Whether a Muslim person is going on the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a Christian missionary is going to work or provide service to others in a form such as education, or a Jewish person is traveling to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, each tourist will gain more knowledge about his or her religion and hopefully grasp a better understanding of what it personally means to practice their faith or religion. [Makati City, Philippines]. The government has reportedly invested nearly four billion dollars into the theme park project (Muslim communist theme park, 2016). (2011). The commercialization of the faith tourism industry is readily evident in research on the topic, with the spending habits of businesses related to the industry and monetary benefits venues themselves receive well-documented. Religious tourism is the traveling of an individual or a group of individuals of a specific religion or faith to a location that holds religious impact. Gho, Julia. UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN TURKEY. This paper analyzes examples of what constitutes religious tourism, businesses connected to the industry as a whole (hotels, theme parks), and viability and expansion as an industry, as well as the ethics of faith tourism. Otherwise, more specialized, newer businesses adhering to smaller faiths should base themselves in or near larger cities with other attractions in order have access to a larger customer pool. The most key factor in effectively establishing and managing a faith-based business venture is to avoid negative press. As a revenue generating venture, these parks, although well-known, seem to generate meagre profits due to a deficit in attendance numbers, and many of them end up struggling financially after initial business dies down. It also includes tourism by individuals who are not adherents to the faith represented at a particular site, with high foreign interest in sites such as the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Japan being an example. Religious tourism is one of the earliest forms of tourism. (2014). No taxes for Bible theme park. http://suoitien.com/en/lich-su-hinh-thanh-2/, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=va_s_128_0920&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA71969945&asid=7b99a68db1430d0c343165b77573fb2b. (2010). (2016). Range Hospitality puts US$1bn in religious tourism. Hajj 2014 in Numbers: Over 2 million Muslims Expected for Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca. Clearly, the benefits of religious tourism can teach the locals and the travelers. The cultural tourism performed within the religious space--millenary tradition and its different forms. Being surrounded by others provides for the opportunity to observe their culture, clothes, food, and religious differences. (2013, October 12). http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=va_s_128_0920&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA242334383&asid=0bf21d6a06e5557aca2378ba0aa9e406. Religious Tourism, Public Relations and Church-State Partnerships. For people of other religions, they go, and it’s definitely good because not just as a source of money for the country, but also to bridge the gaps between religions and try and break down stereotypes and teach people about other religions and make them more tolerant. All of these journeys were acts of religious tourism. Analysis is readily available on the profitability of domestic religious tourism, and the commercialization of faith tourism is extremely evident, with investors continually creating and strengthening projects each year (Noah problem, 2011). Governments willingly invest in and give tax breaks to religious businesses in order to draw in tourism dollars and bolster local economies (Pennies from heaven, 2013). Also of note are the economic contributions of less well-documented religions. The researcher has no affiliations to any religious organizations and self-identifies as an atheist. (2013). Considering how tourism was 7.3 percent of Israel’s GDP that year, that is a pretty significant chunk of money (Yaakov, 2014). Israel has capitalized on this desire to increase its annual revenue, with 53% of its 3.54 tourists in 2013 being Christians. The customs practiced within a culture can be quite obvious and often throw tourists off guard. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GPS&sw=w&u=va_s_128_0920&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA283745880&asid=3b2729b3b0dea84d20d5e1912ee79719. http://www.ibtimes.com/dubais-holy-quran-theme-park-appease-regional-tourists-1317281. Prepping for the pilgrimage; Muslims head for Mecca. Religious tourism attempts to recapture some of the more spiritual moments of the Bible. Should church-state separation be maintained, or should a state target faith tourists and promote its local religious sites through official partnerships? Along with people’s customs, tourists learn about the buildings and environments in these religiously sacred locations. (2016). Many small businesses capitalize on high tourism months, selling their wares to the influx of travellers who visit for their pilgrimages (Pennies from heaven, 2013). Egresi, Bayram, Kara, Kesik. Specialized tours are a good way to do this, as has been done in Israel. It is estimated that over 2 million people visited Mecca in December of 2014 as part of the Hajj, one of the mandatory five pillars of Islam as required by the Quran (Ludovica, 2014). its enthusiasm for religious tourism, with Secretary- General, Taleb Rifai, suggesting that ‘religious tourism can be one of the most effective tools to foster inclusive and sustainable development’.