What is pilgrimage tourism?

Answer 1

3rd June 2009 A person who goes on a pilgrimage to any sacred place does so for a variety of spiritual reasons: seek guidance from God, draw closer to God, give thanks for a blessing, spend an extended time in prayer, seek forgiveness for sins, visit place considered sacred for some reason, be with people who share the same faith. People of every major religious group go on pilgrimage. Jews go on pilgrimage to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) of the destoyed Temple in Jerusalem. Jews believe that the temple was the holiest place on Earth because it was in the Holy of Holies that the Ark of the Covenant stood. In the Ark were placed some manna from the time in the wilderness, the rod which Aaron used to bring water from a rock and the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments. Christians go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land where Jesus lived, was crucified and rose from the dead. Anglican Christians go on pilgrimage to Cantebury Cathedral, the see of their spiritual leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Catholic Christians also have numerous sacred sites of pilgrimage: the Holy Land, Rome, and the places where they believe the Virgin Mary appeared (e.g. Lourdes in France, Knock in Ireland, Fatima in Portugal) Muslims go on pilgrimage to Mecca, and its surrounding area, in Saudia Arabia. Here they visit places associated with Muhammad and spend time in prayer. Buddhists have numerous places of pilgrimage, the 4 main ones being: * Lumbini in Nepal, the birth place of the Buddha. * Bodh Gaya where the Buddha became enlightenes. * Sarnath where he delivered his first teaching * Kusinagar in India where he attained mahapaprinirvana (died and did not reincarnate). Hindus have numerous places of pilgrimage. Sikhs go on pilgrimage to the Golden Temple in Amristar in India.

Answer 2

This is a very interesting area. Since pilgrims often travel to areas that are notably important in history there naturally are many who seek to visit these areas for both the historical element and for the spectacle of pilgrims visiting. For example, Muslims that go on hajj to Makkah do so primarily for religious reasons (hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, or the five necessary steps necessary in leading a 'fully' Islamic life) however the sights and sounds of the site create awe and interest in a historical way, similar to a tourist visiting Manhattan, the Pyramids or Stonehenge. Because of this, someone go on a pilgrimage more for the sake of taking photos and viewing the pilgrimage as an outsider.

When a person goes on a trip that would normally be for religious reasons, but the real reason they go are for enjoyment, relaxation or curiousity, they are indulging in tourism that is based around pilgrimage.

This is found in many places. Lourdes in France is a good example of this. It is difficult to judge whether one is a 'pilgrimage tourist' or 'spiritual tourist' since the genuine intentions of the pilgrim are unknown and it is likely that everybody embarks upon some form of tourism during a pilgrimage in some shape or form.

Answer 3

a journey to a sacred place