TOUR1001 Lecture 3: TOUR1001 WK3
Lecture W3: Culture, Religion & Taboo
Thursday, 8 March 2018
10:08
RECAP (MIDSEM)
1. The greatest challenge for tourism professionals in classifying culture is = constantly changing
2. Many ways of knowing and many truths to a fact is defined as = Pluralism
3. Focusing on quantifiable rather than subjective results in a example of what primary
component of Mcdonalisation = Calculability
4. Believing that your way of doing things is right and superior is defined as = Ethnocentrism
Religion
• People have always been interested in making sense of their lives and the world in
which they live and, it is claimed, have looked to the sacred for meaning
• Religion has largely been thought to provide this meaning for people's lives throughout
the centuries
• Religion can be defined as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power
(especially a personal God or Gods)
• There are many religions within the world (focus on six religions)
Religiosity
• Religiosity of a person may vary based on their:
~ Cognition (religious knowledge, beliefs)
~ Affect (emotional attachment or feeling towards religion)
~ Behaviour (such as attendance at church, scripture reading & prayer)
• An intrinsically (inward) motivated person lives their religion whereas an extrinsically
(outward) motivated person applies their religion (you can do both!)
• Studies indicate that religiosity is a stronger determinant of personal values. The level of
religiosity also has a positive effect on an individual's standard of ethics
Religions VS Spirituality
• Religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that claim to get a person in a right relationship
with God (Believing)
• Spirituality is a focus on spiritual things and the spiritual world instead of
physical/earthly things (being)
• Neither spirituality nor religion is inherently good or bad
~ The practice of religion may lead to good (the founding of Christian hospitals) or
to evil (the mass suicide in Jonestown)
~ Likewise, one person may claim that feeding the poor is a spiritual act, while
someone else claims that murder is a spiritual act
• Biblically speaking, religion and spirituality should be united
Religious Tourism
• Religious tourism can be a vehicle for change for the better and can lead to peace if
properly guided by codes of ethic and conducts (both tourists & tourism managers)
• The philosophies of the major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam & Christianity - are
not conflicting if spiritual aspects and values are upheld
• Religion tourism managers must focus on religions as a force for harmony rather than
discord and conflict
Religious Tourism - Defined
• Religious tourism (religious tourists) is said to have five characteristics
1.Voluntary, temporary and unpaid [not-for-work purposes] travel.
2.Motivated by religion.
3.Supplemented by other motivations.
4.The destination is a religious site (local, regional, national or international status).
5.Travel to the destination is not a religious practice
Religious Tourism - Facts
• United Nations World Tourism Organisation (2014) estimates that approximately 300 to
330 million tourists visit the world’s key religious sites each year, providing key
economic growth to destinations.
• It is estimated that of the 2.7% of Saudi Arabia’s Gross Domestic Product that is tourism
related, the largest cohort are religious tourists
Religious Tourism - Motivations
• Travelling to a physical site (e.g. cathedral or church) or at a non-religious site (a
purpose built attraction, special event site or public place) can be of prime importance
for religious tourists.
• A religious motive can, however, be complex with multiple meanings that has different
intensity levels based on the individual and their level of faith and the social context
such as who they are travelling with (Blackwell, 2007).
• Tourists with high religiosity may be motivated to travel for a spiritual experience to
fulfil their cognitive beliefs and awaken their emotions.
• Non-religious tourists with no religiosity may chose to participate in a religious tourism
experience for reasons such as historical understanding emotional interest, adventure or
excitement
~ Spiritual awakening
~ Enhanced spirituality
~ Excitement
Document Summary
Religiosity: religiosity of a person may vary based on their: ~ affect (emotional attachment or feeling towards religion) ~ behaviour (such as attendance at church, scripture reading & prayer: an intrinsically (inward) motivated person lives their religion whereas an extrinsically (outward) motivated person applies their religion (you can do both!) Studies indicate that religiosity is a stronger determinant of personal values. The level of religiosity also has a positive effect on an individual"s standard of ethics. Religions vs spirituality: religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that claim to get a person in a right relationship with god (believing) Spirituality is a focus on spiritual things and the spiritual world instead of physical/earthly things (being: neither spirituality nor religion is inherently good or bad. ~ the practice of religion may lead to good (the founding of christian hospitals) or to evil (the mass suicide in jonestown)
