RELIGIOUS TOURISM AND THE CONTEMPORARY TOURISM MARKET 8

RELIGIOUS TOURISM AND THE CONTEMPORARY TOURISM MARKET 8 – 9. 6. 2017. Belgrade Religious tourism – from a tourism product to an agent of societal transformation Dr. sc. Renata Tomljenović Seniour Research Fellow TRANSTOURISM project leader Institute for Tourism, Zagreb This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

RELIGION IN CONTEMPORARY WORLD Eurobarometer Pool 2015 Divided world – secularism v. religiousity But • • • This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164. in the absolute numbers the number of believers in God are increasing so do secularist still many do not “walk their talk”

RELIGION AS A PRODUCT • Religion is the latest consumer product – it has become "much more a matter of choice than of inherited tradition” (John Cunningham in Guardian, 2000) Special Issue: The Marketing and Consumption of Spirituality and Religion This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

RELIGION AS A PRODUCT “…religion in America can best be understood as a PRODUCT or OFFER in the MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS” Religious institutions “craft sales messages, recruit “customers”, and focus intently on retention policies” Kosmin and Keysar (2006): Religion in a Free Market This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

RELIGION AS A PRODUCT Book introduction In a society overrun by commercial clutter, religion has become yet another product sold in the consumer marketplace. Faiths of all kinds must compete not only with each other, but with a myriad of more entertaining and more convenient leisure activities. Brands of Faith argues that in order to compete effectively faiths have had to become brands – easily recognizable symbols and spokespeople with whom religious prospects can make immediate connections. This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project This project has been fully supported by the no. 6164. Croatian Science Foundation, under the project

RESEARCH ON RELIGIOUS TOURISM • Reflects this approach that focuses on PRACTICAL ISSUES of – Motivation – Satisfaction – Experiences – Decision making models Religious tourism – dominant narratives of products and marketing This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

REFLECTED IN PROFESSIONAL PRESS… Foreword: “The study has clearly identified areas of interest that appeal to the religious aspects of travel and it is the responsibility of the administrators and the travel professionals to glean this information as accurate and universally applicable data are indispensable for marketing and promotion. ” This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

RELIGIOUS TOURISM – DOMINANT NARRATIVES OF PRODUCTS AND MARKETING Leisure Group Travel Special Edition, 12/2007 This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

THE INSTITUTE’S PRACTICE IN PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING ADVISORY WORK BADIJA - a small island in Korcula Archipelago that features 14 th century Franciscan Monastery, some nice beaches and swimming spots as well as a good walks to the top of the hill with great views. This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

THE INSTITUTE’S PRACTICE IN PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING ADVISORY WORK A small town in north Croatian known for the Shrine of the Precious Blood of Jesus This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164. Strateški plan

THE INSTITUTE’S PRACTICE IN PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVING ADVISORY WORK Kušen, E. (2010), Journal TOURISM This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164. Strateški plan

RELIGIOUS TOURISM – BROADER PERSPECTIVE Tourism as an industry – Tourist/consumer (demand-side) studies – focus on practical issues of motivation, satisfaction, experiences, decision making models; lack of insight into the process of personal changes undergone by tourists – Tourism studies in general – nurture isolationist approach studying tourism in its own right, based on rational, positivistic approach; transformation engaging with emotions, hopes and feeling devalued as they fall outside market parameters Tourism as a social force • • • Over 1 billion travellers creating even more contacts with hosts and fellow travellers theme reinvigorated by the post 9/11 security and political challenges, economic and financial collapses and threats posed by climate change Comes under different terminology: – – This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164. Transmodern tourism of the future (Ateljević, 2009; 2011) Transformative tourism from the tourist and host perspective (Reisinger, 2013; 2015) – settings conductive to transformation Transformative travel (Lean, 2009) – sustainability ambassadors Conscious travel (Pollock, 2015)

ENVIRONMENT OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS ECO-SYSTEM CHANGED MORE RAPIDLY THAN AT ANY TIME IN RECORDED HUMAN HISTORY (WORLD WATCH INSTITUTE) This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

ECONOMY • unrestricted growth strains our natural resources • reach – poor divide with 86 man(!) controlling 50% of world’s wealth with the gap increasing (Shiva, 2015) • millions of working poor – youth unemployment, longer working age, multi-generational households, food vouchers - realities of developed nations This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

WHAT ABOUT US? • happy on prozac • cancer and depression Poverty and Inequalities Unhappiness This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164. • • • Increasing job stress and burnouts Pointless rat race Lack of jobs security and high personal debts Lack of family security and increasing divorce rates; Social alienation and the lack of community – Lack of spirituality and increasing existential questions on meaning of life Obesity Consumerism

WAY OUT. . . “Let’s today step out of the normal boundaries of analysis of our economic crisis and ask a radical question – What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more fundamental than a deep recession? What is it telling us, that the whole growth model we created over the last fifty years is simply unsustainable, economically and ecologically, and that 2008 was when we hit the wall – when Mother Nature and the market both said “no more”? ” Thomas Friedman http: //www. nytimes. com/2009/03/08/opinion/08 friedman. html This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

CALL FOR CHANGE…. PARADIGM SHIFT • from the rational / positivistic world view of economic efficiency to. . . • transmodern paradigm – the new mind set: planetary citizenship of interdependence and biosphere politics, partnership model of caring economics, egalitarian and respectful vision for all living beings, spiritual (non-religious), circular, hopeful (Ateljević 2009, 2011) The significant problems we have - cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we have created them. Albert Einstein This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

…TO TRANSFORMATION • ‘At the dawn of the Third Millennium, human civilization finds itself in a seeming paradox of gargantuan proportions. On the one hand, industrial and technological growth is destroying much of Nature, endangering ourselves, and threatening our descendants. On the other hand, we must accelerate our industrial and technological development, or the forces we have already unleashed will wreak even greater havoc on the world for generations to come. We cannot go on, and we cannot stop. We must transform’. (Alan Atkisson (2006) ‘Sustainability is Long Dead - Long Live Sustainability’ In Keiner, M. The Future of Sustainability, pp. 231 -243). This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

. . . DRIVEN BY ‘CULTURAL CREATIVES’* CONSTITUTE A 1/4 TH OF DEVELOPED WORLD’S POPULATION – SPEARHEADING SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS TRANSMODERN PARADIGM TRANSMODER VALUES. . . Social activism (for building sustainable future) ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY Positive social values (empathy, quality social contacts in private and public life) Altruism – personal growth, selfrealisation and spirituality . . CHANGE PATTERN OF CONSUMPTION Less goods, more meaning of life, quality social interaction and sense of purpose -75% intent to leave the corporate rat-race -75% would like to spend more time with family than making money** Authenticity behaviour in tune with values and beliefs *Ray, P. H. , Anderson, S. R. (2000). The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World. New York: Harmony Books. **Ogilvy i Mather (2011). Eyes wide open – Wallets half shut: The Emerging Post-Recession Consumer Consciousness This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

. . . WHO CHANGE THE WAY THEY TRAVEL. . . Our research indicates that TOURISM is a force through which people re-define themselves and the world in which they live, as they travel to • • • fulfil their life dreams develop their potential seek the meaning of life *more in our UN-WTO report

. . . AND FOCUSING ON LEARNING AND SEARCH FOR MEANING CHANGE THEMSELVES AND THE WORLD • TRAVEL AS LEARNING IMPORTANT TO MANY – learning new skills, gaining knowledge on sustainability, deepening sense of self, engaging in hobbies • Having meaningful interaction with hosts • Doing good - volunteering This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

TRANSFORMATION – THEORETHICAL UNDERPINNINGS • • • Individual transformation: Mezirow (1996, 2012), is a process involving • psychological - relating to deeper understanding of self; • convictional – relating to beliefs and entire ideologies; and • behavioural transformation when specific behaviours and lifestyle of persons, their families, communities and entire societies changes Transformation to foster planetary world-view: O’Sullivan (2012): encompass education for survival (learning how to ensure the condition for living to continue), • for critical understanding to understand the factors and conditions that brought us to this devastating historical model and for • integral creativity – to challenge hegemonic culture or the market driven vision and orient people to create environmentally viable ways of living. Societal transformation and challenges power relations based on gender, race, class, religion or sexual orientation and this body of work takes transformative to mean - teaching to challenge power relations (Tisdell, 2012). This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

PATHS TO TRANSFORMATION IN TOURISM • Intentional - one has to conscientiously decide to embark on travel that will be challenging and, potentially, transformational (Ross, 2010) • Accidental - some kind of a challenge (turning points, cathartic event) faced by travellers in new or unfamiliar environments • culture shock as in sojourn studies/cross-cultural adaptation studies (Lyon, 2002) • culture confusion proposed by Hottola (2004) based on studies of backpackers in India and Sri Lanka • disorienting dilemma in transformational learning theory (Taylor, 2007) • when the existing values, norms and learned behavioural response do not function, one becomes confused and disoriented until he/she adapts and this adaptation usually involves deep transformational change

TRANSFORMATION TRIGGERS • independent travel (Hottola, 2014), • the new environment in significant contrast with the home or ordinary surroundings (Reisinger, 2013 a). • in activities stimulating contemplation and self-reflection (Lean in Ross, 2010) This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL TOURISM AS AN AGENT OF TRANSFORMATION • Our research – part of TRANSTOURISM project • Investigate transformative power of tourism • One of the objectives: to investigates motivations and practices of change-makers who create transformational travel products • Methods: web-based mapping (results on www. transtourism. com); in-depth interviews ((4 in Germany, 3 in the UK, 3 in Croatia and 2 in Hungary) This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

TRANSFORMATION THROUGH RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY “…very individual Spiritualityquest to find meaning in the broader scheme of things” (Rifkin, 2010) A way to strengthen spiritual sense of self (Miller 2002) Religion SPIRITUAL AWAKENING = SEEING THE WORLD ANEW TRANFORMATION This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

…IS HERE AND IT IS GROWING • Monasteries (cloisters, abbeys) – opening doors to visitors regadless of their religious/spiritual denominations • People experiencing transformation/spiritual awakening on a quest to help others – run seminars and retreats • Some set up visitor accommodation with activities and experiences that reflect their inner needs of living in greater harmony with inner and outer nature This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

PRIMJERI: Njemačka Benediktinski samostran Frauenworth • Lokacija: bavarske Alpe, jezero Chiemsee • Aktivnosti: meditacije, molitve, liturgija, suživot sa sestrama, duhovni razgovori, slikanje, plesanje, glazba • Smještaj: sobe u samostanu • Za goste koji traže mir, utočište i kontemplaciju This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

EXAMPLES: CROATIA Dalmatia Events d. o. o. • www. croatia-retreat. com/ This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164. „Our mission is to organize boutique and family vibe fueled retreats that not only provide our guests with high quality yoga holiday experience, connect the like-minded people into a community and help them immerse themselves into the philosophy and life style of yoga and peace, but to also positively contribute to our society locally and globally. ”

EXAMPLES: CROATIA Art therapy Ana Božac (artist and phychoterapist) “I believe in holistic approach through integration of Eastern spirituality and Western knowledge, psychology, creativity and spirituality. I value greatly in return to nature (internally and externally) and tuning into the natural rhythm of oneself and nature” Ana http: //www. anabozac. com/art-terapija-retreat/ This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.

BEYOND RELIGIOUS / SPIRITUAL TOURISM Major revelation – practices overcoming artificial special interest / niche market segmentation This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164. A new form of transtourism operations – TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP CENTERS AND RETREATS, which provide a holistic approach of adult education and personal growth opportunities, enjoyment of nature, wellness of body, mind and spirit that ultimately facilitate transformative inner and outer journey processes

INSTEAD CONCLUSION …… 1) HOW TO STEP OUTSIDE THE MINDSET OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM AS A GROWING NICHE OF TOURISM INTO THE 2) RELIGIOUS TOURISM AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL FORCE TO FACILIATE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL CHANGE AND 3) HOW TO BUILD THESE TRANSFORMATIVE PRACTICES INTO MAINSTREAM TOURISM PRODUCTS? This project has been fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation, under the project no. 6164.