Religious pilgrimages as a mechanism for the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage: the case of KwaZulu-Natal Province

Resumo

Religious pilgrimages as a mechanism for the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage: the case of KwaZulu-Natal Province

Nompumelelo Linda¹

Department of Recreation and Tourism, Faculty of Humanities and Social Science

University of Zululand

KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8951-9639

Email: LindaNO@unizulu.ac.za

Abstract

Keywords: Religious pilgrimage, tangible and intangible, heritage, low-density areas, preservation

Objectives

• To ascertain the tangible and intangible attributes of pilgrimage destinations in the low-density areas;


• To identify the tangible and intangible heritages that are packaged for tourists and pilgrims in the study area;


• To explore the perceptions of respondents on the preservation of pilgrimage destinations in low-density areas;


• To find out if district municipalities support the enhancement of pilgrimage destinations and tourism development;


• To formulate a mechanism for preserving the religious pilgrimages within the low population density areas.

Methodology

Research methodology is a set of procedures and methods that are used to carry out a search for knowledge and to achieve the research objectives (Jennings, 2018). This paper discusses the methodological procedures and techniques that were employed in the study. A mixed method research design was adopted, which suggests that both quantitative and qualitative modes of research enquiry were used during the collection, analysis and interpretation of data (Taherdoost, 2017). This mixed method research design was seen as a formal, objective and systematic process for generating information about this study. The design is appropriate to collect the necessary data on “the tangible and intangible attributes of pilgrimage destinations in the low-density areas”; the tangible and intangible heritages that are packaged for tourists and pilgrims in the study area”; “the perceptions of respondents on the preservation of pilgrimage destinations in low-density areas”; “if district municipalities support the enhancement of pilgrimage destinations and tourism development”; and “a mechanism for preserving the religious pilgrimages within the low population density areas”. A quantitative research design was employed, as the nature of this research necessitates the use of numerical data and descriptive statistics to draw conclusions. A standardised questionnaire was used to collect data from 410 respondents selected using a convenience sampling technique from different pilgrimage destinations in KZN, South Africa. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted using IBM’s SPSS version 28 software. The purpose of this paper is to examine the preservation of tangible and intangible heritage in religious pilgrimages (such as pilgrimage destinations, demographic characteristics, and accommodations) in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province in South Africa. This paper further intends to assess the pilgrimage destinations as a mechanism for religious pilgrimages that have tangible and intangible heritage for low-density populations.  

Main results and contributions

The findings of this study revealed that the majority of the respondents struggle to get accommodation, and pilgrimage destinations receive a large number of pilgrims. Based on the findings as presented, it could be said that there are no visible tourism facilities available within the study area. Having said that, visitors and/or pilgrims were expected to drive approximately 100 kilometres to the lodging establishment of their choice and were forced to miss some of the pilgrimage events, which provides the facilities available within the pilgrimage destination. This finding, however, disputes what Nicolaides (2008) and Fernández (2010) assert that despite being attracted by faith-oriented activities, tourists also engage in other activities, such as exploring and/or purchasing on-site offerings, such as souvenirs, merchandise, etc. As a follow-up to the above question, it is important to establish the respondents’ in-depth views regarding the need for tourism facilities and/or products packaged for tourists and/or pilgrims within the study area. The pilgrimage destinations are visited during the high season by a large number of pilgrims. The findings further reveal that African religious pilgrimages preserve the tangible and intangible heritage of religious pilgrimages. The study recommends that stakeholders preserve religious pilgrimages such that they promote them as heritage/ religious tourism and/or socio-economic development stimuli within the study areas and elsewhere in South Africa. Also to promote tangible and intangible experiences that can be valued by everyone who visits pilgrimage destinations within the province. This paper further recommends the development of accommodation and restaurant establishments for the pilgrims who come from outside the province/ the country and elsewhere.

Research limitations

Problems of generalizability might occur if the sample is poorly chosen, resulting in the survey not correctly representing the population. Although this did not apply to this study, since the study results are particular to the study areas (Zululand district, King Cetshwayo district, iLembe district and eThekwini Metropolitan) at the time the study was conducted, the findings cannot be generalized across regions and nations. Respondents are sometimes lazy to fill in the questionnaires and scared to provide certain information because they fear that they might be misquoted or information used for certain purposes which could lead them into trouble. Lack of information and ignorance was another limitation that the researcher encountered or experienced with the respondents.

Conclusions

The purpose of this study was to collect data from the respondents employing the mixed method approach in order to achieve the objectives. The intention was to find out from the respondents/ stakeholders whether they perceive these African religious pilgrimages as a mechanism for preserving tangible and intangible heritage in low-density areas (Ferreira, Liberato, Lima, & Fernandes, 2023). The obtained data would be shared with the participated municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal so that the study area can be viewed as a tourism destination. The provincial government should play a significant role in creating tourism opportunities and there are no tourism facilities available within the study area as visitors and/or pilgrims had to drive approximately 100 kilometres in order to get the accommodation of their choice. The pilgrims from the Nazareth Baptist Church erect tents so that they can attend all the pilgrimage events and they are already familiar with that kind of accommodation. This chapter concludes by presenting the methodology that was employed, how the data was collected and how sampled and analysed.

References

Fernández Poncela, A.M. (2010). The Santo Niño de Atocha: heritage and religious tourism.

Ferreira, F.A., Liberato, D., Lima, A.S., & Fernandes, P.O. (2023). Sustainable practices in daily life and in the context of tourism. Journal of Tourism & Development, 40, 23-34. DOI:10.34624/rtd. v40i0.31414.

IBMCorp Ibm, S. P. S. S. (2022). statistics for windows, version 28.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.

Jennings, G. R. (2018). Qualitative research and tourism studies. The Sage handbook of tourism management theories: Concepts and disciplinary approaches to tourism, 5-33.

Nicolaides, B. (2008). Suburbia and Community: Untangling a Historical Conundrum.

Taherdoost, H. (2017). Determining sample size; how to calculate survey sample size. International Journal of Economics and Management Systems, 2.