People in general and pilgrims in particular go on pilgrimages to temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras for worshipping their religious gods and goddesses. But, tourism and pilgrimage are intertwined with little differences. Religious tourism is based on time involved and distance travelled namely short- and long-term religious tourism. The short-term type involves travel to nearby pilgrimage centres or religious conferences, or religious discourses while the long-term religious tourism involves travel to religious sites and religious conferences around the world. Pilgrimage is “the result of a vow”. India is a land of temples, mosques and churches. They play significant role in the development of any economy. Temples in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu play different roles such as redistributors of income, producer, consumer, land-owner, employer, trustee, tourist centre, religious, cultural, social and economic institution. Pilgrimage is aimed to attain moksha - the ultimate aim of individual. Moreover, pilgrimage tourism is considered as an instrument of stress relief, and it is one of the most understudied and least researched areas in tourism and leisure economics. With this backdrop, the book “Pilgrimage Tourism in India” is initiated with the following objectives viz: to examine socio-economic, cultural and environmental profiles of pilgrim tourists and local residents of Palani town and temple environs; to identify factors determining pilgrimage tourism and to examine perceptions of pilgrims on the socio-economic overheads, facilities and services exist at Palani town and temple environs; to gauge the perceptions of local residents on social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of pilgrimage tourism to Palani town and temple environs; and to identify problems emerging from pilgrimage tourism and economic changes to local residents and to make suggestions for policy for pilgrimage tourism, benefiting both the pilgrims and the local residents of Palani town and temple environs.Contents : Introduction, Role of Tourism in Economic Development, Realities of Pilgrimage Tourism, Pilgrimage Tourism in Tamil Nadu—A Case Study, Socio-Economic Analysis of Pilgrimage Tourism, Conclusion.

Pilgrimage is one of the oldest extant and most basic forms of population mobility known to human society, and its political, social, cultural, and economic implications have always been, and continue to be substantial. In recent decades, a new focus on pilgrimage has emerged through the lens of tourism, which explores the political, cultural, behavioral, economic, and geographical impacts. Therefore, the identification of challenges in transformation and emerging ways and means of managing pilgrimage and related destinations is critical in an era of crises and disastrous situations. Management and Practices of Pilgrimage Tourism and Hospitality identifies, understands, and recognizes the changing facts and facets of pilgrimage tourism around the world. It develops and promotes pilgrimage tourism for community integration, faith-sharing, perseverance, tolerance, and pace for secular and sustainable futures. This book further identifies any new issues, scopes, challenges, and entrepreneurial opportunities for pilgrimage tourism as are found to be relevant and important for future pilgrimages with larger intensity and frequency. Covering topics such as behavioral challenges, community empowerment, and pilgrimage economy, this book is an essential resource for entrepreneurs, professionals, researchers, academicians, policymakers, students of higher education, sociologists, and more.

In this anthropological history, Mary E. Hancock examines the politics of public memory in the southern Indian city of Chennai. Once a colonial port, Chennai is now poised to become a center for India's "new economy" of information technology, export processing, and back-office services. State and local governments promote tourism and a heritage-conscious cityscape to make Chennai a recognizable "brand" among investment and travel destinations. Using a range of textual, visual, architectural, and ethnographic sources, Hancock grapples with the question of how people in Chennai remember and represent their past, considering the political and economic contexts and implications of those memory practices. Working from specific sites, including a historic district created around an ancient Hindu temple, a living history museum, neo-traditional and vernacular architecture, and political memorials, Hancock examines the spatialization of memory under the conditions of neoliberalism.

Pilgrimage tourism is one of the basic areas with far-reaching impacts in the travel and tourism industry around the world and across generations. Due to its reach and potential impact, further study is required. Prospects and Challenges of Global Pilgrimage Tourism and Hospitality considers the changing facts and facets of pilgrimage tourism around the world; develops pilgrimage tourism for community integration, faith-sharing, perseverance, tolerance, and peace; and identifies new issues scopes, challenges, and entrepreneurial opportunities for pilgrimage tourism that are relevant and important for future pilgrimages with larger intensity and frequency. Covering key topics such as pilgrimage economy, social media, and tourism, this premier reference source is ideal for policymakers, social scientists, managers, business owners, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

This book brings together a range of case studies in the areas of religion, religious tourism and pilgrimage in Asia. It assesses the increasing linkages and interconnections between religious tourism and secular spaces on a global stage, and explores key learning points from a range of contemporary case studies of religious and pilgrimage activity related to ancient, sacred and emerging tourist destinations, new forms of pilgrimage, faith systems and quasi-religious activities. The development and marketing of religious tourism are also addressed in a few chapters. The book has 17 chapters, a list of discussion questions, and a subject index.

In the process of evolution, human beings have overcome a multitude of challenges and trials. One such recent encounter was with the pandemic COVID-19. The onslaught of a pandemic is not new in history, not so frequent and will also not be the last. However, during this pandemic, while some people perished, many evolved fighting against it and that’s what makes the journey of human species fascinating. This book is a perception of the journey of a variety of demographics through the pandemic and the series of lockdowns initiated to contain it. If on one hand, there was a closure of economic, religious, education and governmental institutions, on the other, there were attempts made to go digital and cope with new realities. While the women and LGBTQ+ community became vulnerable in their homes, the migrant labourers and sailors longed to return to their homes. If addiction to adult films was worrying, the actors in this industry struggled to survive. The small shopkeepers and domestic helpers were left in a lurch. The journey was tough yet extraordinary. As we move towards a new normal, how well prepared are we? Do we have any lessons learnt?