Religious Tourism
Religious tourism is a form of tourism that has existed for centuries and which still preserves some features, of the pilgrimage itself, but that has evolved enormously. Today religious tourism involves from the tourists a level of religious training and a high degree of culture that allows the assessment of the cultural and religious sites from the point of view of architecture, construction, value, spiritual significance, and content of art objects.
There are still kept pilgrimages determined by religious traditions of different countries (the pilgrimage required to Mecca), or those related to specific events and (relic of saints, icons that trigger miracles). Religious tourism is a complex phenomenon, which is in continuous transformation and diversification, but keeping the basic elements that have consecrated it, which are religious.
Perhaps you have seen or have read in newspapers about the annual pilgrimage to Mecca (Saudi Arabia). Mecca is one of the places of pilgrimage, a holy, anthropogenic place, because there are many natural attractions plenty of sacred connotations and religious veneration.
First religious tourism, as we have said is based on religion and the Muslim religion is just one of those religions that have kept the pilgrimage tradition until today. For each religion, there is a place like Mecca, the Vatican for Catholics, for Mount Athos for the Orthodox, etc.
besides all these there are religions that have existed for thousands of years, and are not well known, such as those in Africa, Australia, or Northern Europe.
Christianity in terms of attractions and religious tourist destinations is divided into two: Vatican (Rome-Italy) for the Catholics and Mount Athos (Greece) for the Orthodox, but in addition you can also find many places of religious pilgrimage represented by churches, hermitages, and monasteries.
Vatican, a state in a state, is independent since 1929 and it is indissolubly linked to the pope, head of the state and the Roman Catholic Church. Other religious places visited by pilgrims: St. Peter Church (where the Pope is buried), the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo.
Mount Kailas in Tibet is linked to the history of Ramayana. Its legend tells about Prince Rama who was sent to this mountain to find some life grass (sanjiwini). Not knowing how it looks, he took the entire mountain with him, thus saving the soldiers. It is thought that here lies Shiva, the Buddhist god embodying the destructive side of the Trinity (Genesis, Organization, and Destruction).
The religious mysticism of the mountain is also underlined by the two lakes at its basis, one having the form of the sun (Manasarovar) and the other, the form of the moon (Rakastal). It is easy to understand why this mountain attracts many pilgrims and religious tourists, eager of mystical discoveries, revelations, and absolute religious knowledge.
Last, but not least, religious tourism can be a form of spiritual, but also psychical therapy. There are many people suffering especially from psychic diseases who visited sacred places and their dysfunctions have disappeared miraculously even though doctors have proved to be unable to understand the mystery of their cure.