Religious tourism involves visiting sacred places on important anniversaries. Travel companies offer all-inclusive trips to temples, churches, and sites of historical or mythical significance. Religious communities organize trips to holy places, sometimes staying in monasteries. Religious tourism can take the form of extended group tours or short visits to sacred sites.
Religious tourism usually involves followers of particular faiths visiting places that some people consider sacred places. In many cases, religious tourists travel to these sites on the anniversaries of important events for followers of specific religions. Traditionally, those engaged in religious tourism were called pilgrims, but in modern times that term is not as widespread as many non-religious individuals also undertake trips to holy places because many of these sites are of cultural or historical interest as well as religious interest.
Some travel companies arrange all-inclusive trips to temples, churches, sites where religious figures are said to have been martyred, and various other places that have some historical or mythical significance. These trips often take the form of guided tours, sometimes visiting multiple sites in one day or as part of a tour. Many sites in Israel are important to Christians, Jews and Muslims. Many sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and elsewhere are related to historical figures or events associated with only one of these three major religions. Many travel agencies also offer tour packages to locations in India that are important to Buddhists and Hindus, while other travel agencies cater to followers of other religions.
Religious communities located around the world sometimes organize trips to holy places. These groups often hold events to raise funds to cover the cost of travel so that members who do not have the means to cover their expenses can go on the road. In some cases, religious groups contact other members of the faith who live near holy places and arrange for travelers to stay in monasteries or other properties managed by members of the religious faith.
While religious tourism often takes the form of extended group tours, in other cases it can take the form of a day trip or short visit to a sacred site. There are many locations in Europe, Africa, Central and South America that are considered holy by some Christians because people claim to have seen visions of religious figures at these sites. During festivals and religious celebrations, many people from the surrounding areas visit these sites and religious ceremonies are held on special occasions. Similarly, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and believers of other faiths often undertake short pilgrimages to holy places in Saudi Arabia, India or other parts of Asia. Thus, religious tourism can involve both formal travel arrangements and impromptu trips to nearby sites.
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