Sanctity on stage : investigating the social impacts of tourism to, and tourists at, sacred places

Abstract

Increasingly, tourists and tourism companies are incorporating sacred places into their travel plans and iteneraries. While pilgrimage, in a religious sense, has occurred for centuries, many people travel to sacred sites for pleasure or spectacle. Given the lack of emperical research surrounding the impacts of this tourism to, and tourists at, sacred places, this thesis attempts to fill this void. The focus of the research involed investigating the impacts of tourist visitation to sacred places in New Zealand and the key research question asked ‘what impacts does tourist visitation to sacred places have on those for whom the place is sacred?’ In order to address this question, the research employed qualitative methods including in-depth interviews with local worshipping communities, a mapping exercise, observations, and photography at two sacred places. The two case study sites are located in Canterbury, New Zealand; both are Christian Churches. Rich data identified clear results surrounding impacts identified by the worshipping communities. Further to this, extra, valuable findings emerged from the data. The results of the research are discussed in relation to relevant literature and theory including, meaning and spirit of place, carrying capacity, tourist typologies, consumption of place, commercialisation and commodification of place and relevant practice literature. Within their current situations at the sacred places, the worshipping communities have developed coping strategies in reaction to tourism to, and tourists at, their place. The research, therefore, creates a rich picture of the impacts of tourism to, and tourists at, sacred sites within New Zealand. This picture may assist management strategies and policy as well as furthering the objectives of the sacred places and expanding the literature surrounding the topic.