritage, having the capacity to protect its authenticity and integrity, including its particular spiritual significance, and sharing the knowledge of our common history, are the three pillars necessary for building mutual respect and dialogue between communities.

Today, the international community should define the appropriate measures to preserve the values of religious and sacred places, which form the foundation of our cultures, thereby aiming to prevent any gradual loss of our traditions.

Within the context of the  International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures 2010 , proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, an  international seminar on the role of religious communities in the management of World Heritage properties was held in Kiev (Ukraine)  from 2 to 5 November 2010, under the patronage of the President of Ukraine and UNESCO. For the first time in the history of the World Heritage Convention, the issue regarding the protection of religious and sacred heritage has been discussed at the international level, involving active participation of the religious authorities.

The main objective of this first major international meeting organized under the patronage of UNESCO on heritage of religious interest was to explore ways to reflect the complexity and importance of developing proper dialogue between all stakeholders for the common goal which is protection of World Heritage properties. It was noted that these World Heritage properties - especially living religious and sacred sites - require specific policies for protection and management that take into account their distinct spiritual nature as a key factor in their conservation and that such policies cannot be sustainable without in-depth consultation with the appropriate stakeholders. 

The meeting considered the view that stakeholders need to work together to preserve sacred heritage while regarding the modernization and development of society in a culturally and historically sensitive manner, with a view to strengthening identity and social cohesion. Stakeholders include religious communities, made up of believers, traditional and indigenous peoples, as well as State Party authorities, professionals and experts in relevant fields, property owners, funding bodies and other interested partners.

At the closing of the Seminar, on 5 November 2010, the participants unanimously adopted the following Statement on the protection of religious properties within the framework of the World Heritage Convention . Developed in close collaboration with national authorities, international experts, site managers and representatives of religious communities, is the first and most unique document to give general recommendations on this specific issue.

The final report of the 2010 Seminar has been submitted by the World Heritage Centre within the framework of the secretariat report for consideration by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session (UNESCO, 2011).

Statement on the Protection of Religious Properties within the Framework of the World Heritage Convention

  • The main objective of the 2010 Seminar on the Role of Religious Communities in the Management of World Heritage Properties was to explore ways of establishing a dialogue between all stakeholders, and to explore possible ways of encouraging and generating mutual understanding and collaboration amongst them in the protection of religious World Heritage properties.
  • The stakeholders would include religious communities, which can comprise believers, traditional and indigenous peoples, as well as States Party authorities, professionals and experts in relevant fields, property owners, funding bodies and other interested partners.
  • The participants of the Seminar welcomed the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, as a valuable tool for the mutual exchange of experiences and dialogue between cultures aiming to foster respect for each other's beliefs.  They furthermore:
  • Recognized the role played by religious communities in the creation, maintenance, and continuous shaping of sacred places, and the custodial role played by them in caring for these as living heritage.
  • Reaffirmed the vital further role of religious communities in conveying, expressing and sustaining spiritual identity, meaning and purpose to human life, considering that these offer significant opportunities in a fast developing and globalizing world, as well as presenting serious challenges.
  • Stressed that culturally and environmentally sustainable management of such heritage should be the responsibility of all stakeholders concerned, and that mutual acceptance and respect will bring different and complementary perspectives to shared cultural and spiritual values.
  • Recalled that the protection of religious heritage represents a special challenge and opportunity that needs to be addressed in the effective implementation of the World Heritage Convention, and noted that living religious places have often been placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List specifically for their religious and spiritual significance; in other cases, religious properties and sacred places can be an integral part of larger ensembles, such as historic cities, cultural landscapes and natural sites. The significance of such sites and the interests of associated religious communities should be duly recognized in sustainable management processes.
  • Emphasized that the continuing nature of religious heritage calls for dialogue and mutual understanding between the religious communities concerned and all other stakeholders, who must work together to preserve the significance of cultural, mixed and natural heritage sites associated with the sacred.
  • Considered it particularly timely to define an Integrated Strategy for the development of a World Heritage Thematic Programme on religious heritage in collaboration and close coordination between all stakeholders, and that this Programme should create an action plan for the protection of religious heritage world-wide aimed at enhancing the role of communities and the avoidance of misunderstandings, tensions, or stereotypes.
  • Recognized the need to raise awareness of all stakeholders of the importance of the management of religious places in order to enable mutual understanding and acceptance of the World Heritage significance and specificity of each heritage place, and its associated spiritual and religious values.
  • In furtherance of this, and taking into account the resolution 17 GA 9 of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, they called for the establishment of integrated and interactive training programmes in the management of religious places in cooperation with the Advisory Bodies, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN, aimed at helping representatives of religious communities to enhance and share their managerial skills.
  • Concluded that safeguarding religious heritage of outstanding universal value for future generations requires new forms of action, and that the Kyiv seminar formed the start of a new ongoing process, and an opportunity to establish a platform for dialogue and shared knowledge among all communities involved in the preservation of our common heritage.

Kyiv, 5 November 2010

religious tourism definition

Integrated Implementation Strategy

The World Heritage Committee requested the World Heritage Centre, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies, to elaborate a thematic paper proposing to States Parties general guidance regarding the management of their cultural and natural heritage of religious interest, and in compliance with the national specificities, inviting States Parties to provide voluntary contributions to this end.

paragraph 7, Decision  35 COM 5A

 Read the full text 

UNESCO, by launching the Initiative on heritage of religious interest further to this World Heritage Committee decision, plays a leading role in the development, in close collaboration with the Advisory Bodies, of the thematic paper proposing to State Parties general guidance regarding the management of cultural and natural heritage of religious interest. In the long-term, this initiative is intended to help integrate a number of guiding principles into cultural policies at the local, national, regional and international levels so as to contribute to the rapprochement of cultures and harmonious relations among peoples.

Further to the consultation process between the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, the elaboration of the thematic paper will be ensured in three phases: (i) preparatory and fund-raising activities; (ii) research, global thematic survey and data analysis; (iii) consultation/production of thematic paper. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies recommended the establishment of a Group, which will be in charge of this activity, comprising representatives of UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies, and in particular experts of the IUCN Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas, of the ICCROM Programme on Living Heritage and ICOMOS group of experts specialized in protection and enhancement of sacred heritage sites, buildings and landscapes.  Extract from the working document  WHC-12/36.COM/5A.1  

The Integrated Implementation Strategy document is developed jointly by the Steering Group on Heritage of Religious Interest, established by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies ICOMOS, ICCROM, IUCN.

It outlines the main objectives, identifies main expertise needs, defines target audiences, lists its guiding principles and expected results (outcomes), as well as suggests a number of core activities to be carried out within the three phases of the general guidance development.

 Read more 

PRI-SM Thematic Paper & General Guidance

Properties of Religious Interest – Sustainable Management

In the long-term, the Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest is intended to help integrate a number of guiding principles for PRI-SM (Properties of Religious Interest – Sustainable Management) into cultural policies at the local, national, regional and international levels so as to contribute to the rapprochement of cultures and harmonious relations among peoples.

Further to the consultation process between the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, the elaboration of the thematic paper will be ensured in three phases: (i) preparatory activities, including regional thematic consultations; (ii) inventory, research and data analysis; (iii) consultation/production of thematic paper.

Capacity Building Regional Thematic Consultations Global Thematic Survey Thematic Paper

religious tourism definition

Global network

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies recommend the creation of a global network involving relevant stakeholders, such as heritage practitioners (through Advisory Bodies), policy makers, national and local authorities, representatives of traditional and religious communities which should ensure that the thematic paper takes into account all relevant studies, elements, global trends and national specificities.

Extract from the working document  WHC-12/36.COM/5A.1  

« Steering Group »

In conformity with the World Heritage Decision 37 COM 5A adopted at its 37th session, this Initiative is managed by the Steering Group on Heritage of Religious Interest, composed of officially designated representatives from the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee, IUCN, ICOMOS and ICCROM.

This Steering Group is focusing first on capacity-building activities and a case-study approach to identify the main challenges in the management of World Heritage cultural and natural properties of religious interest, as well as to collect inputs and relevant information necessary for the thematic paper and the thematic study. A first concept of training workshop for religious representatives involved in the management of the World Heritage properties was developed by ICCROM in coordination with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS ( WHC-13/37.COM/5A )

ICOMOS PRERICO

The ICOMOS Scientific Committee for Places of Religion and Ritual (PRERICO) was formally established to research, and provide specialised interests in Monuments and Sites of Religions and Ritual, including places of world religions and local traditions and beliefs, religious heritage and sacred places including their intangible significance.

In July 2017, on side of the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee (Kraków, 2017) took place a first joint working meeting of the members of the ICOMOS Scientific Committee for Places of Religion and Ritual (PRERICO), in presence of its President, Dr. Hae Un Rii, and the members of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre/Advisory Bodies Steering Group on Heritage of Religious Interest. The participants discussed joint activities towards the development of a thematic paper providing States Parties general guidance on management of heritage of religious interest, requested by the World. Heritage Committee. The President of PRERICO informed on the activities which will be organized with support of PRERICO, including an International Conference International Conference on Ecclesiastical Heritage and its Future Challenges (Lund, Sweden from 25-26 April 2018). She also announced the  call for PRERICO membership

IUCN-WCPA’s Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas (CSVPA)

The Specialist Group on Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas (CSVPA) is a global network of experts including conservation professionals, heritage practitioners, policy makers, academics, government representatives, community members, custodians, and representatives of religious organisations.

A Monastic Network across Three Continents

Lorsch Abbey has set up an intercultural monastic network in the context of the UNESCO World Heritage Initiative, including close partnerships with the Orthodox Monastery of Geghard in Armenia , the Buddhist Temple of Haeinsa in South Korea and the Benedictine Convent of St. John in Müstair in Switzerland

“ A Monastic Network across Three Continents / World Heritage Partnerships – Abbey and Altenmünster of Lorsch ” by Hermann Schefers, Magazine of the German Commission for UNESCO, No. 3 (2011), page 24 

religious tourism definition

Call for Contributions

The States Parties and international partners are invited to provide their financial support to the World Heritage Centre for the coordination and the development of a thematic paper proposing to State Parties general guidance regarding the management of their cultural and natural heritage of religious interest, requested by the World Heritage Committee (Decision 35 COM 5A).

The World Heritage Centre requested the States Parties by a circular letter ( CL/WHC-11/20 ) to support the implementation of the World Heritage Committee's decision and the associated research by providing voluntary contributions, as well as by organizing meetings, conferences and seminars within its framework.

This activity is managed by the Steering Group on Heritage of Religious Interest, composed of officially designated representatives from the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, IUCN, ICOMOS and ICCROM.

 Download project description   Marketplace for World Heritage 

The States Parties and international partners wishing to contribute to this project are invited to transmit to the World Heritage Centre their letters of intention specifying the project/activity for which the support will be provided.

The States Parties and international partners wishing to provide voluntary contributions to the activities and projects or, in general, to the Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest, are invited to transmit to the World Heritage Centre their letters of intention specifying the project/activity for which the support will be provided.

religious tourism definition

Decisions / Resolutions (4)

The World Heritage Committee,

  • Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/5A,
  • Recalling Decision 41 COM 5A adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017) and Decision 40 COM 5D adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), General:
  • Takes note with appreciation of the activities undertaken by the World Heritage Centre over the past year in pursuit of the Expected Result to ensure that “tangible heritage is identified, protected, monitored and sustainably managed by Member States, in particular through the effective implementation of the 1972 Convention ”, and the five strategic objectives as presented in Document WHC/18/42.COM/5A; 
  • Welcomes the proactive role of the Secretariat for enhancing synergies between the World Heritage Convention and the other Culture and Biodiversity-related Conventions, particularly the integration of relevant synergies aspects in the revised Periodic Reporting Format and the launch of a synergy-related web page on the Centre’s website;
  • Also welcomes the increased collaboration among the Biodiversity-related Conventions through the Biodiversity Liaison Group and focused activities, including workshops, joint statements and awareness-raising;
  • Takes note of the Thematic studies on the recognition of associative values using World Heritage criterion (vi) and on interpretation of sites of memory, funded respectively by Germany and the Republic of Korea and encourages all States Parties to take on board their findings and recommendations, in the framework of the identification of sites, as well as management and interpretation of World Heritage properties;
  • Noting the discussion paper by ICOMOS on Evaluations of World Heritage Nominations related to Sites Associated with Memories of Recent Conflicts, decides to convene an Expert Meeting on sites associated with memories of recent conflicts to allow for both philosophical and practical reflections on the nature of memorialization, the value of evolving memories, the inter-relationship between material and immaterial attributes in relation to memory, and the issue of stakeholder consultation; and to develop guidance on whether and how these sites might relate to the purpose and scope of the World Heritage Convention , provided that extra-budgetary funding is available and invites the States Parties to contribute financially to this end;
  • Also invites the States Parties to support the activities carried out by the World Heritage Centre for the implementation of the Convention ;
  • Requests the World Heritage Centre to present, at its 43rd session, a report on its activities. Thematic Programmes:
  • Welcomes  the progress report on the implementation of the World Heritage Thematic Programmes and Initiatives,  notes  their important contribution towards implementation of the Global Strategy for representative World Heritage List, and  thanks  all States Parties, donors and other organizations for having contributed to achieving their objectives;
  • Acknowledges  the results achieved by the World Heritage Cities Programme and calls States Parties and other stakeholders to provide human and financial resources ensuring the continuation of this Programme in view of its crucial importance for the conservation of the urban heritage inscribed on the World Heritage List, for the implementation of the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape and its contribution to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals related to cities as well as for its contribution to the preparation of the New Urban Agenda, and further thanks to China and Croatia for their support for the implementation of the Programme;
  • Also acknowledges the results achieved of the World Heritage Marine Programme, also thanks Flanders, France and the Annenberg Foundation for their support, notes the increased focus of the Programme on a global managers network, climate change adaptation strategies and sustainable fisheries, and  invites  States Parties, the World Heritage Centre and other stakeholders to continue to provide human and financial resources to support for the implementation of the Programme;
  • Further acknowledges the results achieved in the implementation of the World Heritage Sustainable Tourism Programme, in particular the development of the Sustainable Tourism and Visitor Management Assessment tool and encourages States Parties to participate in the pilot testing of the tool, expresses  appreciation for the funding provided by the European Commission and  further thanks the Republic of Korea, Norway, and Seabourn Cruise Line for their support in the implementation of the Programme’’s activities;
  • Further notes the progress in the implementation of the Small Island Developing States Programme, its importance for a representative, credible and balanced World Heritage List and building capacity of site managers and stakeholders to implement the World Heritage Convention , thanks furthermore Japan and the Netherlands for their support as well as the International Centre on Space Technology for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) and  the World Heritage Institute of Training & Research for the Asia & the Pacific Region (WHITRAP) as Category 2 Centres for their technical and financial supports and also requests the States Parties and other stakeholders to continue to provide human, financial and technical resources for the implementation of the Programme;
  • Takes note of the activities implemented jointly by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and ICOMOS under the institutional guidance of the World Heritage Centre, in line with its Decision 40 COM 5D, further requests the World Heritage Centre to disseminate among the States Parties the second volume of the IAU/ICOMOS Thematic Study on Astronomical Heritage and renames this initiative as Initiative on Heritage of Astronomy, Science and Technology;
  • Also takes note of the progress report on the Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest, endorses the recommendations of the Thematic Expert Consultation meetings focused on Mediterranean and South-Eastern Europe (UNESCO, 2016), Asia-Pacific (Thailand, 2017) and Eastern Europe (Armenia, 2018), thanks the States Parties for their generous contribution and reiterates its invitation to States Parties and other stakeholders to continue to support this Initiative, as well as its associated Marketplace projects developed by the World Heritage Centre;
  • Takes note of the activities implemented by CRATerre in the framework of the World Heritage Earthen Architecture Programme, under the overall institutional guidance of the World Heritage Centre, and of the lines of action proposed for the future, if funding is available;
  • Invites  States Parties, international organizations and donors to contribute financially to the Thematic Programmes and Initiatives as the implementation of thematic priorities is no longer feasible without extra-budgetary funding;
  • Requests furthermore  the World Heritage Centre to submit an updated result-based report on Thematic Programmes and Initiatives, under Item 5A: Report of the World Heritage Centre on its activities, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.

1. Having examined Document WHC-13/37.COM/5A,

2. Recalling Decision 36 COM 5A.1 adopted at its 36th session (Saint-Petersburg, 2012),

3. Takes note with appreciation of the results of the activities undertaken by the World Heritage Centre over the past year in pursuit of its five strategic objectives as presented in Document WHC-13/37.COM/5A;

4. Notes the consultations between the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies towards the elaboration of a thematic paper proposing to States Parties general guidance regarding the management of their cultural and natural heritage of religious interest, and the progress report on this activity;

5. Also takes note of the establishment of a steering group in charge of coordinating the elaboration of this thematic paper and invites States Parties to support this initiative;

6. Further takes note of the report of the International Expert Meeting on “World Heritage and Indigenous Peoples” (Copenhagen, 20-21 September 2012), following Decision 35 COM 12D , and the report of the Expert Meeting on Visual Integrity (Agra, 6-9 March 2013) and requests the Consultative Body on Operational Guidelines to consider any implications for future revisions of the Operational Guidelines ;

7. Welcomes the establishment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and encourages the use the network of natural World Heritage sites as priority sites for assessing the state of the planet's biodiversity, its ecosystems and the essential services they provide to society;

8. Also encourages the World Heritage Centre to continue its cooperation with the Biodiversity Liaison Group (BLG) to create further synergies between the Conventions, as well as the joint activities initiated with the Secretariats of the CITES, Ramsar Convention and the Council of Europe, and further requests State Parties to ensure their National Biodiversity Strategy and their Action Plans fully consider the importance of natural World Heritage sites to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;

9. Finally takes note of progress achieved through the Culture Conventions Liaison Group (CCLG) created by the Assistant Director-General for Culture in 2012 and further encourages it to pursue this work towards enhanced synergies among the Culture Conventions, including on working methods, procedures and in addressing resource issues for statutory meetings.

1.  Having examined documents WHC-12/36.COM/5A.1, WHC-12/36.COM/INF.5A.1 and WHC-12/36.COM/INF.5A.3;

2.  Recalling Decision 35 COM 5A adopted at its 35th session (UNESCO, 2011),

3.  Takes note with appreciation of the results of the activities undertaken by the World Heritage Centre over the past year in pursuit of its five strategic objectives as presented in document WHC-12/36.COM/5A.1;

4. Further notes the progress report on the implementation of the recommendations by the external auditor on the 2009 audit of the World Heritage Centre presented in document WHC-12/36.COM/INF.5A.3;

5.  Welcomes the report on UNESCO Conventions in the field of culture presented in document WHC-12/36.COM/INF.5A.1;

6.  Takes note of the consultations between the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies towards the elaboration of a thematic paper proposing to States Parties general guidance regarding the management of their cultural and natural heritage of religious interest, and requests the World Heritage Centre to present to the World Heritage Committee at its 37th session in 2013, a progress report on this activity.

1.  Having examined Documents WHC-11/35.COM/5A and WHC-11/35.COM/INF.5A,

2.  Recalling Decision 34 COM 5A adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010),

3.  Takes note of the activities undertaken and of the partnerships established by the World Heritage Centre;

4.  Also takes note with appreciation of the concrete contribution of the States Parties and all partners who, through their financial and/or technical support, contributed to the efforts to implement the Convention reported in the document WHC-11/35.COM/5A;

5.  Reminds the World Heritage Centre of the necessity to elaborate, at each session of the World Heritage Committee, a report on envisaged and concluded partnerships and requests that it be completed with an evaluation of these partnerships based on relevant tools, in particular on the use of the emblem and the benefits received, in order to ensure strict compliance with the Convention 's principles and objectives;

6.  Requests the World Heritage Centre to continue improving its report by adding to the Periodic Reports:

a) a general comment on progress made and gaps identified at global and regional levels, at thematic level, at the level of different financing sources, and at the level of financial partners or cooperation with States Parties, other Conventions, civil society and the private sector,

b) a comprehensive inventory of pending decisions and the foreseen dates of implementation,

c) a provisional priority activities plan for the following year including the formulation of objectives and expected results, as well as indications on related resources (human and financial);

7.  Takes note of the recommendations of the International Seminar on the Role of Religious Communities in the Management of World Heritage properties, organized in Kiev, Ukraine, in November 2010, and requests the World Heritage Centre, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies, to elaborate a thematic paper proposing to States Parties general guidance regarding the management of their cultural and natural heritage of religious interest, and in compliance with the national specificities, inviting States Parties to provide voluntary contributions to this end;   

8.  Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to continue informing it on an annual basis on:

a) authorization granted by the World Heritage Centre on the use of the World Heritage emblem,

b) envisaged and concluded partnerships, with indications on the modalities and terms of such agreements,

and invites the Director to submit a draft of the new PACT Initiative Strategy, taking into account the results of the evaluation of the External Auditor on the PACT initiative for examination at its next session, one of its major objectives being the increase of resources to the World Heritage Fund to the benefit of International Assistance.

Book cover

Sustainability, Economics, Innovation, Globalisation and Organisational Psychology Conference

SEIGOP 2023: Innovation-Driven Business and Sustainability in the Tropics pp 175–186 Cite as

Spiritual Tourism: A Review and Synthesis

  • Eva Lang 4 ,
  • Alexander Josiassen 4 , 5 &
  • Florian Kock 4  
  • Conference paper
  • First Online: 05 August 2023

158 Accesses

While traditionally interlinked with religiosity, spirituality is today used more broadly to include esoteric, mystic, and New Age beliefs and practices that centre on the individualistic search for meaning and purpose. Spiritual well-being, an outcome of spiritual experiences, has been linked to feelings of inner harmony and direction and thus to reduced stress and higher levels of life satisfaction. Tourism scholars have acknowledged the potential of tourism to provide spiritual experiences and thereby contribute to consumers’ well-being (e.g., Moal-Ulvoas G, Ann Tour Res 66:151–158, 2017). However, academics’ and tourism managers’ understanding and ability to leverage spirituality is considerably limited by two key shortcomings. Firstly, there is a lack of consensus regarding the definition of spiritual tourism, resulting in substantial conceptual ambiguity. Second, researchers disagree on the boundaries between religious and spiritual tourism, which has further complicated the understanding of the concept. These shortcomings leave tourism practitioners ill-equipped to understand and leverage the growing interest in spiritual tourism (Moufakkir O and Noureddine S, Ann Tour Res 70:108–119, 2018; Vada S et al, Tour Manag Perspect 33:100631, 2020). Setting out to address these shortcomings, the present study systematically reviews the body of literature on spiritual tourism and synthesizes the findings along central research themes. Anchored in this review, the study also advances a more nuanced, and much needed, delimitation between religiosity and spirituality in tourism. Based on the findings, the authors identify gaps in the current literature on spiritual tourism and suggest avenues for future research.

  • Spiritual tourism
  • Spirituality
  • Religiousness
  • Positive psychology

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Lang, E., Josiassen, A., Kock, F. (2023). Spiritual Tourism: A Review and Synthesis. In: Eijdenberg, E.L., Mukherjee, M., Wood, J. (eds) Innovation-Driven Business and Sustainability in the Tropics. SEIGOP 2023. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2909-2_9

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Published : 05 August 2023

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COMMENTS

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    Religious tourism, spiritual tourism, sacred tourism, or faith tourism, is a type of tourism with two main subtypes: pilgrimage, meaning travel for religious or spiritual purposes, and the viewing of religious monuments and artefacts, a branch of sightseeing. Types. ...

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  4. Religious Tourism: What is it and why is it so important?

    Religious tourism is the visitation of sites of special sacred significance by worshippers and visitors, often with different motivations and expectations. Learn about the origins, challenges and examples of religious tourism in different religions and cultures, and how to develop and protect these sites for the future.

  5. The evolution of religious tourism: Concept, segmentation and

    It is a form of responsible tourism that strives to minimise the negative effects of tourism development on the environment, and at the same time, it attempts to ensure high quality and authentic experience for pilgrims. Thus, all the aforementioned features define religious tourism as an alternative form of tourism instead of mass tourism.

  6. Religious tourism, a catalyst for cultural understanding

    Religious tourism is one of the driving forces to bring people from varied backgrounds together under a common cause: the admiration and protection of heritage of tangible and intangible nature," said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, at the inauguration of the event. The issues of heritage conservation were a major topic of discussion ...

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  8. What is Religious Tourism?

    Image credit: Pixabay.com, Pxhere.com. When a person travels to a pilgrimage site primarily based on their religious belief, it is known as religious tourism. These travelers perform pilgrimage as a way to worship and enjoy salvation. However, there are Muslim and Jewish travelers who go for pilgrimage because it is obligated by their religion.

  9. Full article: Tourism and religion: sacred spaces as transmitters of

    The definition of religion is a complex issue and one that has been addressed from different perspectives. It is not easy to explain what exactly the nature of the religious phenomenon consists in, and, given the ambiguity of the term, there is a want of consensus. ... We define religious tourism as a type of tourism which is primarily ...

  10. Religion and Tourism

    As with all tourism niche markets, there has been a recent fragmentation of the religious tourism market. Questions regarding whether to define the religious tourism market from a supply- or demand-side perspective has led to the development of a pilgrimage or faith tourism market, which focuses on the demand-side of religious tourism and the "believer as tourist" (Terzidou et al. 2018: 123).

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    Tourism destinations are developing at increasing speed as a result of their connections to sacred people, places and events. As stated in a satisfying definition, 'religious tourism is that type of tourism whose participants are motivated either in part or exclusively for religious reasons' (p.

  13. Religious tourism

    Religious tourism has increasingly won in popularity in recent years. There is no general definition of religion; actually almost every religion has its slightly different explanation. The most represented religion groups are Christians, Islamists, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews. According to an American dictionary religion is defined as follows:

  14. Religious Tourism

    Religious tourism also offers the residents an opportunity to meet interesting people, making friends, learning about world, and exposing themselves to experience different cultural practice from different backgrounds. The possible impact that could cause in the destination for religious tourism: Improved the living standard of the people;

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    Religious tourism and pilgrimage In general definition, religious tourism is a form of tourism, whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for reasons related to religion or spirituality in their quest for meaning. Griffin (2007, p17) added that these religious or spiritual travelers are often ignored as a distinct grouping by ...

  16. (PDF) The Significance of Religious Tourism

    Religious tourism is common in Asia because of the multi-religious nature of Asian culture. However, intriguingly, the terms 'sacred space' and 'tourist space' are becoming more ...

  17. Religious Tourism in Asia and the Pacific

    The Asia-Pacific region is considered the world's religious core with the greatest number of pilgrims and travellers for religious events, for both international and domestic tourism. It is estimated that there are approximately six hundred million national and international religious and spiritual voyages in the world, of which 40% take ...

  18. Exploring the motivation-based typology of religious tourists: A study

    The scope of religious tourism includes people traveling for religious or spiritual purposes, and visiting religious sites or participating in religious activities/festivals ... Finally, existential authenticity is experience-oriented. Tourists define the tourism object according to their experiences, such as their feelings and perceptions. ...

  19. Religion, Pilgrimage, and Tourism: An Introduction

    We argue Olympic tourism is a quasi-religious pilgrimage that moves participants closer to, and through, a spectacle event upholding certain socio-cultural ideals of the wider project of the ...

  20. The European market potential for religious tourism

    The religious tourism market covers a broad range of tourism products, including pilgrimage trips, visiting sacred sites, church tourism, travel for worship and religious missions. While a large part of European residents are Christian, halal tourism has been growing in the last few years, as well as the demand for spiritual tourism. Important target markets in Europe include Germany, the ...

  21. International Congress on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

    The Congress will reflect on the potential and the role of religious tourism and sacred places as a tool for socio-economic and cultural development of destinations. Knowing the motivations that lead millions of peoples to travel to sacred places is an essential condition for the sustainable development of destinations. The visitor of sacred ...

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    Considered it particularly timely to define an Integrated Strategy for the development of a World Heritage Thematic Programme on religious heritage in collaboration and close coordination between all stakeholders, and that this Programme should create an action plan for the protection of religious heritage world-wide aimed at enhancing the role ...

  23. Spiritual Tourism: A Review and Synthesis

    Firstly, there is a lack of consensus regarding the definition of spiritual tourism, resulting in substantial conceptual ambiguity. Second, researchers disagree on the boundaries between religious and spiritual tourism, which has further complicated the understanding of the concept.

  24. Oral tradition, ancient history and religious tourism knowledge

    Religious tourism is one of the most longstanding forms of leisure related travel in the world with a history dating back to antiquity. However, there has been a hesitation amongst many tourism scholars to critically assess the role of ancient religious texts to understand the attitudes and behaviours of religious tourists and tourism ...