Exploring the intersection of religious festivals and tourism approaches: a scoping review

Roe, Jasper; Thirumaran, K; Wong, Caroline; Mohammadi, Zohre

Abstract

Religious festivals have become significant in the context of global tourism interactions. Recognising their potential, governments are increasingly promoting religious festivals as key tourist events within annual calendars. This study critically reviews relevant literature to analyse the major trends and subjects from the past decade, emphasising their implications for the field of anthropology. To conduct our review, we retrieved peer-reviewed articles from the Scopus Index database. Subsequent classification and critical reading of articles specifically related to religious festivals and tourism was undertaken. Through this process, 44 articles were identified as foundational for our literature analysis, which were then thematically categorised. The findings are further discussed in relation to the cultural dynamics of human travel behaviours and the anthropology of tourism. The significant contribution of this study lies in the identification of a future research agenda.

Citation

Roe, J., Thirumaran, K., Wong, C., & Mohammadi, Z. (2024). Exploring the intersection of religious festivals and tourism approaches: a scoping review. International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 9(3), 237-260. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTA.2024.138917

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 12, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jun 3, 2024
• Publication Date: Jun 3, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 29, 2025
• Journal: International Journal of Tourism Anthropology
• Print ISSN: 1759-0442
• Electronic ISSN: 1759-0450
• Publisher: Inderscience
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 237-260
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTA.2024.138917
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3355792