Religiously motivated travel can be traced back to ancient times and is considered one of the most significant forms of travel throughout human history. Religious events may be arranged in locations that have gained prominence for their religious tourism offerings and draw in a significant number of visitors, often in the millions. The present study utilized the Web of Science (WOS) database to extract relevant publications and subsequently employed the VOSviewer software to visually convey the information that was analyzed. After discussing a brief history of religious events towards tourism sustainability, the contemporary study presents a review of 2004–2023 research articles. The study provides statistics on how destinations, destination marketers, and local communities are addressing religious events for promotion, and it proposes an integrated approach to managing tourism sustainability. It additionally indicates the position of the community and the way it influences them economically, socially, and culturally.
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Modern tourism is not limited to visit a site or destination or pilgrimage. Visitors nowadays are increasingly interested in discovering, engaging with, and learning from ethnic, cultural, and environmental dimensions of life. The tourists expressed a desire to gain further knowledge regarding the indigenous culture, encompassing customary practises, culinary delights, traditional melodies and movements, among other aspects. All other forms of tourism have their roots in cultural tourism.
Religious tourism, an ancient mode of travel, has emerged as a significant and diverse segment of the global travel industry, exhibiting substantial growth and expansion. According to Stausberg (2011), travel and tourism that are associated with religion often manifest as pilgrimages, retreats, conferences, seminars, and festivals. According to Dejan Iliev (2020), there exist diverse spiritual sites and associated amenities that cater to both secular and religious objectives. However, it is noteworthy that religious tourism has emerged as a substantial economic influence and a means of fulfilling spiritual aspirations.
In the more general realm of tourism-related activities, religious and pilgrimage tourism has definitely increased in recent decades and is now a fast-increasing subset (Sharpley 2009). The phrase “religious tourism” has gained widespread usage in a more expansive context. It also encompasses the traveler's desire to participate in the religious community's sacramental life and their desire to learn more about other faith-based groups' histories, cultures, and traditions. Religious tourism encompasses a wide range of activities, such as attending religious gatherings and events, embarking on pilgrimages, visiting sacred sites, engaging in religious events (RE) and more, on a global level (Tsironis, Christos N. 2022).
According to Nyaupane, Timothy, Poudel (2015), The religious reasons of pilgrims are higher than those of tourists, who are more likely to be travelling for leisure or to experience local culture. They supported their findings in their study by arguing that social distance influenced the relational patterns, parallels, and divergences amongst tourists of various faiths using the same tourist destinations.
Mass religious gatherings frequently present a rare opportunity for tourists. It is now simpler for pilgrims to depart for sacred locations because to advancements in communications and less expensive travel. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that present-day tourism in the 21st century is considerably influenced by religious events (RE)and sites (Juan Narbona and Daniel Arasa, 2018).
An increasing number of tourists visit various locations not only for spiritual or religious reasons, but also for religious and cultural events. For instance, individuals can go for educational purposes to learn about a place’s past or to comprehend a certain religion's culture and beliefs. They might also go out of curiosity, out of feelings of nostalgia or patriotism, to view architectural or natural wonders, or just out of admiration. (Simone, & Boyd, 2010).