TOURISM, PILGRIMAGE AND INTERCULTUR

Religious heritage and sacred sites offer an opportunity for visitors to explore a community's cultural knowledge. However, it is important to consider the role of interpretation, meaning, experience and narrative. This book is a timely re-assessment of the increasing interconnections between the management of diversity and religious tourism, and secular spaces on a global stage. It explores key learning points from a range of contemporary case studies on religious and pilgrimage activity; these relate to ancient, sacred and emerging tourist destinations, and new forms of pilgrimage, faith systems and quasi-religious activities. By providing a conceptual framework, the book demonstrates the symbolism of sacred spaces within religious traditions and the relationships developed between them. It offers explanations on how to manage and communicate religious diversity and provides a solid overview of: Religious tourism as a tool for intercultural dialogue; Interpretation of religious heritage for tourism; Cross-cultural contacts. This book will provide a valuable resource for those researching and practising tourism management, pilgrimage and religious tourism.

Dolors Vidal-Casellas, PhD, is Dean and a senior lecturer at the Tourism Faculty of the University of Girona. She is Founder of the Official Master in Cultural Tourism, a member of the Contemporary Culture and Art Chair and also member of the research groups 'Contemporary Art Theories' and 'Higher Institute of Tourism Studies' (INSETUR). She is director of the collection 'Turisme cultural' (cultural tourism) by Edicions Vitel·la (http://www.edicionsvitella.com). She joined different cooperation programmes with universities from Algeria, Sao Paolo, Piracicaba (Brazil) and San Martin de Porres (Peru). She is also a member of cultural tourism international networks: Ibertur, Atlas and Unitwin 'Culture, tourisme et developpement' (UNESCO). Her research interests include cultural tourism, religious tourism, history of tourism, heritage management, destination imagery and tourism planning and policies.

- Dr. Sílvia Aulet Serrallonga is a professor at the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Girona teaching in the Degree of Tourism and in the Master of Cultural Tourism. Her PhD dissertation was the first in Spain to address the subject of religious tourism. Her research line is cultural tourism, from its conceptualization to its management. In this field her focus is twofold: pilgrimage and religious tourism and gastronomy tourism. She is member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage. She is also part of the Unitwin UNESCO Chair "Culture Tourism and Development. She has carried several research projects both in the university and as a consultant. She has recently participated in several national and European projects, notably in SPIRIT-Youth (related to the creation of a spiritual tourism proposal trough Europe for young people).Currently she cooperates with different institutions related to religious tourism, such as Montserrat Monastery, organizing courses and seminars to enhance the performance of tourism stakeholders in sacred spaces.

Neus Crous-Costa holds a PhD in tourism studies, focusing on the transformative dimension of travel. Her research interests and practices include the links between politics and individuality, embodied spirituality, otherness and intercultural dialogue, deep ecology, degrowth and wellbeing for all, and international cooperation. She has some experience working in consultancy and as a cultural manager, and has had the opportunity to engage in several international expert groups, projects and events. At the moment she is part of international networks such as StayGrounded, Culture Declares Emergency and Doughnut Economics Action LAB. A significant part of her efforts is invested in social causes, including volunteering and participating in social movements.