Experience and touristic marketing on religious and pilgrimage contexts: the illustrative case of Caminhos de Santiago

Abstract

The pilgrimage context incorporates a strong tourism component, identified by the motivations of pilgrims, who tend to be more spiritual and experiential character than itself by religious forces. This type of tourism can be framed in tourism marketing activities (e.g. Camino de Santiago), considering the economic effects, but also in the different experiential motivations. However, the literature seems to overlook the planning and management of tourist destinations in religious contexts. This study aims at gaining a deeper understanding of customer behaviour in pilgrimage tourism, resorting to the illustrative case of Camino de Santiago Routes. The research adopts a consumer behaviour perspective. Overall the study attempts to develop a deeper understanding of consumer behavior in tourism settings, addressing the predisposition for the destination. The study proposes influencers of customer behaviour and attitudes (e.g., place attachment and behavioural intentions) in the context of pilgrimage tourism. A theoretical model is developed specifying antecedents of satisfaction and loyalty in pilgrimage tourism. Implications for future research are presented.