Pilgrimage and Tourism - Carter Jobe

Regarding Profane Experience and Sacred Encounter: Journeys to Disney and the Camino de Santiago, I was fascinated with the origin of tourism and its linkage to pilgrimage and journeys, as well as the differences between the two experiences.

The point of a pilgrimage, or a journey, is to find meaning, something that can occur in tourism. However, typically tourists are people who come to simply see the sights and relax in a foreign place. An expansion of this is seen in a pilgrimage, where one doesn't opt to live in the luxury of 5-star hotels that a tourist might. Many pilgrims want to connect with the land and its culture, which is why they put themselves through the trials of reducing themselves. Pilgrims along the Camino stay in Albergues to enrich themselves in the spiritual experience. Additionally, the purpose of a pilgrim is to find a greater meaning in life. Through the religious contexts pilgrims will undergo changes similar to the Hero's Journey. Without the struggle of a pilgrim, a tourist does not evolve much on his trip.

However, this is not to say the two don't share aspects. Both take bravery, as one must leave home and embark on a journey to expands one's knowledge of the world, and to observe the beauty of foreign culture and places. Tourists also interact with the local people in a similar way to pilgrims. 

Ultimately, tourists still gather a sense of change as they expand their view of the earth. The lines can truly be blurred between the two but there are key distinctions.


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