Tourism, Religion and Spiritual Journeys

Religion and spirituality are still among the most common motivations for travel. Many major tourism destinations have developed in large as a result of their connections to sacred people, places and events. Tourism, Religion and Spiritual Journeys provides a comprehensive assessment of the primary issues and concepts related to the intersection of tourism and religion. The book provides a balanced discussion of both theoretical and applied subjects that destination planners, religious organizations, scholars, and tourism service providers must deal with on a daily basis. The volume draws together a distinguished list of contributors to examine the global phenomena of religious tourism. Included are examples from most parts of the world, with substantial empirical cases being taken from Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Mormonism (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), New Ageism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and the spiritual philosophies of East Asia. Also included are many allusionsto other important religious traditions throughout the world and their treatment of pilgrimage travel. In this vibrant collection of essays, Tourism, Religion and Spiritual Journeys discusses many important ideas, paradigms, and problems that are currently being examined and debated at the forefront of scholarly research on religious tourism the world over.