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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The present study analyses in a holistic and multidisciplinary approach the motivations
that tourists have to visit sacred places. The goal is to find out what are the key
motivational factors that determine their choice. It supplies an extensive literature
review focusing on the concept of motivations, which allows us to identify the main
reasons that draw people to sites.
The fieldwork of this study includes pilgrims and or tourists at three sacred sites: Fátima
(Portugal), Santiago de Compostela (Spain) and Jerusalem (Israel). Fieldwork includes
surveys of 633 tourists from different religions visiting these symbolic places who
belong to generations of Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials.
The results show the existence of a multidimensional scale that incorporates three
dimensions of motivation to visit sacred places as tourist destinations: (1) Faith, (2)
Personal enrichment and (3) Calling. However, due to the differences of generations -
Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millennials - the importance and significance of
each of those motivations for the tourists who visit these sacred places is different.
The present study has important implications for the marketing and planning of sacred
destinations, particularly in the development of strategies of segmentation, targeting and
positioning, through the disclosure of the differentiated characteristics valued by each
age group of tourists.
Description
Keywords
religious tourism sacred places motivations generations
Citation
Silva, Carla; Abrantes, José Luís; Herstein, Ram; and Reis, Manuel (2019) "Motivations to Visit Jerusalem, Santiago De Compostela And Fatima As Sacred Destinations: A Generational Approach," International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage: Vol. 7: Iss. 4, Article 8. Available at: https://arrow.dit.ie/ijrtp/vol7/iss4/8
Publisher
Dublin Institute of Technology, Cathal Brugha Campus, Dublin, Ireland.