religious tourism
Flooded with sightseers, Europe’s iconic churches struggle to accommodate both worship and tourism
By Giovanna Dell'orto — July 21, 2023
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — With tourism reaching or surpassing pre-pandemic records in Barcelona and across southern Europe, iconic sacred sites are struggling to accommodate the faithful who come to pray and the millions of visitors who often pay to view the art and architecture.
‘A time bomb’: India’s sinking holy town faces grim future
By Shonal Ganguly and Krutika Pathi — March 1, 2023
JOSHIMATH, India (AP) — For months, the roughly 20,000 residents in Joshimath, revered by Hindu and Sikh pilgrims, have watched the earth slowly swallow their community.
Bethlehem rebounds from pandemic, lifting Christmas spirits
By Maya Alleruzzo, Jalal Bwaitel, and Hannah Schoenbaum — December 27, 2022
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Tourism is the economic lifeblood of this town in the occupied West Bank, where for the past two years the pandemic kept international visitors away.
COVID-19 takes a bite out of Burkina Faso’s cult of sacred crocodiles
By Joseph Hammond — October 22, 2021
(RNS) — The local cult of the crocodile dates to sometime in the 1500s, when, during a period of severe drought, locals believe, a crocodile appeared and led local women to a source of fresh water.
From luxury stays to ‘champing’ in the sanctuary, churches adopt pandemic-era Airbnb models
By Kathryn Post — September 20, 2021
(RNS) — Instead of worshippers, some churches have been filled with local tourists, professional chefs or burnt-out frontline workers.
The pandemic has slowed tourism to Thailand’s Buddhist temples, but the impact is more than economic
By Brooke Schedneck — June 5, 2021
(The Conversation) — Thailand's Buddhist temples, important centers of culture and commerce, rely on donations from international visitors. Because of a steep drop in tourism, these temples have been hit hard.
Christians mark Good Friday amid lingering virus woes
By Joseph Krauss — April 2, 2021
JERUSALEM (AP) — "Things are open, but cautiously and gradually," said Wadie Abunassar, an adviser to church leaders in the Holy Land.
Under the Vatican dome, shops risk closure due to coronavirus fears
By Claire Giangravé — March 6, 2020
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The Italian newspaper Il Messagero reported this week that the Vatican museums have lost as much as 60% of their revenue in the past month, but local workers put the number much higher.
Palestinians in Bethlehem look beyond religious tourism
By Mohammad Daraghmeh and Joseph Krauss — December 9, 2019
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — For decades, people in Bethlehem have watched as tour groups spend a few hours at the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, and then return to Israel.
‘Walk of Faith’ tour tells tale of Hollywood’s Christian beginnings
By Heather Adams — February 12, 2019
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The place sometimes known as 'Hollywood Babylon' was founded as a preserve of an abstinent Christian lifestyle.
Head underground for Gotham’s new Catacombs by Candlelight tour
By Samantha Maldonado — December 21, 2017
NEW YORK (RNS) — Under the nave of the Basilica of Old St. Patrick's, a tour guide takes the curious through Catholic catacombs only recently opened to the public.
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