Religious tourism, also
commonly referred to as
faith tourism, is a form of
tourism, whereby people of
faith travel individually or
in groups for pilgrimage,
missionary, or leisure
(fellowship) purposes. The
world's largest form of mass
religious tourism takes
place at the annual Hajj
pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia.
Modern religious tourists
are more able to visit holy
cities and holy sites around
the world. The most famous
holy cities are Jerusalem,
Mecca, and Varanasi. The
most famous holy sites are
the Church of Nativity, The
Western Wall, Brahma Temple
at Pushkar, and the Kaaba.
Religious tourism has
existed since antiquity, and
unlike commercial tourism,
is not done for exclusively
hedonistic purposes. A study
in 2011 found that pilgrims
visited Jerusalem for a few
reasons: to understand and
appreciate their religion
through a tangible
experience, to feel secure
about their religious
beliefs, and to connect
personally to the holy city.
