Exploring Visitor Experiences, Activities and Benefits at Three Religious Tourism Sites

A study of over 500 visitors to three prominent Christian religious heritage sites—Canterbury Cathedral, the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, and Glastonbury Abbey—reveals that restorative experiences, such as relaxation or emotional well-being, frequently overshadow spiritual or cognitive benefits traditionally associated with religious tourism. This challenges conventional perceptions of visitor motivations and outcomes at historical religious sites. The research employed a framework analyzing activities, settings, experiences, and benefits to compare visitor experiences across the three sites, highlighting the diversity in what visitors seek and gain from such pilgrimage destinations.

Bond, N., Packer, J., & Ballantyne, R. (2014). Exploring Visitor Experiences, Activities and Benefits at Three Religious Tourism Sites. International Journal of Tourism Research, 17(5), 471–481. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2014