Spirituality: A way to realize sustainable tourism
When deliberating on the spiritual dimension of tourism, one key question is that how individuals are seeking for their life meaning and experiences of divine existence, as well as their connectedness as subjectively lived during their travel. In fact, tourism is closely connected to religion whi...
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Main Author: | |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2019
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/6162/1/FH02-FSSG-19-25825.pdf http://eprints.unisza.edu.my/6162/ |
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Summary: | When deliberating on the spiritual dimension of tourism, one key question is
that how individuals are seeking for their life meaning and experiences of divine
existence, as well as their connectedness as subjectively lived during their travel.
In fact, tourism is closely connected to religion which has always been a
powerful travel motivation from the time of early pilgrimages to contemporary
journeys to sacred places. Religious sites, rituals, festivals and ceremonies are
considered important attractions for both religious followers with special systems
of belief and tourists with a casual interest. Perhaps, this characteristic of the
tourism experience is the main reason for spiritual tourism experiences being
recently popular among individuals who have started engaging in spirituality-driven experiences and among persons aiming to develop their continuing sublime
engagement by means of travel. There are various reasons for travelling for
spiritual growth which is opposed to the traditional notions of pilgrimage and
religious tourism. However, relatively few scholars have explored the
multitudinous relationships between religion, spirituality, and sustainable tourism,
despite the pervasiveness of religious tourism and spiritual connections to place. A
subject that has received only scant attention in the literature is the negative social
and ecological impacts of religious (mass) tourism. Several authors have noted the
negative impacts of religious tourism on the commercialization of places and
artifacts that were once held as sacred locations. The commodification of religious
symbols and the economic implications of selling them should become of increased
interest to researchers as the world becomes more consumption-oriented. |
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