Reframing the Intersections of Pilgrimage, Religious Tourism, and Sustainability

Every year, hundreds of millions people around the world travel to sacred places worship and learn. While practice pilgrimage has a long tradition is an important part many religious traditions spiritual development individuals, some scholars have begun question sustainability modern travel. Not only does pilgrimage, like other forms mobility, contribute emission greenhouse gases waste accumulation, it also seems be exempt from blame when comes current environmental crisis. In addition, while mass gatherings historically been tied transmission spread disease, threat pilgrims becoming infected on not inhibiter mobility. Indeed, demand for increase during times hardship uncertainty. Given these inherent contradictions, purpose this conceptual paper notion in context tourism discuss whether day can structured managed more sustainable manner. First, authors existing academic literature positive negative economics, socio-cultural, impacts tourism. The then validity certain tourism-environment models, including ‘Tourism Area Life Cycle’ ‘Carrying Capacity’, tourism, particularly as they apply destinations that do typically show decline their visitor numbers. expand upon model help analyze pilgrim-towns. conclude by contending future discussions regarding should include cultural constructs what constitutes tangible intangible sacredness place.