Maps and Meaning: Reading the Map of the Holy Land

The research methods of hermeneutics and semiotics were used to analyze maps of the Holy Land. The main conclusion of this study is how those methods could help us to read and understand maps. Other issues of concern are which religious elements actually appear and their form of representation in the range of maps. Narratives identified on the various maps were the holy Christian narrative- which proved the most dominant, the Jewish narrative and the Muslim narrative that was rarely found in the maps, even in those with a Palestinian narrative. A ubiquitous finding was disregarded for political issues, although the maps\u27 messages allow the map-user to draw conclusions about ideology, images, and conflicts

Pilgrimage-Tourism: Common Themes in Different Religions

The paper discusses common themes in different religions regarding pilgrimage-tourism and has four main goals. First, it shows that the boundaries between pilgrimage and tourism have become blurred. Second, it characterises the different changes that have taken place in pilgrimage research in recent years. Third, it re-examines three different pilgrimage case-studies in an effort to draw conclusions pertaining to the ‘pilgrimagetourism nexus’; and fourth, it highlights discrepancies between the ‘old’ paradigm, predicated on the assumption that religious elements lie at the core of pilgrimage, and the results of more recent research on secular models of travel, highlighting alternative and complementary approaches to explain the shifting boundaries between tourists and pilgrims. The three case-studies discussed offer evidence that both the study and the phenomena of pilgrimage in the twenty-first century are changing. This comes along with the increasing blurring of pilgrimage, tourism, and secular tourism, and the fading differences between the desires of people to search for new meaning. These developments can be observed by doing away with distinctions that were accepted in the past, and a growing inability to distinguish between the different perceptions and research areas, which are becoming increasingly integrated

Current Jewish pilgrimage tourism: Modes and models of development

Whether in its traditional religious form or its modern secular form, pilgrimage is currently experiencing resurgence the world over. This study analyzes the traits of current Jewish pilgrims to holy sites in Israel and explores the phenomenon of Jewish pilgrimage-tourism in the country. To this end, it employs a variety of methodologies, including a questionnaire completed by 703 pilgrims at seven different pilgrimage sites in Israel; interviews with the pilgrims and staff of organized tours to these sites; observations in situ; and participant observation. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a market analysis based on geographic, demographic, and psychographic characteristics of visitors to Jewish holy sites in Israel. Such a survey is a basis for understanding the motivations and preferences of the visitors’ specific needs and the first stage \u27pre-planning\u27 that is necessary for every future plan of a tourism site. It was found that the sites attract an extremely diverse visitor population, ranging from very religious orthodox pilgrims, to ‘traditional’ pilgrim-tourists, to secular tourists, who can also be understood as alternative tourists. Thus, the traits of present-day pilgrims can be represented on a scale ranging from ‘secular’ to ‘spiritual,’ or from ‘tourist’ to ‘pilgrim,’ which enables us to propose a model of site development, and to grade the sites on a scale ranging from spontaneous, undeveloped sites to formal, highly developed sites. The study also indicates that secular visits of tourists are what trigger site movement toward formal recognition and development, transforming them from pure pilgrimage sites to religious-tourist sites and drawing greater attention to the relationship between pilgrimage and tourism

Evaluating tourism potential: a SWOT analysis of the Western Negev, Israel

SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis is a widely used method of evaluation employed in the business and planning worlds, including tourism planning, but there is little documentation on SWOT analysis in the academic tourism or geography literature. In this study SWOT analysis was applied more systematically in these areas, and rules for using it are suggested. The objective of this research is to show how SWOT analysis can be made more attractive, useful and accurate in research. This paper examines the current status and the potential of ecotourism in the Western Negev, in Southern Israel. The evaluation was conducted at the national, regional, and local levels using SWOT analysis. Data was gathered through field observation, interviews with decisions makers, and questionnaires distributed to the local population between the years 2000-2006. The findings relate to both the use of the SWOT technique as a research method and an evaluation concerning the tourism potential of the Western Negev. The findings relate to both the use of the SWOT technique as a research method and an evaluation concerning the tourism potential of the Western Negev. A simple diagram of the components of an enhanced SWOT analysis framework was developed, presented and used. It is suggested that this framework has wide applicability. The tourism industry is only in its infancy in the Western Negev, and thus this analysis can assist local decision makers by estimating the potential benefits and threats to their development. It is hoped that both academics and practioners would use the recommendations offered in the article for future research and for future development of the area

Developing the Jewish Heritage Tourism Product in European Cities

Workshop "Challenges for European City Tourism" The European Forum at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel Workshop for invited participant

From a town to an attraction: the transformation of Ohrid, North Macedonia

This article assesses the different forces involved in shaping the city of Ohrid (North Macedonia) and demonstrates the manner in which the city has been transformed by tourism development. As a post-socialist city, the development of Ohrid has unique characters in terms of landscape, economic dynamics, and functional dimensions. The study's aim is also achieved by analyzing the validity and applicability of the Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model with regard to the evolution of tourism development in Ohrid, specifically, and in other cities in general. The article emphasizes the connection between the city’s urban context and tourism development. The findings also indicate that Ohrid is currently in its Development stage and that its life cycle curve exhibits a double cycle sequence, meaning that Ohrid is attracting many visitors and has reached a state of tourism maturity. The article emphasizes the connection between the city’s urban context and tourism development. From a practical perspective, the study reveals a lack of urban planning and uncontrolled tourism development

A Tourism Potential Index for Cultural Heritage Management through the Ecosystem Services Approach

Tourism as a tool for the enhancement and conservation of heritage represents an opportunity for many managers of cultural properties. However, despite the numerous works developed so far on tourism governance, the elaboration of preliminary studies for decision-making in heritage buildings is still a challenge. Considering the ecosystem services approach, an index is proposed which allows tourism and cultural heritage managers to analyze and quantify the level of tourist exploitation (use) of a monument for the services (benefits) that it offers to society. In this paper, a multi-criteria evaluation system was proposed, related to the main use of the building and its relationship with various tourism components, which have been classified as cultural, leisure, recreational, lodging, catering, intermediation, transportation, and event organization. The model has been applied to the Parroquia del Mar (Alicante, Spain) of great cultural relevance, but not exploited for tourism. The results obtained demonstrate the usefulness and validity of the model, considered as a tool capable of bridging the gap between heritage conservation and its touristic use, highlighting the importance of the services offered as necessary attributes for its (re)valuation, combining the social benefits of its exploitation, its touristic use and the awareness of its conservation and protection

Religiousness as tourist performances: a case study of Greek Orthodox pilgrimage

The aim of this paper is to decipher ways of experiencing religiousness through tourist performances, intersecting textual approaches with the essential embodiment and materiality of the tourist world. Exploring the diversity of religious tourists’ practices within the Greek Orthodox context, two dimensions underpinning religious tourist experience are highlighted: institutional performances and unconventional performances. Focussing on the embodied experience and drawing upon theories of performance, the paper critiques the interplays of body and place to re-conceptualise current understanding of the pilgrimage/tourism relationship. In doing so, the paper proposes that tourism and religion are not separate entities but linked through embodied notions of godliness sensed through touristic performances