Understanding Tourism at Heritage Religious Sites

Pilgrimage to Mount Bromo, Indonesia.

“…The Tenggerese population claim to be descended from princes within the Majapahit Empire (1293-1500 AD) (and often refer to themselves as Wong Majapahit or the 'people of Majapahit'), which was one of the most dominant and far-reaching empires in Southeast Asian history (Regnier, 1987;Miksic, 1996). Centred on the island of Java, the Majapahit Empire, at its height, stretched from Malaysia to New Guinea (Cribb, 2013), and also had influence in modernday Australia and India (Regnier, 1987).…”

“…Of the other studies in this area, most focus on the management, promotion and commodification of religious sites in Southeast Asia as well as the segmentation of the religious tourism market (e.g. Henderson, 2003;Hashim et al, 2007;Askew, 2008;Singh, 2008;Levi and Kocher, 2009;Asi et al, 2015) rather than looking at understanding and documenting pilgrimage rituals, meanings and practices, including the importance of pilgrimage routes and trails (e.g. Cochrane, 2011;Kasim, 2011;Seng-Guan, 2016).…”

Contesting the Commercialization and Sanctity of Religious Tourism in the Shaolin Monastery, China

“…Shackley () highlighted that in practice, the revenue from tourist visits in the form of donations, admission fees, catering or merchandising has frequently proven crucial for the survival of a religious site. Levi and Kocher () explained that although external observers frequently criticize the financial demands of visitors, religious institutions can limit the number of visitors and control the overcrowding of a site. This situation is a direct consequence of religious institutions generally not enjoying the exceptional status they experienced during the last millennia; they have often struggled to overcome financial and management issues (Olsen, ; Shackley, ) as well as sought new members to join their community (Nolan and Nolan, ).…”

“…The awareness of local people as stakeholders in religious tourism attractions is also noted. Levi and Kocher () indicated that both locals and tourists can be considered indispensable to a religious attraction. Accordingly, although tourists guarantee financial survival, local community involvement guarantees that the sense of place and the religious traditions are maintained to limit the effects of commercialization.…”

“…Sacred spaces face a considerably increased pressure to strike a balance between the sacred and the mundane (Pavicic et al , ; Raj and Morpeth, ). The mismanagement of religious tourism sites often diminishes perceived authenticity (McKercher and du Cros, ) and leads to dissatisfaction with the site in the worst case and subsequent lack of support for historical and cultural preservation (Levi and Kocher, ). Understanding this issue from the Shaolin Monastery perspective is necessary considering the complex contemporary political, social and economic context of China.…”