Religious tourism and its management: the hajj in Saudi Arabia

✍ Scribed by Joan Catherine Henderson

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 193 KB
• Volume: 13
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1099-2340
• DOI: 10.1002/jtr.825

✦ Synopsis

Religion and tourism share a close relationship in which the former motivates travel and is a source of assorted visitor attractions. Pilgrimage is one expression of the ties between the two and the paper identifi es key pilgrimage tourism issues pertaining to demand and provision that are discussed within the context of the contemporary hajj. The hajj by Muslims to the cities they deem holy in Saudi Arabia is a distinctive illustration that involves the mass movement of pilgrims every year. Numbers are strictly controlled, but set to rise as the government pursues a policy of expanding space at certain holy sites and encouraging an increase in the supply of accommodation and other amenities as well as enhancing supporting infrastructure. Some projects are very ambitious, leading to questions about whether the pace of development is sustainable. The purpose of the study is to improve understanding of the uniqueness and signifi cance of the hajj phenomenon and illuminate the challenges of managing large-scale religious tourism events in the changing world of the twentyfi rst century.