Peter Wiltshier

Religion and tourism: crossroads, destinations and encounters

Stausberg’s monograph engages the reader with the ‘dynamic interaction between religion and tourism in the modern world’ (frontispiece). This is a useful new text working from the perspective of religious studies, casually and causally emanating from the daily life of an academic living in Norway who, by his own admission, is driven by an interest in the behaviour of tourists on his doorstep. The book uses the idea of a religious tourist being an ‘experience hunter’ engaged in pursuit of satisfaction of a ‘travel career’ (p. 27). Observers have identified that religious sites have been commodified for many years. In fact, the boundaries of religious motivation of visitors were crossed long ago (Vukonic, 1998; Stănciulescu & Ţı̂rca, 2010). Stausberg reiterates the crossing of such boundaries with a variety of examples of mythologised branding from Tibet, Russia, Buenos Aires, Turks and Caicos, and Shambhala. Religion can therefore be ‘unpacked as some kind of deconstructed souvenirs’ (p. 221). The consumption culture and the commodification of religion seem fraught with concerns over the legitimacy of marketing and minimising the impacts to sacred sites of worship. This book focuses on tourism’s effects on religion and to these sites brought about through the increasing mobility of the pilgrim, the convert and the tourist. Pine and Gilmore assert that every business is a stage and that many stages in the tourism sector are trod by badly cast, underpaid and under-rehearsed actors (cited in Morgan, Elbe, & de Esteban Curiel, 2009). Rojo’s (2007) study identified that there are no homogenous religious audiences for sacred sites. The trend therefore comprises growing heterogeneity of demand, individualism in motivation and possibly a tailormade but complex and chaotic response required of providers. By using the metaphor or analogy of the journey, experience, mediation and performance, Stausberg is of course mirroring historic journeys detailed by sociologists and anthropologists such as Urry, Graburn and Nash. The use of this metaphor is a particular strength of the book and does not feel repetitive. The book comprises three sections: at the crossroads – meeting stakeholders, at the destinations – engaging performances and, finally, during the encounter – experiences within the religious setting and the tourism-mediated environment. Each chapter within the three sections includes a useful summary or, as Stausberg puts it, a souvenir of the itinerary enjoyed to that point. An early souvenir is the creation and sharing of identity as part of both religion and tourism as journeys. Stausberg alerts us to the possibility that the pilgrim may well be aligned with the tourist; in no way do the two necessarily find themselves in opposed or contrary positions. He continues to re-focus our views of the shared liminal experiences of tourism and religion. Modern tourists can be engaged in sacred spaces and sacred journeys; they do not confine themselves to the profane and mundane

Tourism to religious sites, case studies from Hungary and England: exploring paradoxical views on tourism, commodification and cost-benefits.

The application of systems theory to tourism development has a pedigree that has largely been derived from econometrics and macro-economic theory (Baggio et al., 2010; Franch et al., 2010; Choi and Sirakaya, 2006; Schianetz and Kavanagh, 2007, 2008; Dwyer et al., 2010). This paper identifi es opportunities and some barriers to developing sites of religious worship for tourism to maximise income and engage appropriate resources allocation strategies. The authors have investigated tourism development that is sympathetic to sacred purposes at these sites over several years. Religious sites are now acknowledging that homogeneous supply responses may no longer be appropriate. Each special site demands a heterogeneous response of site guardians to changeable demand and careful evaluation of how to maximise income generated from very limited resources. This necessitates improved skills in guardians to build appropriate point of sale products and services that fi t with consumption expectations and are congruent with sacred purpose.

Tourism, indigenous peoples and endogeneity in the Chatham Islands

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to highlight indigenous and endogenous components of community capacity development through a focus on enterprise with renewed vigour and fervency attributable to local power elites and local collaboration and cooperation. Design/methodology/approach - The twenty-first century identifies good practices in many aspects of bottom-up planning and implementation in neoliberal political economies. New Zealand is for many reasons, due to scale, skills and education, an example of endogenous development that is used globally for best practice studies. This paper specifically identifies and explores the local responses to the challenge of democracy and opportunities for diversification through tourism services provision on the Chatham Islands. Findings - The paper notes that community capacity and governance on the Chathams has been the subject of discussion in recent years and the focus has been directed to conflicts in governance and possibly inappropriate policy and practice coordination. Although the refocus on endogenous development, empowerment and devolution of responsibility has a long pedigree in the context of the neoliberal economy, insufficient attention has been paid to the skills, inclination, social and economic capital for indigenous enterprise, more so in an environment of isolation, relative deprivation and dependence. Originality/value - This paper highlights indigenous and endogenous components of community capacity development through a focus on enterprise with renewed vigour and fervency attributable to local power elites and local collaboration and cooperation. A useful model of indigenous tourism development and its endogenous antecedents is considered at the conclusion.

Virtual cultural tourism: six pillars of VCT using co-creation, value exchange and exchange value

This paper examines antecedents to the successful use of Virtual Cultural Tourism and the ways in which virtual realities can add value to Cultural Tourism offers. Success can be seen to derive from the deeper understanding of consumers’ preferences and motivations to engage with Virtual Cultural Tourism. It is also necessary to see these initiatives from the perspective of multiple stakeholders: the armchair traveller, the frequent flyer and the service provider at destinations. The latter include public sector providers such as park site managers, museum curators, interpretation and information services for tourism as well as the private sector developers.

Managing knowledge transfer partnership for a rural community: the outcomes at Wirksworth, UK.

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a knowledge transfer partnership (KTP) model, using higher education (HE) students researching in the UK. It is focused on community engagement via charitable trusts, New Opportunities Wirksworth (NOW) & Ecclesbourne Valley Rail (EVR). The researchers designed and implemented a pilot study that explored the potential of a small, yet attractive and active, market town to diversify and regenerate using tourism. This project, which has been funded by the UK Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), has been devised to operate and monitor a KTP in the culturally important heritage market town of Wirksworth, in Derbyshire. Design/methodology/approach – A systems-thinking constructivist approach is used and employs problem-based learning (PBL) through engagement of students in research and data collection. The authors identified that skills for sustainable development within the community are dependent on the reintegration of complex, inter-dependent and inter-disciplinary fa...

Creating and storing a toolkit for pilgrimage and religious tourism sites

The perception and traditional role of Buddhist monasteries has dramatically shifted from sacred religious sites toward sites for the provision of temple stay programmes (hereafter, simply Templestay), a hybrid form of leisure and recreational dwelling that transcends religious boundaries (Kaplan, 2010; Song et al., 2015). Templestay originated in order to respond to a shortage of lodging establishments when Korea cohosted the 2002 World Cup Soccer Games. Surprisingly, an estimated 1,000 internationals took part in this program, over a 42-day period, in conjunction with the World Cup (Kaplan, 2010). In order to provide authentic cultural experiences of sacred places, extensive efforts were made to promote sustainable tourism that benefited both tourists and the national image. The program plays a significant role in transforming the identity of Korean temples from mainly being a spiritual complex, of a specified religion, to being inclusive illustrations of Korean national heritage and culture (Kaplan, 2010). More specifically, Templestay enables participants to fully engage in collective religious, cultural, educational, spiritual, and leisure activities (Choe, Blazey, and Mitas, 2015).

An Evaluation of Practitioners’ Views of Consultancy and Applied Research at the University of Derby

An Evaluation of Practitioners’ Views of Consultancy and Applied Research at the University of Derby The aim of this research has two objectives; firstly, to evaluate the development of cognitive, transferable and intellectual skills in Higher Education students, secondly, to transfer that knowledge by means of collaboration with community organisations. Experiential learning and regeneration/diversification project work is needed by all communities. The collaboration is built upon our ability to provide graduates and a community with portfolios of independent evidence of achievement obtained from working with a partner organisation..

A Review of “Religious tourism and pilgrimage management”

This edited hardback CABI text is a useful reference for practitioner, clergy and learner. It has its origins in a special interest group meeting held in Fatima, Portugal in April 2003 and links academic research strands in tourism management, tourism studies and the emerging academic discipline field in events. The editors present a coherent series of research projects and theoretical paradigms that support (1) destination management and (2) concepts of individualism, globalisation in customer motivation and behaviour, with some specific reference points and guidance by experts in the North and the South. As Raj and Morpeth outline in the introduction, the intention is to present resources for guidance in practice by strategists and for wider reading by learners that are keen to pursue an understanding of religion’s connections to tourism and moreover, religion’s links with contemporary society. Consequently, this reviewer considers whether or not these enjoined missions have been accomplished within the 227 pages. The book has been divided into 16 chapters. Each chapter deals with a specific issue and usually provides a narrative relating to a destination. There are at least two chapters that elucidate theoretical perspectives and paradigms on contemporary consumer behaviour, motivation and sustainability of practice (Blackwell, Chapter 3, and Rotherham, Chapter 5). If the reader seeks edification on religion and tourism management in such diverse locations as the United Kingdom, the Irish Republic or in Peru and Saudi Arabia, there are concise summaries provided of lessons learned and implications for both future research and more holistic and integrated public and private sector partnership activity. Other case studies concern Fatima, Portugal and several examples from India and China. However, and this is a concern, what is missing from this edition is a conclusion that clearly articulates any revised paradigms, derived from the impact studies and consumer trends that can be employed by tourism and event practitioners which could both satisfy the guardians of the cultural icons represented by sites of pilgrimage and simultaneously enthuse and engage ecclesiastics. Lessons learned from experiences and narratives should necessarily have implications for both practice and philosophy. These are touched on by the editors in the introduction, specifically models of:

Spa services and wellness activities within the surf tourism experience; the case study of Jersey, Channel Islands.

ABSTRACT This paper explores the feasibility of developing spa and wellness activities within the surf tourism experience in Jersey (Channel Islands) from the surf traveller’s perspective. Using this worldview, we evaluate a surf tourism offer in Jersey. Through an analysis of the lifestyle and attitudes of today’s surf traveller, we offer preliminary suggestions to marketers and surf lodge owners to capitalise on this unique target market. The conceptual position, that we term Swellness, refers to the perceived wellness dimensions and benefits of surfing. We identify that spa and wellness elements are feasible add-ons for surf product development. The study has also revealed an openness towards other wellness-related concepts, such as Surf Set Fitness or manmade wave surfing parks. Furthermore, the research has shown that wellness and personal responsibility for well-being are part of a surf subculture.