1st Edition
Religious Tourism Industry Dynamics, Emerging Trends and Contemporary Issues
This book traces the evolving landscape of religious travel, ranging from the responses of the tourism industry to Muslim travellers to the emergence of halal tourism trends.
Part I of the book examines the dynamics between religion and tourism, including the commodification of heritage and the symbiotic relationship between religion and economics. Part II delves into emerging trends and contemporary challenges, such as the impact of COVID-19 on sacred journeys and the integration of virtual reality into religious tourism experiences. The final part of the book explores diverse religious tourism experiences, from Islamic tourism to Jewish pilgrimages, providing a rich tapestry of insights into this fascinating aspect of travel.
Whether examining the commodification of religious heritage or delving into the motivations behind Sikh pilgrimage, this volume provides a comprehensive overview of the industry dynamics, emerging trends, and contemporary issues shaping religious tourism today. Engaging and enlightening, Religious Tourism: Industry Dynamics, Emerging Trends and Contemporary Issues is essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and enthusiasts seeking a deeper understanding of this fascinating intersection of faith and travel.
The chapters in this book were originally published in Tourism Recreation Research.
Introduction
Tzung-Cheng (TC) Huan, Anestis K. Fotiadis and Nikolaos (Niko) Stylos
Part I: Religious Tourism and Industry Dynamics
1. Muslim travellers, tourism industry responses and the case of Japan
Joan C. Henderson
2. Facilitating self-development: how tour guides broker spiritual tourist experiences
Hannah Parsons, Susan Houge Mackenzie & Sebastian Filep
3. The trends, opportunities and challenges of halal tourism: a systematic literature review
Tareq Rasul
4. Halal tourism: looking into the future through the past
Girish Prayag
5. Heritage, Tourism, and the Commodification of Religion
Daniel H. Olsen
6. Religion, Tourism and Economics: A Convenient Symbiosis
Boris Vukonic
Part II: Emerging Trends and Contemporary Issues in Religious Tourism
7. What can online reviews reveal about Tourism Destination Image? A netnographic approach to a pilgrim destination in India
Naresh Nayak, Reni Polus and Senthilkumaran Piramanayagam
8. ‘Reverse gaze’ in spiritual tourism: fact or myth?
Reni Polus
9. Understanding senior citizens’ intentions to use virtual reality for religious tourism in India: a behavioural reasoning theory perspective
Sahil Raj, Brinda Sampat, Abhishek Behl and Kokil Jain
10. Angels of the night: exploring street-aid volunteer tourists and faith-based volunteer tourism
Konstantinos Tomazos
11. Challenges and opportunities for sacred journeys: a media representation of the impact of COVID-19
Ismail Shaheer, Naresh Nayak and Reni Polus
12. Oral tradition, ancient history and religious tourism knowledge
Stephen Schweinsberg and Richard Sharpley
13. Religious tourism studies: evolution, progress, and future prospects
Bona Kim, Seongseop (Sam) Kim and Brian King
Part III: Discovering Diverse Religious Tourism
14. Islamic Tourism Reviewed
Joan C. Henderson
15. Pilgrimages of Nostalgia: Patterns of Jewish Travel in the United States
Dimitri Ioannides and Mara W. Cohen Ioannides
16. Understanding Sikh Pilgrimage
Rajinder S. Jutla
17. Contested Religious Heritage: Differing Views of Mormon Heritage
Daniel H. Olsen and Dallen J. Timothy
18. Social interaction in visitor control at a Chinese Buddhist monastic site
Cora Un In Wong
Biography
Anestis K. Fotiadis is Full Professor at Zayed University, College of Business, Department of Management, Abu Dhabi, UAE. His main area of research is associated with tourism management, event management, hospitality management and sustainable development. He has published more than 40 research papers in international academic journals such as Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Business Research and others.
Nikolaos (Niko) Stylos is Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Bristol Business School, UK and Honorary Professor of Hospitality Management at Tainan University of Technology, Taiwan, He is an internationally recognised and awarded scholar specialising in marketing innovation, and digital transformation in the service industries.