Religion and Tourism

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CAHT 8011AEF

Course Guide
Religion and Tourism

CAHT 8011AEF

Course Guide

Religion and Tourism

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Course Coordinator:

Dr Donald Chan Hong-yin, Lecturer

Aims

Tourism, in both Western and Asian contexts, is largely driven by religious and spiritual needs. This course aims to discuss pilgrimages and other forms of religious tourism from the historical and anthropological perspectives. This course will examine key concepts and phenomena of religious tourism, including religion and spirituality, pilgrimages and authenticity, across mainstream faiths such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, as well as Chinese popular religions, using interdisciplinary research methods. This course will also include fieldwork visits to some popular religious destinations in Hong Kong.

Contents

  1. Religious tourism in pre-modern era
  2. Theories in understanding religious tourism
  3. Religious tourism during modern transition
  4. Religious destinations in Western society
  5. Religious destinations in Asian context
  6. Policies on religious tourism

Assessment

  1. Written assignment
  2. Group presentation
  3. Final examination

Set book(s)

Alaverdov, Emilia, & Muhammad Waseem Bari. (2020). Global development of religious tourism (1st ed.). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.

Butler, Richard, & Wantanee Suntikul (Eds.). (2018). Tourism and religion: Issues and implications (1st ed.) Vol. 83. Channel View Publications.

Dyas, Dee. (2020). The dynamics of pilgrimage: Christianity, holy places, and sensory experience (1st ed.). Routledge.

El-Gohary, Hatem, David J. Edwards, & Riyad Eid (Eds.). (2017). Global perspectives on religious tourism and pilgrimage. IGI Global.

Neubauer, Katja. (2009). Mt. Fuji — religion and tourism (1st ed.). GRIN Verlag.

Olsen, Daniel H., & Dallen J. Timothy (Eds.). (2021). The Routledge handbook of religious and spiritual tourism (1st ed.). Routledge.

RÁlvarez-García, José, María de la Cruz del Río Rama, & Martín Gómez-Ullate (Eds.). (2018). Handbook of research on socio-economic impacts of religious tourism and pilgrimage. IGI Global.

Reader, Ian. (2023). Religion and tourism in Japan: Intersections, images, policies and problems (1st ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Shepherd, Robert J. (2013). Faith in heritage: Displacement, development, and religious tourism in contemporary China. Left Coast Press.

Shinde, Kiran. (2021). Sacred sites, rituals, and performances: New perspective for religious tourism development. MDPI — Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Stausberg, Michael. (2011). Religion and tourism: Crossroads, destinations and encounters (1st ed.). Routledge.

Stylos, Nikolaos, Tzung-Cheng Huan, & Athanasios K. Fotiadis. (2025). Religious tourism: Industry dynamics, emerging trends and contemporary issues (1st ed.). CABI.

Timothy, Dallen J., & Daniel H. Olsen (Eds.). (2006). Tourism, religion and spiritual journeys (1st ed.) Vol. 4. Routledge.

Valeri, Marco (Ed.). (2025). Contemporary religious tourism: Multidisciplinary insights, environmental engagement, and community impact (1st ed.). Springer.

Walia, Sandeep K., & Aruditya Jasrotia (Eds.). (2021). Millennials, spirituality and tourism (1st ed.) Vol. 1. Routledge.