Spirituality, Culture, and Sustainability: Integrating Cultural Sensitivity into Responsible Religious Tourism

Dear Colleagues,

Religious tourism has played a significant role in the travel industry for centuries, becoming not only a form of spiritual experience but also a tool for the development of local communities. Today, there is growing awareness that responsible religious tourism should combine spirituality with environmental care and cultural sensitivity to minimize its negative impact on the places visited and their inhabitants. Integrating cultural sensitivity into sustainable religious tourism is a key element that ensures travelers not only gain spiritual benefits but also contribute to preserving cultural heritage and supporting sustainable development.

In recent years, an increasing number of religious tourists have begun to recognize the need to combine their spiritual journeys with a responsible approach to the environment and local communities. Sustainable religious tourism should be based on principles that minimize environmental degradation and support local economies. In this context, the concept of “sustainable development” refers both to the protection of natural resources and the cultural heritage of sacred sites, as well as to respect for local communities and their traditions.

Cultural sensitivity in religious tourism means the ability of travelers to understand and respect local traditions, beliefs, and values, which is crucial in a sustainable approach to tourism. When visiting places of particular spiritual and cultural significance, tourists should be aware of the historical and social context in which these places function. As Smith (2023) notes, ignoring the cultural aspects of sacred sites can lead to their commercialization, which in turn undermines their authenticity and value for local communities.

Despite the growing awareness of the importance of cultural sensitivity and sustainable development in religious tourism, many challenges still remain. The increasing number of tourists visiting sacred sites can lead to the overuse of natural and cultural resources, and the lack of appropriate regulations can result in environmental degradation and the loss of authenticity in places of worship. The key to addressing these issues is close cooperation between local communities, tourism organizations, and authorities to jointly create tourism policies that combine environmental protection with spirituality and culture.

Within this Special Issue, we are pleased to invite scholars, researchers, and academic teachers to discuss and explore the challenges of sustainable religious tourism, both in the context of its cultural and geographical diversity, as well as activities aimed at preserving elements of the sacred heritage of the region. We encourage you to share insights, best practices, case studies, methodologies, and any conclusions drawn from your observations. More specifically, we are interested in understanding whether and how the practical/discursive universes of religion, spirituality, and different forms of sustainability overlap in specific case studies and how all involved actors (e.g., the managers of sacred places, stakeholders, pilgrims, tourists as well as spiritually involved travelers) navigate the boundaries between these disparate yet overlapping dimensions of mobility.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, theoretical contributions, and reviews are welcome and research areas may include, but are not limited to:

• Definitional issues of religious tourism and spirituality in the context of sustainable development and cultural sensitivity.
• Sustainable management of sacred sites—including both monastic buildings and churches, as well as open spaces of pilgrimage routes.
• Sustainable religious tourism as a balance between the needs of tourists (pilgrims) and the capacity of local communities to accommodate them, while simultaneously respecting the natural, cultural, religious, and spiritual heritage of the site and region.
• Cultural and religious sensitivity within the tourism industry and as part of pilgrim activity. It is crucial to consider cultural and religious sensitivity to ensure proper respect for local traditions and sacred sites. A valuable addition to this approach is the use of narrative and interpretative tools, which not only deepen the understanding of the spiritual significance of the places visited but also bridge diverse cultural perspectives fostering more mindful and empathetic participation in these experiences.
• Religious tourism and sustainable education—raising awareness among tourists about the protection of sacred sites, ethical principles, and cultural and religious differences.
• Sustainability along the pilgrim routes.
• The coexistence of spirituality, religion, cultural uniqueness, and tourism activities.
• Spiritual accessibility and sustainability as a framework that ensures equitable participation for all, regardless of physical, cultural, or spiritual backgrounds. By integrating inclusivity with spiritual and environmental responsibility, destinations can offer a more holistic experience that respects both the needs of diverse visitors and the preservation of sacred and natural sites for future generations.
• Regenerative tourism as a higher form of sustainable activities in the case of religious and spiritual tourism.

Best practices and examples (cases) from around the world—the relationship between the spirituality of a place, sustainable actions, and tourism.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Please send the manuscript to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan ([email protected]) of Religions. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Tomasz Duda
Dr. Silvia Aulet
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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• religious tourism
• pilgrimage
• sustainable development
• cultural sensitivity
• spirituality
• religious sensitivity
• regenerative tourism
• accessible tourism
• heritage
• interpretation