Trikalitis Konstantinos

PhD Candidate University of Western Attica, Department of Tourism

Manola Maria,

Faculty Member University of Western Attica, Department of Tourism

 

 

Introduction

Religious tourism is the fastest growing tourism product since 2007. It is estimated that, in the United States alone, approximately 25% of commuters are interested in some form of pilgrimage or religious tourism. Adding to them, people who travel for religious-based activities such as weddings and funerals, the numbers become particularly high (Vijayanand, 2012). The impact of religious tourism and its contribution to local progress and development has various dimensions (Pohoaţă et al., 2013) and is important both in the creation of jobs, as well as in population growth and the creation of infrastructure (Vijayanand, 2012).

 

Economic and social benefits of religious tourism

Commuters, whether they are traveling as pilgrims, ordinary tourists or even combining the pilgrimage with the cultural motivation, must satisfy the same basic needs. Therefore, religious travel, regardless of motivation, requires a cycle of economic activities, which are developed by hotel companies, tourist agencies, by airlines and advertising companies, and by shops selling souvenirs, images and other items (Moira & Paraschi, 2015). The religious tourist, after satisfying his religious needs, behaves as a simple tourist, in the sense that he will offer an amount of money, in order to satisfy his consumption needs for accommodation, meals, purchase of souvenirs, souvenirs and other products (Polyzos, 2017; Moira & Paraschi, 2015).

Briefly, the services that are developed in order to satisfy the needs of visitors - religious tourists are as follows (Moira, 2008):

i. Accommodation

The need for accommodation leads to the development of accommodation, which vary in terms of their form and the services they offer, from small guesthouses to luxury hotels and resorts.

ii. Food services

Food establishments, (eg restaurants, taverns, cafes, etc.) are developed in tourist reception areas, in order to satisfy normal needs, such as food and water.

iii. Shops selling souvenirs

These shops operate in the area where the religious monument is located and sell souvenirs connected to the holy place. These objects may have religious characteristics or be used in religious ceremonies. Many times, however, objects related to the religious space, but without religious significance, are also sold. This phenomenon has often been criticized as the commercialization of religion. iv. Sales of books, cards, forms, CDs/DVDs These items are related to the sacred space and professionals are involved in their publication, such as publishers, printers and graphic designers. n. Guided tours Guided tours are often offered, both to the sacred site and to places and monuments connected to it, or tours of the wider area.

vi. Issuance of tickets

In many cases the entrance fee to the holy places is not considered acceptable. However, entry tickets to museums, exhibition spaces and secondary places of religious-cultural interest are an important source of income.

According to Fleisher (2000), the economic benefits associated with religious tourism are often greater than those of other forms of tourism because pilgrims and religious tourists are "voracious" buyers of religious souvenirs (Fleischer, 2000). Thus, in the areas receiving religious tourists, a significant number of employees, such as travel agents, hoteliers and peddlers of religious items, are active in the tourism industry. The economic benefits of religious tourism, with the increase in its size, cause in many cases, the creation of special private or public offices, specialized in religious tourism. The purpose of these offices is to organize visits to places of religious importance (Polyzos, 2017). Furthermore, religious tourism, like the forms of alternative tourism in general, offers the possibility to strengthen employment sectors related to traditional art and handicrafts, thus expanding the professional options for those employed.

In more detail, the most important economic and social benefits, which result from the development of religious tourism in a region, as an economic activity, are the following (Polyzos 2015; Polyzos 2017):

1. Inflow of foreign exchange

Tourist visits by foreigners or nationals, strengthen the foreign exchange inflow into a country or region respectively, thereby improving the balance of external payments or local development.

2. Increase in employment

The development of religious tourism leads to an increase in the demand for products and services in the area receiving the visitors. Therefore, employment opportunities are created for the local population, in order to meet the needs that arise. Employment can be directly related to the tourist activity, but also indirectly, in the sense of the offer, in the tourism industry, of consumer products and services.

3. Increase in income

Religious tourism causes an increase in demand for goods and services (transportation, accommodation, food, entertainment). The direct or indirect employment in the tourism sector, which was mentioned above, implies an increase in the incomes of the employed, the amount of which depends on the tourism demand and the consumption expenditure of the religious tourists.

4. Increase in revenues of the state and religious monuments

The development of religious tourism contributes to the increase of revenues of the state and the solution of the fiscal problem, while at the local level, it contributes to a significant extent to the strengthening of municipal revenues. It is also the main source of income for the holy monasteries, religious places and monuments.

5. Cultural benefits

The movement of people, be it international or national, causes the exchange of cultural and educational elements. Thus, through getting to know new morals, customs and culture, people have the possibility to expand their cultural and spiritual horizons. In general, tourism contributes to the spread of culture and intellectual goods, among people of different societies and peoples. It is worth mentioning, however, that there are often objections regarding this effect, as many believe that changing certain habits or lifestyles causes the alteration of local culture and alienates social institutions. Despite this negative criticism, tourism, and even religious tourism, undoubtedly offers the opportunity to reduce prejudices, promoting a change of mentality and the bridging of cultural differences, through contact with other cultures (Balomenou et al., 2015).

In addition, the development of religious tourism contributes to the maintenance, promotion and preservation of cultural heritage (Fleischer, 2000). they would have been destroyed due to abandonment, (Polyzos, 2017), while the revenues of tourist development, act as resources for the preservation and maintenance of the monuments and their wider area (Vijayanand, 2012).

 

Religious tourism and local development

In general, the recognition of the positive results of religious tourism in development and prosperity, sharpens the competitiveness between regions, for greater tourist attractiveness. The importance of the economic dimension of religious tourism and the opportunities that arise for the development of tourist receiving areas have led many organizations or associations, such as UNESCO or the European Union, to take initiatives and promote programs, with the aim of increasing flows religious tourists. In order to achieve this goal, religious holidays are projected and events of a religious nature or even the very characteristics of religious monuments are highlighted. Usually, increasing the attractiveness of religious areas is sought through highlighting the religious element in combination with the cultural, historical and artistic value of the monument, or the natural heritage of the wider area (Polyzos, 2017).

Also, many states, due to the significant impact of religious tourism on their economy, promote as a national "tourism product" the traditional celebration of their religious holidays and events (eg Christmas in Germany, or feasts of the Virgin Mary). In the context of this, the revival of religious-cultural routes of wider interest is organized in many cases, such as, for example, the route "The footsteps of the Apostle Paul in Greece" (Moira, 2008). Focusing on the characteristics of religious destinations, it seems that religious holidays, ceremonies and meetings, which are held annually or at regular intervals, do not have a particularly decisive effect on the development of the population or the economy of religious centers. As a rule, the people who participate in such activities are relatively few, compared to the year-round flow of pilgrims visiting religious sites, which may number in the millions (Rinschede, 1992).

Some religious sites have been attracting visitors for centuries and their impact on local development has evolved over historical periods. However, there are sacred sites, which were suddenly discovered and brought immediate and great changes to local societies (Vijayanand, 2012). A typical example of the impact of religious tourism is Medjugorje, a small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina. According to an information, which was channeled via the Internet, by a Franciscan friar, the Virgin Mary had appeared in June 1981 to six children of this village, giving messages of peace and love to the world. Since then, the region has experienced amazing economic and population growth, in contrast to the general crisis prevailing throughout Yugoslavia. In this development, the arrival of tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world played a decisive role (Vukonic, 1992). Although there are no official statistics, it is estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 people arrive in Medjugorje daily, while on days such as the anniversary of the first visit, tourists reach 15,000 (Vukonic, 1992).

The annual flow of pilgrims has a direct impact on the population growth of religious destinations. This increase in population is primarily due to the attraction of workers, who are employed in offering services to pilgrims - visitors. Examples of population growth are Lourdes and Fatima, which experienced a continuous and rapid increase in their population after their development as pilgrimage sites. However, the effects of religious tourism seem to be even more intense in Mecca, which is a religious destination of international scope. The need to satisfy the demand resulting from the arrival of pilgrims led to the arrival of workers, turning Mecca into a cosmopolitan city in the Islamic world. It is worth mentioning that until the end of the Second World War, when the oil industry developed rapidly, the income derived from the pilgrims to Mecca was the backbone of the economy of Saudi Arabia.

It can be seen, through the examples mentioned above, that the economy of an entire city and its wider area (Lourdes and Fatima) but also in some cases, the entire country (Mecca - Saudi Arabia), can be affected by the flow of religious tourists (Rinschede, 1992). In addition, religious tourism, like any form of tourism, often contributes to the local economy in an indirect way. In addition to increasing employment and reducing unemployment, due to activities serving tourist needs, religious tourism causes in the visited areas a series of development actions with positive results. These actions concern the improvement or creation of basic infrastructure, solving traffic problems and protecting the environment (Polyzos, 2017).

In the context of the indirect positive effects, the complementarity of religious tourism with other forms of alternative tourism, such as cultural, agro-tourism, educational and scientific tourism, mountain and sightseeing tourism can be considered. Thus, the possibility of exploiting, not only religious monuments, but also natural or other resources, which would be difficult to exploit in a different context is offered (Pohoaţă et al., 2013) Religious tourism can manifest itself as an autonomous activity or as part of a larger tourist trip. Thus, through its connection with other forms of tourism, it can further contribute to the development of disadvantaged areas and offer the possibility of strengthening degraded productive sectors, increasing absorption workforce and improving the quality of life of the residents. As a form of alternative tourism, religious tourism does not cause problems to natural resources or the quality of the environment, thus supporting sustainability in the host area. At the same time, the development of tourism services requires the education and the training of the people employed in them, contributing to the improvement of the educational level of the local society (Pohoaţă et al., 2013).

 

Conclusions

Religious tourism, like any form of tourism in general, has a positive impact on the development of the wider areas that host the religious space and function as tourist destinations. The type and characteristics of the tourism activity, affect a series of economic activities of the visited area and cause changes in the produced product, employment and economic development. In general, tourism offers opportunities for business and commercial activities, while at the same time, it attracts new investments.

 

References

Balomenou, C., Poulaki, P., & Lagos, D. (2015). Religious Tourism in Greece and regional development: The case of Samos Island. 55th ERSA CONGRESS “World Renaissance: Changing Roles for People and Places”. Lisbon, Portugal.

Fleischer, A. (2000). The tourist behind the pilgrim in the Holy Land. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 19(3), 311-326.

Moira, P. (2008). The parameter of religion in cultural tourism. Market Without Borders, 13(2), 152-166.

Moira, P., & Paraschi, A. (2015). From pilgrimage to religious-cultural tourism: Case study "Zakynthos". Science & Technology e-Journal.

Pohoaţă, I., Socoliuc, O., & Bostan, I. (2013). The economic impact of religious tourism on the North East region of Romania. European Journal of Science and Theology, 9(2), 195-204.

Polyzos, S. (2015). Urban development. Athens: Critique.

Polyzos, S. (2017). The spatial and economic dimension of religious tourism in Greece. Research Series, 23(1), 1-48.

Rinschede, G. (1992). Forms of religious tourism. Annals of tourism Research, 19(1), 51-67.

Vijayanand, S. (2012). Socio-economic impacts in pilgrimage tourism. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2(1), 329-343.

Vukonic, B. (1992). Medjugorje's religion and tourism connection. Annals of Tourism Research, 19(1), 79-91.