Tourism, Religion And Spiritual Journeys

Description:
Religion and spirituality are still among the most common motivations for travel - many major tourism destinations have developed largely as a result of their connections to sacred people, places and events. Providing a comprehensive assessment of the primary issues and concepts related to this intersection of tourism and religion, this revealing book gives a balanced discussion of both the theoretical and applied subjects that destination planners, religious organizations, scholars, and tourism service providers must deal with on a daily basis. Drawing together a distinguished list of contributors, the volume takes a global approach and incorporates substantial empirical cases from Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, New Ageism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and the spiritual philosophies of East Asia. On a conceptual level, it brings together an international array of experts (many of whom are themselves adherents to the religions they discuss) and considers, amongst other topics: contested heritage; the pilgrim-tourist dichotomy; secularization of pilgrimage experiences; religious humanism; educational aspects of religious tourism; and, commodification of religious icons and services. A vibrant collection of essays, this outstanding book discusses many important practices, paradigms, and problems that are currently being examined and debated. It raises an array of significant and interesting questions and as such is a valuable resource for students, scholars and researchers of tourism, religion and cultural studies.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Tourism and Religious Journeys Daniel H. Olsen and Dallen J. Timothy Chapter 2: Sacred Spaces and Tourist Places Thomas S. Bremer Chapter 3: Religious and Secular Pilgrimage: Journeys Redolent with Meaning Justine Digance Chapter 4: Paradigms of Travel: From Medieval Pilgrimage to the Postmodern Virtual Tour Lutz Kaelber Chapter 5: Travel and Journeying on the Sea of Faith: Perspectives from Religious Humanism C. Michael Hall Chapter 6: Religious Tourism as an Educational Experience Erik H. Cohen Chapter 7: Empty Bottles at Sacred Sites: Religious Retailing at Ireland's National Shrine Myra Shackley Chapter 8: Management Issues for Religious Heritage Attractions Daniel H. Olsen Chapter 9: Tourism and the Spiritual Philosophies of the 'Orient' Chao Guo Chapter 10: Nature Religion, Self Spirituality and New Age Tourism Dallen J. Timothy and Paul J. Conover Chapter 11: Global Jewish Tourism: Pilgrimages and Remembrance Mara W. Cohen Ioannides and Dimitri Ioannides Chapter 12: Buddhism, Tourism and the Middle Way C. Michael Hall Chapter 13: Tourism and Islam: Considerations of Culture and Duty Dallen J. Timothy and Thomas Iverson Chapter 14: Pilgrimage in Sikh Tradition Rajinder S. Jutla Chapter 15: Pilgrimage in Hinduism: Historical Context and Modern Perspectives Rana P.B. Singh Chapter 16: Sacred Places and Tourism in the Roman Catholic Tradition Boris Vukonic Chapter 17: Tourism and Informal Pilgrimage among the Latter-day Saints Daniel H. Olsen Chapter 18: Conclusion: Whither Religious Tourism? Dallen J. Timothy and Daniel H. Olsen