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Tourism: a sacred journey? The case of ashram tourism, India

2005; Wiley; Volume: 7; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/jtr.522

1522-1970

Richard Sharpley, Priya Sundaram,

Halal products and consumer behavior

International Journal of Tourism ResearchVolume 7, Issue 3 p. 161-171 Research Article Tourism: a sacred journey? The case of ashram tourism, India Richard Sharpley, Corresponding Author Richard Sharpley R.Sharpley@hull.ac.uk University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough YO11 3AZ, UKRichard Sharpley, University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 3AZ, UK.Search for more papers by this authorPriya Sundaram, Priya Sundaram University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough YO11 3AZ, UKSearch for more papers by this author Richard Sharpley, Corresponding Author Richard Sharpley R.Sharpley@hull.ac.uk University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough YO11 3AZ, UKRichard Sharpley, University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 3AZ, UK.Search for more papers by this authorPriya Sundaram, Priya Sundaram University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough YO11 3AZ, UKSearch for more papers by this author First published: 14 April 2005 https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.522Citations: 142AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Religious tourism — tourism that is motivated by faith or religious reasons — has been in evidence for centuries. In more recent times, however, it has been suggested that modern tourism has become the functional and symbolic equivalent of more traditional religious practices, such as festivals and pilgrimages. In other words, it is claimed by some that tourism is a sacred journey. To date, however, little work has been undertaken to explore this position; the purpose of this paper, therefore, is to contribute to this debate. Based on an exploratory study, it considers the motivations and experiences of Western tourists visiting the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the nearby utopian township of Auroville in Pondicherry, south east India. It identifies two principal groups of visitors, namely ‘permanent tourists’ who have immersed themselves indefinitely in a spiritual ‘Other’, and temporary visitors. The latter are categorised into sub-groups which point to a variety of spiritual and non-spiritual motives. The paper concludes that there is a continuum of spirituality inherent in tourism, though this is related to tourists' experience rather than initial motivation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Citing Literature Volume7, Issue3May/June 2005Pages 161-171 RelatedInformation