Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Spiritual tourism'

Tourism and pilgrimage have been said to be closely related1. However, the relationship between tourists and the religions and religious contexts they visit has been neglected. Why tourists travel to places of religious significance and how they conceive of their travels are important questions to both the study of tourism and of religion. This thesis is particularly concerned with those tourists who engage in religious practice or have some form of spiritual experience in a religious context. These I am tentatively calling ‘spiritual tourists’. What the study of their experiences can yield is information on the nature of touristic experiences and the position of religion within society. These patterns are conspicuously played out in the context of travel writing, where stories of personal transformation and self discovery can often seem the standard.

In 1912 Émile Durkheim asserted that the “cult” of religion “periodically recreates itself” (Durkheim, 1912, p. 312) by which he meant that the way humanity expresses its religions evolves as the world does, in order that they may continue to be relevant. A century later, in a period which is significantly influenced by the advent of technologies such as the internet, and which has been characterised by Zygmunt Bauman as “liquid modernity” (2000), it is perhaps not surprising that we might question how religious beliefs and practices may manifest themselves in contemporary social life. This thesis is an autoethnographic study which compares online and offline expressions of spirituality in order to question whether the ‘liquid internet age’ – an age of impermanence and individualisation - influences the way that we engage with religion and spirituality through the emergence of spiritual tourism; and whether the internet can truly offer us a viable and authentic environment in which to explore and express our spirituality. Given that autoethnography is still an emerging methodology, it also questions what the pros and cons of using autoethnography to explore online/offline spiritual tourism are. Ultimately, this thesis concludes that the emergence of a liquid society provides the social conditions fostering the need for greater self-creation of identity - including spiritual identity; and that the liquid internet age is facilitating a period in which the “cult” of religion is indeed recreating itself by encouraging the emergence of spiritual tourism. It also concludes that autoethnography is an effective methodology for the study of spiritual tourism, and aims to prove this point by finishing with a creative interpretation of the findings which will – it is hoped - expose them more fully and stimulate thought and questions about the issues at hand in the mind of the reader.

This thesis presents my findings on the Peruvian spiritual tourism industry in both Cusco and Iquitos, based on six weeks of fieldwork during Summer 2005. New Age and Peruvian spiritual belief systems have converged to form current Andean mystical and Amazonian shamanic practices. Increasing numbers of foreign tourists, whether believers in the New Age or not, are coming to gain a deeper understanding of these spiritual belief systems through participation in sacred rituals and ceremonies. The effects of such tourism are similar to other cultural tourism industries, such as increased competition, matters of authenticity, and performance of culture. Other issues are more specific to the spiritual tourism industry, such as the physical and sexual exploitation of tourists. But there are also many positive outcomes of this spiritual interchange, such as individual physical, mental, and emotional healing.

The diploma thesis is the proposal of the pilgrimage church with the addition of the second functional unit as the pilgrimage area near to the stream „Svatá voda – Kaménka“. The proposal claims to raise former pilgrimage area and natural element, and also to provide spiritual and psychological support to pilgrims/visitors. For that reason, there are provided residential programs in the area. The building program corresponds to demanding enter and capacity. Capacity of the church is up to 250 people, in the main liturgical space on the ground floor. The growth is possible on the gallery on the second and third floor. Areal also including restaurant, lecture hall and spiritual centre. That works on a spiritual stay program for singles or couples. There is also a meditation garden and parking lot aloof.

This thesis describes effects of Luther Decade on tourism in Germany. It deals with German tourism market and its segments of cultural and spiritual tourism, as well as with potential of Luther Decade for tourism. It characterizes meaning of Luther Decade for Germany and the worldwide effect of reformation and presents the organizational structure of Luther Decade. It defines potential of Luther Decade for tourism of three German countries: Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, using SWOT analysis. The outcome of the thesis is that the effect of Luther Decade on visit rate in German tourism cannot be proved, because of missing statistical data. Luther Decade is a contribution for tourism due to financial investment in tourism infrastructure and sights reconstruction. It also has a positive impact on Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt who received most of the financial resources and who are being promoted at home and abroad. Germany should monitor visitors of Luther Decade and continuously evaluate this project.

This thesis focuses on religious tourism in the Zlin region. It also includes an introduction of religious tourism challenges in the whole Czech Republic. The Zlin region offers high potential for religious tourism. The region is interested in developing religious tourism, not only from a local point of view but also from the church perspective. This thesis assesses the possibilities of further developments of religious tourism in the Zlin region. Personal suggestions are included in respect of the importance of the spiritual heritage of both believers and unbelievers, pilgrims or tourists.

The main aim is to define the concept of religious tourism in order to understand the complex nature of this phenomenon. Firstly, we analyze the concept of sacred, and especially the relationship with sacred spaces as main areas receiving religious tourism. The concept of the sacred is a universal phenomenon, but it is represented differently according to the religious tradition it belongs, so there is also a local component. The second term studied is tourism. From this point of view, we explore the concept of religious tourism but also other types of tourism in sacred spaces such as pilgrimages, spiritual tourism and cultural tourism. The conclusion reached is a model based on sacred spaces that relates the different motivations of visitors. It identifies some ideal type that let us suggest some management actions in order to avoid conflicts that may arise between the devotees and tourists in sacred spaces.
L’objectiu principal és la conceptualització del turisme religiós de manera que s’entengui la naturalesa complexa del fenomen; i per fer-ho s’analitzen les dues vessants que composen el terme. Per una banda, s’analitza la conceptualització del sagrat i la relació que té amb els espais sagrats com a principals receptors de turisme religiós. S’entén el sagrat com un fet universal i global i alhora local. Per altra banda, s’analitza el terme de turisme religiós i d’altres tipologies turístiques que es poden donar en els espais sagrats, com els pelegrinatges, el turisme espiritual i el turisme cultural. La conclusió a la que s’arriba és un model que, basat en els espais sagrats, relaciona les diferents motivacions dels visitants. Això permet identificar uns tipus ideals que ens permeten suggerir algunes línies de gestió encaminades a evitar els conflictes que es puguin generar en els espais sagrats, amb la finalitat de preservar-ne la naturalesa.

The solved territory is situated in the picturesque part of the South Moravian Region in the village of Strachotín. The local environment invites you to create a pleasant holiday space. That's why I designed a winery object with a holiday accommodation in the vineyard and a water museum with a spiritual space inside the water reservoir. The built-up area is designed on two axis lines. The first axis is the connecting line of the historic wine village of Pouzdřany, with the highest peak of the Pavlovské vrchy. There is a vineyard object on this axis. The second axis comes from the neighboring wine village of Popice and heads to the Nove Mlýny water reservoir in the center and to the church of St. Linharta, which protrudes from the water as a remnant of the flooded village of Mušov. That is why a water museum and a spiritual place to think are on the axis. At the intersection of these two axes there is a lookout tower and a main parking area for visitors.

[spa] En las últimas décadas el turismo se ha convertido en uno de los contribuyentes económicos más importantes a nivel mundial. El éxito se mide en función de su contribución al Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) de cada país, número de turistas que ingresan, disponibilidad de camas de hotel, promedio de ocupación y gasto diario del turista. De la mano de estos datos se formulan las estrategias de planificación y promoción de los diferentes destinos, dándole prioridad a los destinos más exitosos y segmentos más practicados. Poco espacio se ha dejado para visualizar al turismo como lo que es, un fenómeno humano que se ha mantenido a lo largo de la historia. Los cambios en la forma de viajar que dieron lugar al nacimiento del turismo como hoy se conoce se deben a cambios en la sociedad. En un inicio viajar respondía a las necesidades básicas del ser humano; posteriormente el motivo fue visitar santuarios dedicados a las representaciones religiosas más antiguas, motivación que se ha mantenido a lo largo del tiempo y cuyas variaciones han sido respuesta a la forma de cómo las personas y luego los turistas, perciben y practican su espiritualidad y religiosidad. Hoy día el turista viaja por una diversidad de motivos que van desde lo más tangible posible, como las compras y negocios, pasando por una presión social de estatus, hasta llegar a formas más intangibles como una peregrinación o un retiro espiritual holístico alrededor del mundo. La presente investigación parte de este segundo grupo de turistas. En la presente tesis se desarrolló inicialmente un análisis que integró a la antropología, la sociología, la geografía y la psicología, y se incluyó la religión y su vinculación con el turismo. Lo anterior permitió contar con una plataforma científica sólida que facilitó, a lo largo de la investigación, la comprensión del fenómeno turístico desde una perspectiva más completa y orientada al tema central de investigación. La tesis planteó al turismo espiritual como una manera de dar respuesta a este grupo de turistas que son producto de una sociedad de contrastes religiosos y que a su vez ha dado paso a una secularización. Para ello se propuso validar si los turistas de hoy en día buscan re-crearse, re-conectarse consigo mismos a través de viajar a lugares con alto valor espiritual, sean estos de base religiosa o no. Con el objetivo de validar las hipótesis y objetivos planteados se estableció una metodología aplicada a Guatemala, en donde se seleccionaron tres sujetos de estudio por su alto valor sagrado y por ser al mismo tiempo destinos turísticos consolidados. Los elementos que fueron evaluados a lo largo de la investigación y que forman parte del escenario del turismo espiritual fueron: las motivaciones que hacen que los turistas visiten este tipo de lugares; el paisaje como espacio geográfico sagrado; y el turismo de bienestar como una forma de turismo asociada al turismo espiritual. Se propuso una definición del turismo espiritual que integrara los elementos planteados en el trabajo de campo, así como lo encontrado en la revisión bibliográfica. Dado que la temática es innovadora, requerirá de futuras investigaciones que fortalezcan el concepto. La definición se creó a partir de lo recabado durante la investigación ya que dentro del escenario turístico se cuenta con definiciones claras tanto para turismo religioso como para turismo de bienestar. Tal y como se describió a lo largo de la investigación, el turismo espiritual y la práctica de encontrarse a sí mismo a través de los viajes no es un concepto definido. Algunos autores afirman que el turismo espiritual es el resultado de una sociedad secular que rechaza la postura religiosa, mientras que otros opinan lo contrario. Independientemente de si practican o no una religión en específico, de si cuentan con una espiritualidad holística o si simplemente son turistas con necesidad de conocer y experimentar, los turistas buscan estos espacios geográficos sagrados con el objetivo de re-encontrarse, lo cual validó la hipótesis principal de la investigación. Tal y como se planteó en su momento, la investigación promueve el análisis de los siguientes conceptos: conexión espiritual, conexión con la naturaleza, meditación, oración, encuentro consigo mismo, plenitud y atmosfera del lugar, constituyéndose estos en los nuevos motivantes de viaje para un grupo de turistas
[cat] Durant les darreres dècades, el turisme s’ha convertit en un dels components econòmics més importants a nivell mundial. El seu èxit es mesura en funció de la seva contribució al Producte Interior Brut (PIB) de cada país, el nombre de turistes que entren, disponibilitat de llits d’hotel, ocupació mitjana i despesa diària del turista. A partir d’aquestes dades es formulen les estratègies de planificació i promoció de les diferents destinacions, donant prioritat als destins més exitosos i segments més practicats. Poc espai ha quedat per visualitzar el trisme cm el que és, un fenomen humà que s’ha mantingut al llarg de la història. Els canvis en la forma de viatjar que originaren el turisme tal com el coneixem avui en dia, són deguts a canvis en la societat. A un inici, responia a les necessitats bàsiques del ser humà; posteriorment el motiu era visitar santuaris dedicats a les representacions religioses més antigues; de fet, aquest motiu s’ha conservat al llarg del temps, presentant variacions com a resposta a la forma com les persones, i desprès els turistes, perceben i practiquen la seva espiritualitat i religiositat. Avui en dia, el turista viatja per molts de motius, que van des de lo més tangible, com són les compres i negocis, passant per una pressió social que genera un “status”, fins arribar a la forma més intangible del viatge com pot ser un pelegrinatge o un retir espiritual holístic al voltant del món. La present recerca parteix d’aquest segon grup de turistes. Inicialment, desenvoluparem un anàlisi que integrà les ciències següents: antropologia, sociologia, geografia, psicologia, endemés d’incloure la religió i la seva vinculació amb el turisme. Fruit d’aquest anàlisi es va tenir una plataforma científica sòlida, que va facilitat al llarg de la recerca la comprensió del fenomen turístic des d’una perspectiva més completa i orientada al tema central de la recerca. La tesis va plantejar al turisme espiritual com una forma de donar resposta a aquests grups de turistes que són el producte d’una societat de contrastos religiosos i que, al mateix temps, ha donat pas a una secularització d’aquesta. . Per això la intenció fou validar si els turistes de l’actualitat cerquen re-crear-se o re-connectar-se amb ells mateixos, mitjançant el viatjar als llocs d’alt valor espiritual, siguin aquests de base religiosa o no. Amb l’objectiu de validar la hipòtesis i els objectius plantejats, s’establí una metodologia aplicada a Guatemala, país del qual es seleccionaren tres temes d’estudi, pel seu alt valor sagrat i per ser, al mateix temps, destinacions turístiques consolidades. Els elements que foren avaluats al llarg de la recerca i que formen part de l’escenari del turisme espiritual foren: les motivacions que permeten que els turistes visiten aquesta tipologia de destinacions; el paisatge com espai geogràfic sagrat, i el turisme del benestar com una forma de turisme associada al turisme espiritual. S’ha proposat una definició del turisme espiritual que integri els elements plantejats en el treball de camp, així com les coses descobertes en la revisió bibliogràfica. Donat que la temàtica és innovadora exigirà futures recerques que re-afirmin dit concepte. La definició es creà a partir de les informacions recollides durant la recerca, ja que en el camp del turisme es tenen definicions clares tant del turisme religiós com del turisme del benestar. Tal com hem descrit al llarg de la recerca, no hem trobat un concepte definit respecte al turisme espiritual i la pràctica de trobar-se amb un mateix mitjançant els viatges. Alguns autors afirmen que el turisme espiritual és el resultat d’una societat secularitzada que rebutja la postura religiosa, mentre que d’altres opinen el contrari. Els turistes cerquen aquests espais geogràfics sagrats, independentment de si practiquen o no una religió en concret, si tenen una religiositat holística o simplement són turistes que necessiten conèixer i experimentar, amb l’objectiu de retrobar-se, la qual cosa ha premés validar la hipòtesis principal de la recerca. Tal com es va plantejar al seu moment, la recerca promou l’anàlisi dels següents conceptes: connexió espiritual, connexió amb la natura, meditació, pregària, trobada amb si mateix, plenitud, i l’atmosfera del lloc. Sent aquests els nous motivadors del viatge per un grup de turistes
[eng] In recent decades, tourism has become one of the most important economic contribuitors worldwide. Success is measured in terms of its contribuition to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each country, number of tourist entering, availability of hotel beds, average occupancy and daily tourist spending. Hand in hand with these data, the planning and promotion strategies of the different destinations are formulated giving priority to the most fated destinations and most practiced segments. Little space has been left to visualize tourism as what it is, a human phenomenon that has been maintained throughout history. The changes in the form of travel that gave rise to the birth of tourism as it is known today, is due to changes in society. In the beginning it responded to the basic needs of the human being; later the reason was to visit shrines dedicated to the oldest religious representations. In fact, this motive has been maintained over time presenting variations in response to the way of people, and then tourists, perceive and practice their spirituality and religiosity. Nowadays the tourist travels for a diversity of motives that go from the most tangible possible as they are shopping and businesses, going through a social pressure that generates status, until reaching the most intangible form of the trip as it can be a pilgrimage or an holistic retreat around the world. The present research is part of this second group of tourists. Initially, an analysis was developed in order to integrated the following sciences: Anthropology, Sociology, Geography, Psychology, as well as religion and its linkage with tourism. This allowed to have a solid scientific platform, which facilitated throughout the research the understanding of the tourist phenomenon from a more complete perspective and, oriented to the central topic of the thesis. The thesis raised spiritual tourism as a way to respond to this group of tourists who are the product of a society of religious contrasts and which in turn gave way to a secularization of it. To this end, it was proposed to validate whether today's tourists seek to re-create, re-connect with themselves, through traveling to places of high spiritual value, whether religiously based or not. In order to validate the hypothesis and objectives, a methodology was applied to Guatemala, a country where three study subjects were selected, for their high sacred value and for being consolidated tourist destinations at the same time. The elements that were evaluated throughout the research and that are part of the spiritual tourism scenario were: the motivations that make tourists visit these types of places; the landscape as a sacred geographical space; and wellness tourism as a form of tourism associated with spiritual tourism. A definition of spiritual tourism was proposed that would integrate the elements raised in the field work, as well as what was found in the bibliographical review. Given that the theme is innovative, it will require future research to support the strengthening of this concept. The definition was created from what was collected during the investigation, since within the tourist scenario there are clear definitions for both religious tourism and wellness tourism. As it was described throughout the investigation, what refers to spiritual tourism and the practice of finding oneself through travel is not a defined concept. It is affirmed by some authors that spiritual tourism is the result of a secular society that rejects the religious position, while others believe otherwise. Regardless of whether or not they practice a specific religion, or if they have a holistic spirituality or are simply tourists with a need to know and experience, tourists look for these sacred geographic spaces in order to re-encounter, which validated the main hypothesis of the investigation. As it was raised at the time, the research promotes the analysis of the following concepts: spiritual connection; connection with nature; meditation, prayer, encounter with oneself; plenitude and atmosphere of the place. Constituted these in the new motivators of travel for a group of tourists.

碩士
輔仁大學
餐旅管理學系碩士班
100
The pursuit of successful aging as well as integration and harmony in later life is the goal pursued by the prospective seniors, and spiritual health is the unification of the whole body and soul for the main core strength to help prospective seniors to pursue a more meaningful and rich life. Prospective seniors due to increased free time, own cooking vegetarian to improve the opportunity to participate in health tourism is relatively light, health, vegetarian, health tourism is a part of social life can be lived exciting and meaningful. , In this study, spiritual health, health tourism and vegetarian in the role and importance of the seniors, expect this issue to some in the academic and practical contribution and value. A total of 300 questionnaires distributed, 260 valid questionnaires were, the study found that "spiritual health" and "health tourism" to show a significant positive correlation 0.54 and significant to explain force 0.29; between the "spiritual health" and "health tourism” relations, not because "vegetarian" to strengthen the explanatory power between the two; spiritual health of the meaning of life "vegetarian" conservation "will show a significant positive correlation 0.34 and has significant explanatory power of 0.11.

碩士
輔仁大學
餐旅管理學系碩士在職專班
103
Seniors Quasi-retirement down from the workplace or future retirement planning, will have more free time. Proper arrangements for free later years, to enrich your life and enhance the level of spiritual growth, even reached perfection. Therefore, to explore the meaning of life, self-transcendence and other health issues for the spiritual life of the elderly verification great importance. In this study, prospective seniors perceived health and spiritual health of religious and eco-tourism were discussed. The commission invited questionnaires to assist travel agencies in Taiwan four questionnaires, each questionnaire quota of 100 parts, a total of 400 parts. Sampling object visitors need to have the senior citizens over 50 years of age, questionnaire for the March 20, 2015 to April 20, 2015, net of invalid questionnaires 32 parts, the number of 368 valid questionnaires. The empirical results of this study can be found, the spiritual health of the eco-tourism showed a positive correlation (0.581); the spiritual health of religious tourism showed a positive correlation (0.473); perceived health eco-tourism showed a positive correlation (0.265); perceived health of religious tourism showed a positive correlation (0.309), on behalf of the prospective seniors perceived health and spiritual health of religious and eco-tourism does exist a positive relationship. The results of this study provide prospective seniors willingness to enhance religious tourism and eco-tourism, the travel industry are more likely to provide senior citizens to associate marketing purposes.

碩士
輔仁大學
兒童與家庭學系碩士班
99
This paper looks at senior spiritual health by using a senior spiritual health matrix to analyze senior spiritual health and engagement in religious tourism. The survey, which was administered to older adults over 60 years in age, divides participants into 4 groups: age 60 to 69, age 70 to 79, age 80 to 89, and age 90 and above. A total of 472 older adults were surveyed with an equal number of participants in each of the four groups. The survey covered content validity, item analysis,reliability test, criterion-related validity,and confirmatory factor analysis to establish the senior spiritual health matrix. Results of the senior spiritual health matrix and the religious tourism willingness matrix can be used to gather descriptive statistics and the Pearson’s coefficient data to analyze the relationship between the respondents’ general and detailed spiritual health and their willingness to engage in religious tourism. The summary of the thesis: 1.Senior spiritual health includes purpose in live, interpersonal relationships, overcoming challenges, the relationship between seniors and their environment, and religious commitment. 2.Seniors with greater spiritual health were more likely to be focused on interpersonal relationships. 3.The senior who scored higher in spiritual health were more likely to engage in religious tourism, particularly respondents who showed deeper religious commitment. In conclusion, this paper will provide recommendations based on survey data for individuals or organizations interested in senior spiritual health and religious tourism.

abstract: Current data indicates that a growing number of individuals in the English-speaking world are identifying as “spiritual, but not religious” (SBNR). Using ethnographic data collected at two important sites of spiritual pilgrimage and tourism—Glastonbury, England and Sedona, Arizona—this project argues that seekers at these places produce spirituality as much as they consume it. Using the lens of economy, this project examines how seekers conceptualize the (super-) natural resources at these sites, the laborious practices they perform to transform these resources, and the valuation and exchange of the resultant products. In so doing, the project complicates prevailing notions, both among scholars and the public, that contemporary unaffiliated spirituality is predominantly an individualistic consumer process.
Dissertation/Thesis
Doctoral Dissertation Religious Studies 2018

abstract: This dissertation project addresses one of the most critical problems in the study of religion: how new formations of religion are constructed and constituted. My work builds on the recent revisions of the secularization theory, which demonstrates the alternative and hybrid ways people seek out religion in modernity. To this end, my project examines the emerging popularity and phenomenon of international meditation centers in Thailand, focusing on encounters between international meditation center teachers and their international students. Through participant observation and in-depth interviews at these sites throughout Thailand, my project explores the social processes of religious change and adaptation, and the construction of religious meaning. I detail the historical conditions that led to the formation of persisting ideas of Buddhism by tracing the continuities between Orientalist interpretations and modern-day spiritual seekers. My work contributes to a greater understanding of the most recent articulation of this engagement and interaction between Buddhism and the international community and adds to the burgeoning scholarship that reconsiders the relationship between religion and modernity. I investigate this relationship in regard to international meditation centers in Thailand through three angles: promotional materials concerning meditation in Thailand, experiences of international meditators, and teachings of international meditation center teachers. I contextualize this ethnographic analysis with an evaluation of the relationship of Buddhism to discourses of modernity and Orientalism as well as a historical inquiry into the rise of lay meditation in Thailand. Throughout I argue that international meditators' engagement with meditation in Thai temples constitutes a hybrid religiosity where the decontextualized practice of meditation is mixed with both non-religious and other religious beliefs and practices. Social discourses and practices involving meditation, even in a Buddhist country, demonstrate the deconstruction of traditional religiosity in modernity and the rise of hybrid religiosity. Through the decontextualization of meditation and the discourse of the practice having no religious boundaries, meditation becomes mixed with tourism, therapy, healing, as well as other religious and secular practices. This research contributes to studies of Theravada Buddhism as well as modern, global religions and the contemporary intersection between religion and tourism.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Religious Studies 2012

The sociological question of what holds groups together fascinates me. The ‘glue’ of solidarity is considered to be affective emotional experiences experienced during the performance of collective enterprises. The reciprocity of emotion and subsequent exchanges of capital are found at the centre of the guru-disciple relationship. The focus of this relationship is the transference of grace (śaktipāta) from the guru to the disciple. Therefore, in order to understand how a legitimate yogic identity is constructed, contested and expressed this thesis focuses on exploring the various exchanges, reasons and ways that people join the Shanti Mandir (Temple of Peace) global community of yoga aspirants. This is done to understand the structural, cognitive and emotional aspects inherent in the micro-translation of macro sociological processes related to the construction of authenticity and accumulation of legitimacy. The primary good of salvation produced by Shanti Mandir and consumed by the disciples is the opportunity to emulate the ideal knower’s disposition (i.e. the guru). I identify the guru’s disposition as that of an ‘embodier of tranquility’ (śāntamurti). This opportunity to emulate is a result of repeated positive interactions that produce emotional solidarity through the transference of affect that occurs formally at the ritual level and informally at the social level. Formally, this occurs during the twice-daily ritualised performance of satsaṅga (confluence of truth) where the palpable aesthetic mood of śānta (tranquility) is temporarily cultivated and legitimised as an expression of the ‘divinity that dwells within’. Individuals also gain respite from their anxiety and doubt through a collective sense of community, purpose and shared identity. This is achieved by participating in the daily religious practice, which focuses on the devotional aspects of the guru-bhakti tradition and functions primarily through non-market (emotional) labour in the form of gurusevā (volunteer service to the guru). Individuals engage in this system in order to experience a ‘Vedic way of life’ through a syncretic form of neo-Hinduism. The principal goal of which involves possibly attaining liberation in this lifetime (jīvanmukta). The three groups that comprise the disciples: Renunciants, Scholars and Patrons work together investing various species of capital (social, cultural and economic respectively) to support the guru’s saṅkalpa (intention), which is centred around promoting a ‘Vedic tradition’ and ‘guiding seekers to the direct experience of divinity’. While the guru’s intention is quite often misrecognised as a disinterested promotion of divinity and a palpable experience of tranquility, when contextualised by the transglobal yoga and spiritual tourism industries these exchanges of capital take on new meanings. The aim of this research is to understand the symbolic struggles for recognition that occur at both individual and organisational levels regarding what represents an ‘authentic’ yogic identity within this community. By identifying Shanti Mandir as a new religious movement and non-profit business within these multi-billion dollar industries, combined with analysing the guru’s discourse and the organisation’s marketing strategies this thesis highlights how legitimate participation is characterised, how access and ascension through the social network is achieved, and how the market forces of globalisation and subsequent transcultural flows of knowledge continue to shape and reproduce legitimacy and authenticity within this yogically-inspired community.

Bibliography: leaves 320-376.
376 leaves : col. ill., col. maps ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Documents an annual (21st of May) purification ritual honoring St. Constantine and St. Helen, performed in northern Greece by Thracians. The ritual includes animal sacrifice, Christian blessings, trance and fire dancing. As the ritual has become a popular tourist attraction, the thesis primarily examines the cultural commodification of the ritual and the ritual objects. Fieldwork was undertaken in Lagadhas, a town in the north of Greece.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Anthropology, 1999

Relatório de estágio no âmbito do Mestrado em Ensino de História e Geografia no 3ºCiclo do Ensino Básico e Ensino Secundário
O presente trabalho consiste no relatório de estágio pedagógico supervisionado, realizado no Colégio São Teotónio, em Coimbra, durante o ano lectivo 2013/2014. Em simultâneo apresenta os resultados das investigações científicas, fruto dos trabalhos realizados durante os seminários de Geografia e História, subordinadas ao tema “Facetas histórico-geográficas da Companhia de Jesus: De Macau a Portugal”, bem como a sua aplicação didáctica. Ao incidir sobre a pedagogia inaciana ao longo dos séculos, distinguindo o exemplo de Macau, ao mesmo tempo que aborda o turismo religioso através da prática dos Exercícios Espirituais de Santo Inácio de Loyola pretende-se demonstrar que estes encontram-se no cerne da espiritualidade e vivência inacianas, conduzindo todas as suas dinâmicas.
This work consists of supervised teaching practice report, held at Colégio São Teotónio in Coimbra, during the academic year 2013/2014. Simultaneously presents the results of scientific research, the fruit of the work during the seminars of Geography and History on the theme "Historical-geographical facets of the Society of Jesus: From Macau to Portugal", as well as its didactic application. To focus on ignatian pedagogy over the centuries, distinguishing the example of Macau, while addressing religious tourism through the practice of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola is intended to demonstrate that these are at the heart of spirituality and ignatian experience, leading all its dynamics.

For more than a decade tourists originating in developed nations have been giving various gifts to locals of tourism communities in developing nations. This occurrence is commonly associated with the Caribbean, and is particularly well known to occur in Cuba. Tourism has often been adopted as a part of economic development strategies of developing nations, however due to a lack of studies on tourists’ philanthropic gift-giving it is unclear how the occurrence affects both human and economic development, and likewise its impacts such as possibilities of population disparity. There are current restrictions in Cuba which forbid locals from accepting the gifts of international tourists (Taylor & McGlynn 2009; Mesa-Lago 2005), however the island’s unique need for material goods seems to over-rule this policy. The implication herein indicates benefits to accepting gifts from tourists. Tourism employees most frequently come in contact with tourists and the potential of gift receipts by tourism employees is heightened. This in turn carries implications of social disparities amongst the population resulting from unequal gift receipts by tourism employees. Furthermore, current research suggests that complex social relationships are created through gift-giving yet little is understood within the context of tourist-to-local community member. The goal of this thesis is to determine whether international tourist philanthropic gift-giving contributes to social disparity within a local community as well as its affects on human and economic development. This has been achieved through case study research from a mixed-methods approach in Trinidad, Sancti Spirtus, Cuba. The results of this research point to significant economic gains and improvement in access-to-material-goods through tourists’ gift-giving, which in turn have been found to contribute to economic development. However, the external nature of tourists’ gift-giving limits using the phenomenon as a reliable tool for economic development. Impacts on human development are not as clearly defined. Although tourists’ gift-giving contributes to some aspects of human development, the phenomenon cannot be considered to contribute to overall human development. Although population disparity was found to be an impact of tourists’ philanthropic gift-giving, community members viewed the occurrence as a positive benefit of tourism. The policy in Cuba restricting locals from accepting tourists’ gifts has been largely ineffective as this type of economic gain was found to be well integrated in the informal economy. The general public is largely unaware of the policy and it is likely Cubans will continue to accept tourists’ gifts. Although this research has revealed interesting insight regarding tourists’ philanthropic gift-giving much remains to be known of its impacts and several recommendations for future studies are suggested.

碩士
中國文化大學
觀光休閒事業管理研究所
101
This study explores the spiritual experience of the religious tourists during participating in the religious activities. Based on the theory of the spirituality and review of related literature, this study consults that Schmidt and Little(2007) theory of 3 common themes of spiritual leisure experience：trigger, response, outcome to explore and analyze the connotation of the religious tourists. This study uses qualitative research and in-depth interviews as the main source of information and, as a supplement, content analysis was conducted to analyze the results and summarize the conclusion. This study found that spiritual experience is complex, multi-dimension and subjective construct. The spiritual experience of religious tourists can be affected by religious shrine attraction and their own beliefs, and have the reaction of being emotional and sensational. The religious tourists have the feeling of peace, joy, satisfaction, body-mind balance, heart-touching, body-moving and being connected with the Gods. Finally, the religious tourists experience the outcome of awareness, sense to the Gods’ power, reflection, contemplation and freedom. This study offers research implications and recommendations for the sake of the establishment of the future model and research direction.

This thesis is concerned with the commercialization of religious sites and tourists' spiritual values. The studies also explore the effects of religious commercialization on tourists' spiritual values. To answer the research questions and topics, considerable data, comprising 80 interviews, 438 blogs and 800 questionnaires, were collected and analyzed. The thesis has seven chapters in total. The first chapter introduces the global development of religious tourism. Two core concepts, religious commercialization and spiritual values, are then discussed and clarified. This chapter also presents the research questions, aims and procedures. A second chapter reviews much highly relevant literature. It consists of five sections: global religious tourism, Chinese religious tourism, religious commercialization, tourist experience, and spiritual values. This chapter provides a basis for research on commercialization and the tourist experience, and aims to better understand the relationships between religious commercialization and tourists' spiritual values as identified in previous studies. The third chapter introduces the research methodology and the location of the studies. This chapter describes the Four Great Buddhist Mountains (FGBMs) in China, and then discusses the relevant methods and methodological framework of the research. An emphasis is placed on using multiple methods to enrich the work. The fourth chapter evaluates the level of commercialization at the FGBMs. Both qualitative and quantitative tools were employed to assess tourists' attitudes towards different types of commercial activity. The commercial activities can be identified in three domains and divided into seven categories. The results were discussed and then this study built a model about religious commercialization. It was found that food and drinks, shopping, and accommodation were the most commercial categories. Many tourists were influenced by the shopping stores, street stalls, and mobile vendors. Some behaviours, such as indeterminate price, bad service and forced consumption, made tourists feel annoyed. The fifth chapter tries to assess tourists' spiritual values in religious places. Interviews and a survey were selected as the research methods. The interview analysis was used to investigate tourists' subjective themes about spiritual values. And the objective survey analysis was employed to extract factors of spiritual values and measure their relative importance. The extracted factors of spiritual values are transcendence, general connectedness, inner balance, positive life direction, and specific religious feelings. The sixth chapter explores how commercial activities in religious places affect tourists' spiritual values. Two kinds of interviews were conducted at the FGBMs. The first interview focuses on tourists' perceived level of religious commercialization and spiritual values, and how commercial activities affect their feelings. The second interview tried to understand the general impression of religious tourists towards destination images and ascertain the factor influencing their views. The second objective assists in contextualising the relative importance of commercialization in the overall views of a destination. It was found that Tourists' spiritual values were enhanced by others' Buddhist beliefs, devoted acts, traditional rituals, cultural architectures, and natural features. But many commercial activities, nonstandard staff services, low quality of tourism products, and environmental pollution appeared to negatively affect tourists' impressions on religious sites. Finally the last chapter considers the key points from the research findings. These findings contribute to the academic literature, and practical management for religious tourism. In addition, this chapter reviews the limitations of the current studies, and proposes directions for further research. Further, the trajectory of religious tourism development in China has been predicted. Some possible opportunities and challenges for developing religious tourism sustainably are highlighted.

A dissertação é um trabalho de investigação e pesquisa desenvolvido a partir da experiência pastoral vivida pelo Autor. Um Santuário é um lugar de reconciliação com o Sagrado e com atividade socio-caritativa que permite as pessoas na sua fraqueza procurar uma segurança divina. O Santuário de Cristo Rei dá esta oportunidade de procura e encontro espiritual e social de todos aqueles que lá se dirigem, independentemente de suas motivações. O Santuário é uma casa comum. Através do acolhimento um turista pode tornar-se um peregrino. É por isso que é muito importante uma pastoral de acolhimento. O trabalho analisa tudo isso.
The thesis is a research work and investigation developed from the personal experience of the Author. Sanctuary is a place of reconciliation with Divine and with social and charitable activities that permits people in their weaknesses seek divine security. The Sanctuary of Christ the King gives this opportunity of spiritual and social seeking and finding for everyone that goes there, irrespective of their motivations. Through reception a tourist can become a pilgrim. This is why the pastoral of reception is very important. This work explain all this.