Tourism is an activity that the human being carries out in order to distract, enjoy, share with family and / or friends, know other countries, its beaches, mountains, fields and all kinds of places where you can enjoy, laugh, dance, rest; besides their customs, culture and history. From there, there are currently different types of tourism, based on which travel agencies design their plans or people on their own undertake the adventure according to their needs and / or preferences.
In this context, our objective in writing this article is to highlight the importance, characteristics and places to develop religious tourism, which unlike all other types of tourism that exist in the market, is obviously one whose main motivation is given by Faith and religious beliefs.
In this way, religious tourism represents a perfect option to know the origin of cultures, the essence of religions and their fundamental role in the history of countries, as well as customs and religious stories that have left their mark on mankind through time, therefore when undertaking a vacation in emblematic places of some religions helps to understand the history of the same man.
However, millions of people around the world, although they are spending a conventional vacation in any country, visiting beaches, mountains, fields, etc., devote part of their time to visit some sanctuary, temple, cathedral and / or emblematic sites of any religion, so they would be practicing religious and cultural tourism, within the framework of itinerary considered as conventional. By this we mean, that you do not necessarily have to plan a vacation from a religious perspective, to enjoy moments of spiritual recollection within the planned activities.
Within the series of activities that can be carried out when practicing religious tourism, which goes much beyond a simple visit, or the enjoyment of a vacation, but represents an opportunity to investigate experientially on the essence of religions and of life itself, one must assume an attitude of dedication and faith when arriving at those forced destinations, such as sanctuaries or sacred places (cathedrals, temples, mosques, mausoleums), participating in some pilgrimage or religious celebrations.
It is worth mentioning that, when mention is made of religious tourism, Europe is the main destination considered by the majority of tourists, the countries of the East and Asia receive many people as well, and with respect to Latin America, it is considered that it begins to stand out in this sector, because the agencies are specializing to offer it as a potential travel alternative.
It is important to note that Christians are the ones who mostly practice religious tourism, also considered cultural and historical, calculating that Europe annually receives more than 250 million people from all over the world, and that between 60% and 70% are Christians, who visit the emblematic sites located in each country, especially Italy, Poland, Spain, France, among others.
Also, according to estimates made by international travel agencies, around 30 million Christians throughout Europe, especially Catholics, spend their holidays, or at least part of the time, to make a pilgrimage considered important within the religious context of countries like Poland, which is within the countries where more pilgrimages are made.
In addition to Catholics, also practitioners of Judaism, the Orthodox Church and Islam, who find temples and mosques in many countries, such as Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and most of the Arab countries, as well as in Asia, especially in India, China, Japan, Korea, who profess other types of spiritual beliefs.
Therefore, it is convenient to describe some of the countries considered as bearers of a significant spiritual essence throughout world history, and worth knowing, to take them into account when planning a well-deserved vacation. Below we will mention some of them, summarizing important aspects as a tourist destination:
Israel: It is considered one of the most important tourist destinations of religious type, because it represents the millennial “Holy Land”, where Jesus walked and fulfilled much of his mission in this land. There are emblematic churches of Christianity, such as the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre or the Cenacle, and at the same time there is the famous “Wailing Wall”, which is one of the most sacred sites of the Jewish religion, as well as a large number of mosques where the essence of their religious beliefs and of Islam is breathed.
Italy: this is a country that represents the essence of the Catholic religion, being considered as a fundamental pillar of Christian pilgrimages, because in Rome is the Vatican City (considered as a country, for its total independence from Italy) , which is the epicentre of the Catholic Church.
In the Vatican there are religious sites of great importance such as the Basilica of St. Peter, in which this disciple of Jesus is buried, in addition to the Sistine Chapel, where the next Vicar of Christ is elected, and contains valuable works of art such as of Miguel Angel, Rafael or Bernini.
In Italy there is also the town of Assisi, where St. Francis of Assisi was born, who is considered one of the most important and venerated saints of Christians and one of the examples to be followed by Catholics around the world. Also, there are historical places, such as: The Pantheon of Agrippa, the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Basilica of San Marcos, the Duomo of Milan, among others.
Poland: is considered one of the most important Catholic countries in Europe, where you can visit Wadowice, the hometown of Karol Wojtyla, John Paul II, who has been the most charismatic pope the Catholic Church has had, which has been the fundamental pillar of the development of religious tourism in this great country, where the churches where John Paul II began on the spiritual path through his vocation are located.
On the other hand, Poland is full of significant sites not only for Christians, but for people from all over the world who are sensitized with their history and culture, especially during and after the Second World War. There you can participate in one of the most important pilgrimages in Europe, as is the pilgrimage to JasnaGora in Czestochowa, one of the most important places of Catholicism in Poland, and where is the “Black Madonna”, the most precious relic of this country, which was painted by Luke the Evangelist.
Jordan and Egypt: They represent important tourist destinations for lovers of religions, history and culture, due to their role in the Old and New Testaments, finding wonderful places because of their essence and as important role in history, as they are: “Mount Sinai”, Mount Nebo, the Dead Sea, and especially the Jordan River, in whose waters John baptized Jesus, so visiting those sites fill the spirit, generating a sense of peace and indescribable mysticism, so that if you are looking for a mystical and magical experience you should consider these countries.
In addition, in Egypt you can visit the pyramids that hold so many mysteries about the life of man, which must be included in the places required for any tourist, whatever religion they profess, because in the pyramids there is a lot of divine essence, they are contained great mysteries of humanity that are worth analysing.
Spain: it is an emblematic country for the catholic religion, that took these beliefs to the American continent with the discovery of America, where initially the indigenous people were forced to convert to this religion and leave their native beliefs.
There are important architectural monuments such as the Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia, which is a Catholic basilica located in the city of Barcelona and was designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí, whose construction began in 1882, but is still in the process of construction.
This cathedral is considered the masterpiece of Gaudí, and is one of the most visited monuments in Spain, next to the Prado Museum and the Alhambra in Granada, as well as beautiful cathedrals such as Burgos, León, Seville, Santa María del Mar in Barcelona, Córdova and Palma de Mallorca, among others.
Another destination known worldwide, where millions of tourists from all over the world travel, is the Camino de Santiago in Spain, whose mysticism is due to the fact that, at its point of arrival in the city of Santiago de Compostela, the remains of the Apostle Santiago are to be found, disciple of Jesus, specifically in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, whose impressive facade is one of the jewels of Spanish Baroque architecture. There arrive pilgrims who make the journey from several points of Spain, and every July 25 is celebrated its festivities in honour of the patron of Spain, Ibero-America, and of many towns and cities.
Other countries known for their pilgrimages is Slovenia, where the sanctuary of Our Lady of Socorro is located, considered one of the main ones in Central Europe, as well as Croatia, where the Shrine of Marija Bistrica is located, considered as the Marian temple most important of this Balkan country.
Likewise, Malta is another important place for religious tourism, where the Grottos de San Pablo are located, where this apostle took refuge when his ship sank off its shores, in whose caverns he founded one of the first Christian communities in the world.
Turkey: this country is also closely related to Saint Paul and the origin of Christianity, there being the well-known “7 Churches of the Apocalypse”, mentioned at the beginning of the Book of Revelations, in addition to the paths followed by the apostle and where he gave his sermons.
ALFA