Despite falling numbers of people who attend places of worship on a regular basis, there is significant development of interest in spirituality, in spiritual events and practices, underpinning the proliferation of opportunities for spiritual tourism. Those who are spiritually inclined can take a path towards enlightenment by choosing from the plethora of books published over the past 50 years, from authors such as Paul Coelho, to Rhonda Byrnes’ The Secret (2004) that was popularized by the 2006 film of the same name, greatly influencing this cultural context. Dismissed by some as ‘New Age’, the choices open to those of that persuasion have broadened to include spiritual journeys, not only as tourists, but even as pilgrims. Meanwhile, the passions of some sports fans, in an age that spurns ‘religious’ labels, quickly embraces the deep and spiritual experiences often found at sports events. And sacred spaces might equally be found by journeying to music festivals such as Glastonbury, or even at an illegal rave. Spiritual tourism might include a range of different aspects, some of which are covered in this volume, while others remain to be researched in the future, such as the spiritual aspects of well-being that might emerge in the tourism sector. Recent literature on pilgrimages and religious tourism has emphasized the importance of the management of religious events, from the perspective of a marketing strategy approach, to promote religious spectacles in different places (Source: Spiritual Tourism).
Pilgrimage Tourism and Facilitation of Culturally and Contextually Grounded Globalization
