Religious studies and research have gained a lot of interest and attention from researchers, policy makers, and practitioners over the last few years, but the socio-economic impacts have not been explored. Taking into account the profound economic impact the tourism and hospitality industries can have on regions and cities around the world, further research in this area is critical to analyze the extent of such impact and the ramifications that are associated with it. The Handbook of Research on Socio-Economic Impacts of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the social and economic factors in faith-based journeys. While highlighting topics such as tourist spending, spiritual tourism, and local development, this publication explores religious tourism in the middle age, as well as the methods of modern religious tourism. This book is ideally designed for business managers, cultural preservationists, academicians, business professionals, entrepreneurs, and upper-level students seeking current research on religious tourism and its socio-economic impacts.

The Routledge Handbook of Religious and Spiritual Tourism provides a robust and comprehensive state-of-the-art review of the literature in this growing sub-field of tourism. This handbook is split into five distinct sections. The first section covers past and present debates regarding definitions, theories, and concepts related to religious and spiritual tourism. Subsequent sections focus on the supply and demand aspects of religious and spiritual tourism markets, and examine issues related to the management side of these markets around the world. Areas under examination include religious theme parks, the UNESCO branding of religious heritage, gender and performance, popular culture, pilgrimage, environmental impacts, and fear and terrorism, among many others. The final section explores emerging and future directions in religious and spiritual tourism, and proposes an agenda for further research. Interdisciplinary in coverage and international in scope through its authorship and content, this will be essential reading for all students, researchers, and academics interested in Tourism, Religion, Cultural Studies, and Heritage Studies.

This Handbook provides a critical analysis of the evolution of the contemporary niche tourism phenomenon. By framing discussions around sustainable development thinking, concepts and practical applications, each chapter provides specific reflections on niche tourism trends, successes and/or failures, and the challenges and opportunities that destinations that pursue tourism as a vehicle for sustainable development face around the world.

As the tourism industry grows worldwide, researchers continue to seek solutions and practices that support increased tourism to specific regions. Special interest tourism is a method that looks at how psychological and sociological factors help a visitor choose which destination to visit. By applying this type of tourism in Southeast Asia, the role of emotions, experiences, and place attachment becomes a driving factor for tourists. Special Interest Tourism in Southeast Asia: Emerging Research and Opportunities critically discusses the challenges associated with special interest tourism and how it can be used to overcome unfavorable impacts of tourism for the local community, as well as preserve cultural heritage. The book covers emerging issues such as sustainability, technological advances within this type of tourism, and responses to over tourism and tourism-phobia. It is ideally designed for government officials, policymakers, managers, industry professionals, and university students seeking current research on the recent growth of the tourism industry.

This timely volume brings together various issues in Muslim consumer cultures and provides a comprehensive account of Muslim tourism and tourist behaviour. Islam is a major international religion and Muslims are a majority of the population in many countries in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The growth of a substantial middle class, the development of Islamic consumer cultures, rising Muslim market consumption in non-Muslim majority destinations and the growing significance of intra-Muslim traffic and rising outbound tourism expenditure in emerging Muslim markets have all contributed to substantial interest in Muslim tourism. However, travel by Muslims is about far more than the Hajj and Umrah, as important as they are as acts of devotion. Instead, although often portrayed in the West as a monolithic religion, Muslim travel and leisure behaviour is very diverse, with different traditions and cultures leading to a range of expressions of tourism-related consumption culture and practices. Drawing on a range of empirical studies undertaken in different social and economic contexts and countries, this book provides a well-balanced portrayal of the Muslim tourism experience and practices. This book makes a substantial contribution to an improved understanding of Muslim travel culture and will be required reading for anyone interested in this fast-growing market.

As we come upon the 30th anniversary of communism’s fall, it is a good time to reexamine what life was like behind the Iron Curtain and how communism impacted people for generations. The study of communication is important as it shows how much effect government type has on the principles its people support. Those interested in promoting and maintaining democratic ideals in countries around the world require a book such as this to better understand the effect communism has had. Impact of Political Socialization on the Support for Democratic Principles: Emerging Research and Opportunities examines life under communism in Czechoslovakia and Hungary with particular attention paid to education, religion, travel, and exposure to Western culture, as well as their transition to democracy and how successful that transition has been. The book makes the case that being politically socialized under communism has made embracing democratic principles more difficult. The evidence for this case is based on 200 interviews conducted in 2017-18 with people who lived in Czechoslovakia and Hungary during communism, present-day analysis of government and politics in the Czech Republic and Hungary, and survey data from the European Social Survey. The main struggles in transitioning to democracy are identified, and it is speculated whether the Czech Republic and Hungary can ever be long-term, fully functioning democracies. The main implications of this publication are how government type during political socialization affects support for democratic principles, and whether the United States could ever be at risk for democratic erosion. The book is intended for political scientists, government officials, historians, academicians, researchers, and students.

Addressing a dearth of literature in this area, this book provides a comprehensive overview and framework of study of the politics of religious tourism. Existing work shows awareness that politics is present but the approach has been one of benign neglect, and/or a priori assumptions about the role of politics in the management of sacred sites. Previous literature is fragmented into various perspectives and approaches that best serve different disciplinary interests. By understanding the politics of religious tourism through the various perspectives and approaches from the discipline of political science, law, public policy, and other fields. This book will be of great interest to researchers and students of religious tourism, pilgrimage, as well as related subjects such as political science, economics, sociology, tourism, law studies, and religious studies.

In recent years there has been a growth in both the practice and research of dark tourism; the phenomenon of visiting sites of tragedy or disaster. Expanding on this trend, this book examines dark tourism through the new lens of pilgrimage. It focuses on dark tourism sites as pilgrimage destinations, dark tourists as pilgrims, and pilgrimage as a form of dark tourism. Taking a broad definition of pilgrimage so as to consider aspects of both religious and non-religious travel that might be considered pilgrimage-like, it covers theories and histories of dark tourism and pilgrimage, pilgrimage to dark tourism sites, and experience design. A key resource for researchers and students of heritage, tourism and pilgrimage, this book will also be of great interest to those studying anthropology, religious studies and related social science subjects.

Cultural tourism, domestic and international, is comprised of travel that takes people out of their usual environments and focuses on activities that are related to the cultural aspects of an area. Rapid progress in technology, especially the advancement of mobile applications, has changed various aspects of travel, especially in areas such as transportation. Cultural Tourism in the Wake of Web Innovation: Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential scholarly book that examines revolutionary changes taking place in the field of cultural tourism that are a result of the applications of web-based and other information technologies including Web 2.0 innovations, locational technologies, and digital imaging. It features a wide range of topics such as economic development, mobile applications, and green development, and is intended for use by hotel management, travel agents, event organizers and planners, airline managers, academicians, researchers, students, and professionals in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Pilgrimage routes face challenges such as fragmented experiences, inadequate infrastructure, and limited knowledge, hindering their full potential and economic benefits. Esteemed academic scholars Vítor João Pereira Domingues Martinho, João Augusto Guerra da Rocha Nunes, Maria Jesus Pato, and Liliana Castilho offer a compelling solution in their book, Experiences, Advantages, and Economic Dimensions of Pilgrimage Routes. Through meticulous research, the book provides valuable insights to enhance the pilgrimage experience and unlock the economic potential of these routes. It presents alternative paths to harmonize pilgrims' journeys and addresses the issue of fragmented experiences. This essential resource serves students, researchers, local authorities, municipalities, and policymakers, creating a platform for engaging in discussions and fostering improvements in pilgrimage routes. Covering a wide range of topics, including heritage, culture, spirituality, tourism, regional development, and rural planning, the book offers a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between pilgrimage routes and societal aspects. Experiences, Advantages, and Economic Dimensions of Pilgrimage Routes empowers readers to contribute to the transformation and revitalization of these sacred paths, allowing for their continued significance and economic prosperity.