Keywords
sustainable development
places of worship
multiculturalism
Podlaskie Province
How to Cite
Abstract
In recent years, the growing importance of religious tourism in the broad sense has been noted, both as an area of scientific research and in the practical sphere. Places of religious worship often become tourist destinations, giving many regions an opportunity for development. The direct and indirect impact of tourism permeates the economic, socio-cultural and environmental spheres. The aim of this article is to define the role of religious tourism in the sustainable development of a region, with particular emphasis on its impact on the preservation of cultural heritage. The study was qualitative in nature and used a case study method – Podlaskie Province. The method of Individual In-Depth Interviews (IDI) was used, and respondents representing various types of economic activity in the field of religious tourism were purposefully selected. The original nature of the research stems from the inclusion of different types of service providers representing different religions, reflecting the multicultural nature of the region. The research showed that religious tourism can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals in tourist regions. In the social sphere, the results of the research inspire improved cooperation and awareness among all tourism stakeholders in the region, both in terms of the uniqueness of religious, cultural and natural heritage values and the benefits of developing religious tourism.
References
Awasthi, A., & Nain, A. (2023). A study of issues and challenges of global pilgrimage tourism. In S.K. Gupta, L. C. Aragon, P. Kumar, Madhurima, & R. Ramasamy (Eds.), Prospects and challenges of global pilgrimage tourism and hospitality (pp. 139–150). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-4817-5.ch011
Bayih, E. B. (2019). Religious tourism: A tourism prototype for rural community development; the case of Lalibela area, Ethiopia. American Journal of Tourism Research, 8(1), 11–27. https://www.academia.edu/41560937/Religious_Tourism_A_Tourism_Prototype_for_Rural_Community_Development_the_Case_of_Lalibela_Area_Ethiopia#title
Borges, I. M. S., Gonçalves Fernandes, A. C., Oliveira Campos, J., Araújo Silva, J., Leite dos Santos, A. F., & Barbosa da Silva, E. C. (2021). Religious tourism at Pedra de Santo Antônio in Fagundes-PB: Reflections on social and environmental impacts. Research, Society and Development, 10(12), e527101220502. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v10i12.20502 (in Portugese).
Cerri, G. (2024). Sacred architecture and touristic consumption: The role of the interior design strategy. In O. Niglio (Ed.), The international conference of utopian and sacred architecture (pp. 167–179). Springer Nature Switzerland.
Choe, J. (2024). Religious tourism. Tourism Geographies, 27(3–4), 830–839. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2024.2423168
Collins-Kreiner, N., & Wall, G. (2015). Tourism and religion: Spiritual journeys and their consequences. In S. Brunn (Ed.), The changing world religion map: Sacred places, identities, practices and politics (pp. 689–707). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9376-6_34
Cugini, A. (2021). Religious tourism and sustainability: From devotion to spiritual experience. In F. Grasso & B. S. Sergi (Eds.), Tourism in the Mediterranean Sea (pp. 55–73). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-900-920211006
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2009). Metody badań jakościowych (Tom 1). PWN. (in Polish).
Durydiwka, M., & Kociszewski, P. (2013). Wielokulturowość Podlasia i możliwości jej wykorzystania w turystyce. Turystyka Kulturowa, 6, 5-29. http://www.turystykakulturowa.org/pdf/2013_06_01.pdf (in Polish).
Ezeh, P. C., & Dube, K. (2025). Bibliometric analysis of trends and development in religion and green tourism behavior. Cogent Social Sciences, 11(1), 2445771. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2445771
Ghimire, H. L. (2013). Impacts of pilgrimage tourism for sustainable tourism development: Special focus on Lumbini [Doctoral dissertation]. Tribhuvan University, Nepal. https://elibrary.tucl.edu.np/JQ99OgQIizUxyjI9nB0on9OyLkqsGIf4/api/core/bitstreams/14c72c6f-11ad-432b-81a0-0caf431fee08/content
Gołębieska, K., Ostrowska-Tryzno, A., & Pawlikowska-Piechotka, A. (2020). Mobility and sustainable religious tourism–accessibility of holy sites. Sport i Turystyka. Środkowoeuropejskie Czasopismo Naukowe, 3(4), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.16926/sit.2020.03.31 (in Polish).
González-González, M., & Fernández-Álvarez, Ó. (2022). Cultural tourism, religion and religious heritage in Castile and León, Spain. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 10(2), 3. https://doi.org/10.21427/7my5-8d74
Halim, M. S. A., Tatoglu, E., & Hanefar, S. B. M. (2021). A review of spiritual tourism: A conceptual model for future research. Tourism and Hospitality Management, 27(1), 119–141. https://doi.org/10.20867/thm.27.1.8
Jackowski, A. (2010). Pielgrzymki a turystyka religijna. Rozważania na czasie. In Z. Kroplewski & A. Panasiuk (Eds.), Turystyka religijna (pp. 17–32). Rozprawy i Studia (T. 765). Uniwersytet Szczeciński. (in Polish).
Jackowski, A., & Sołjan, I. (2008). Główne problemy badawcze w zakresie turystyki religijnej. Turyzm, 18(1), 39-50. https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/server/api/core/bitstreams/971bce1f-dd88-4e3d-acf9-0baf5fcc3d34/content (in Polish).
Jaremen, D. (2017). Turystyka religijna – biznes oparty na duchowym wymiarze podróżowania. Tolerance and the Cultures Talk, Zeszyty Historyczne, 5(16), 26–34. https://jbc.jelenia-gora.pl/dlibra/publication/45545/edition/41340/content (in Polish).
Junaidi, S., & Amin, S. (2023). Development of religious tourism as an alternative for increasing the sustainable economy of rural communities. Journal of Economics and Sustainable, 14(10), 43–50. https://doi.org/10.7176/JESD/14-10-05
Kasimati, E., & Asero, V. (2025). The religious tourism in Greece: Current status and future development. In M. Valeri (Ed.), Contemporary religious tourism: Multidisciplinary insights, environmental engagement, and community impact (pp. 253–264). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-79074-4_16
Khoiriyah, N., Pujiyanto, E., Damayanti, R. W., & Yuniaristanto, Y. (2024). Sustainable religious tourism: A systematic literature review. Proceeding ISETH (International Summit on Science, Technology, and Humanity), 658–667. https://doi.org/10.23917/iseth.5416
Kim, B., Kim, S., & King, B. (2020). Religious tourism studies: Evolution, progress, and future prospects. Tourism Recreation Research, 45(2), 185–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2019.1664084
Kiryluk, H., Glińska, E., & Barkun, J. (2020). Benefits and barriers to cooperation in the process of building a place’s brand: Perspective of tourist region stakeholders in Poland. Oeconomia Copernicana, 11(2), 289–307. https://doi.org/10.24136/oc.2020.012
Korov, T., Šostar, M., & Andrlić, B. (2024). The model of strategic management of a religious tourism destination in function of sustainable development. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 9(4), e04599. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2024.v9i4.4599
Maison, D. (2001). Zogniskowane wywiady grupowe. Jakościowa metoda badań marketingowych. Warszawa: PWN. (in Polish).
Mikos v. Rohrscheidt, A. (2016). Turystyka kulturowa. Fenomen, potencjał, perspektywy. Poznań: KulTour.pl. (in Polish).
Muhsina, K. (2025). Religious tourism phenomena evolution and future research perspectives. In M. Valeri (Ed.), Contemporary religious tourism: Multidisciplinary insights, environmental engagement, and community impact (pp. 133–155). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-79074-4_9
Muruganantham, G., & Patro, U. S. (2025). Role of technology for sustainable growth of religious tourism. In P. K. Tyagi, N. Sharma, P. Singh & V. Bhatt (Eds.), Technology and religious tourism: Emerging trends, cases and futuristic perspectives (pp. 25–48). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83662-260-420251003
Nana, A. E. (2024). Religion and cultural tourism: An enabler of economic sustainable development. Crowther Journal of Arts and Humanities, 1(2), 38-50. https://www.acjol.org/index.php/crowther/article/view/4982/4843
Nega, D. (2024). Religious tourism at Tana Chirkos & St. Kirstos Semra: Contemporary issues and prospects for sustainable tourism. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 11(6), 13. https://doi.org/10.21427/FDYG-8542
Niezgoda, A. (2024). Turystyka zrównoważona. Trendy, dyfuzja, ewaluacja. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Poznaniu. (in Polish).
Niezgoda, A., & Markiewicz, E. (2025). Znaczenie edukacji w rozwoju turystyki religijnej. Studia Religiologica, 58(1), 53-76. https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.25.004.22148 (in Polish).
Noer, L. R., Ninglasari, S. Y., Prihananto, P., Rai, N. G. M., & Darmawan, W. (2024). Sustainability of religious tourism in Indonesia: A bibliometric review and analysis. KnE Social Sciences, 9(32), 211–223. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v9i32.17437
Ohlan, R., & Ohlan, A. (2024). Religious tourism scholarship: Current state and future research directions. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 15(3), 800–818. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-05-2023-0152
Pageh, I., Rahmawati, P. I., & Jiang, M. (2022). Ancient religious sites as tools for sustainable tourism development: An empirical study in the north of Bali. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 10(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.21427/fv1n-2236
Pilch, T., & Bauman, T. (2001). Zasady badań pedagogicznych. Strategie ilościowe i jakościowe. Wydawnictwo Akademickie Żak. (in Polish).
Pizło, W. (2009). Studium przypadku jako metoda badawcza w naukach ekonomicznych. Roczniki Naukowe Stowarzyszenia Ekonomistów Rolnictwa i Agrobiznesu,11(5), 246–251. https://rnseria.com/resources/html/article/details?id=171252 (in Polish).
Poggendorf, L. (2022). New paradigm of spiritual tourism: Adding an important layer to sustainable tourism. WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, 256, 65–76. https://doi.org/10.2495/ST220061
Rashid, A. G. (2018). Religious tourism – a review of the literature. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 1(2), 150–167. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-10-2017-0007
ReligiTour. (2025). https://www.religitour.eu/
Romanelli, M., Gazzola, P., Grechi, D., & Pollice, F. (2021). Towards a sustainability-oriented religious tourism. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 38(3), 386–396. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.2791
Shinde, K. A., & Olsen, D. H. (2023). Reframing the intersections of pilgrimage, religious tourism, and sustainability. Sustainability, 15(1), 461. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010461
Sołjan, I. (2007). Turystyka religijna jako przedmiot badań geografii religii i geografii turyzmu – wybrane zagadnienia. In W. Kurek & M. Mika (Eds.), Studia nad turystyką: Tradycje, stan obecny i perspektywy badawcze (pp. 289–297). Instytut Geografii i Gospodarki Przestrzennej, Uniwersytet Jagielloński. (in Polish).
Timothy, D. J., & Olsen, D. H. (2018). Religious routes, pilgrim trails: Spiritual pathways as tourism resources. In R. Butler & W. Suntikul (Eds.), Tourism and religion. Issues and implications (pp. 220–235). Channel View Publications. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781845416461-022
Tomljenović, R., & Dukić, L. (2017). Religious tourism – from a tourism product to an agent of societal transformation. In Religious tourism and the contemporary tourism market (pp. 1–8). Institute for Tourism. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325189426_Religious_Tourism_-_from_a_Tourism_Product_to_an_Agent_of_Societal_Transformation
Wang, K. Y. (2022). Sustainable tourism development based upon visitors’ brand trust: A case of “100 religious attractions”. Sustainability, 14(4), 1977. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14041977
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Economics and Environment