Motivations as predictors of religious tourism

The Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca

Dados Bibliográficos

ID15695347
AutoresTahani Hassan (0000-0002-2330-1266, Brunel University of London, autor correspondente), Mauricio Carvache-Franco (0000-0003-3639-9263, Universidad de Especialidades Espíritu Santo), Wilmer Carvache-Franco (0000-0001-5420-1092, Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral), Orly Carvache-Franco (0000-0002-3108-9410, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil)
Ano2022
Volume14
Fascículo3
Páginas419-435
Data de publicação2022-04-08
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2044-1266 • E-ISSN: 2044-1274
EditoraEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/jchmsd-01-2022-0005
OpenAlexW4224280445
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas11
Referências citadas33

Purpose Religious tourism is one of the oldest and fastest-growing segments. This study analyzes religious tourism through the pilgrimage of Muslims to the holy city of Mecca and has the following objectives: (1) establish the motivational dimensions of religious tourism; (2) identify the motivational dimensions that predict the satisfaction of religious tourism and (3) determine the motivational dimensions that predict return, recommend and say positive things about religious tourism applied to the pilgrimage to a sacred city. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of Muslim pilgrims who had visited Mecca. The sample was collected in Bahrain, a country located on the Persian Gulf, where most of its population is Muslim. A total of 380 valid questionnaires were obtained online. For the data analysis, factorial analysis and the multiple regression method enter were performed. Findings The results show that religious motivations are more important when visiting a sacred city than secular ones. Three motivational dimensions were found: religious, social and cultural and shopping. The three dimensions found have a significant relationship with satisfaction and loyalty. Likewise, it was found that the religious motivational dimension is the factor that most predicts satisfaction and loyalty in the behavior of religious visits to a sacred city. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of the present study was the temporality in which the sample was taken because the demand may vary at another time of the year and therefore vary its results. Practical implications The authors of the study recommend that holy cities increase the religious motivations of these travelers by periodically researching their needs and organizing services to suit their desired spiritual experience. Also, to improve the social and cultural part, travel agencies and tourist companies to Mecca should promote social and cultural motivation among travelers in an appropriate way by providing service packages that involve visits to cultural and social sites such as museums and cultural centers. Social implications This research will serve as a management guide for public institutions and private companies to develop more efficient planning in religious destinations and sacred cities. Originality/value This study is the first to analyze the construct of motivations in the pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, to then establish what the main motivations are that predict satisfaction and loyalty in a religious city. Thus, its results provide important information for tourist destination managers and tourism service providers

Business · Geography · Islam · Loyalty · Pilgrimage · Population · Religious Tourism · Sample (material · Sociology · Tourism · Demography · Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research · Halal products and consumer behavior · Psychology · Religious Tourism and Spaces · Social Psychology · Marketing