engleski

Spiritual dimension of tourism: Messages of the Holy See and Episcopal Conference of Croatia

Aims: Tourism is one of the dominant economic sectors in the world, and in Croatia its importance is growing year by year. The growth has also contributed to the many pressures, from environmental to social. By challenging the dominant paradigms of tourism research, this paper aims to show how religious perspective influences tourism (and vice versa), which goes beyond just religious tourism. Rather than taking primarily an economic view, Catholic Church, especially the Holy See and Episcopal Conference of Croatia, emphasise the spiritual and social dimensions of tourism as a global phenomenon. Methods: The paper is based on the content analysis of the available messages published on the occasion of World Tourism Day by Saint John Paul II (6 documents), Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (13 documents) and the Episcopal Conference of Croatia (9 documents) in the period from 1982 to 2019. Results: The main themes identified in the messages analysed can be grouped as follows: Tourism as an opportunity to meet the Lord, Tourism as an opportunity to meet oneself, Tourism as an opportunity to meet others and Tourism as an opportunity to meet nature. It arises that Catholic Church sees tourism as a place for inner reflection and contemplation of created things, leading to a greater understanding of God, but also of the environment. Moreover, tourism is perceived as an opportunity for integral self-development and physical and spiritual regeneration of human beings. The role of tourism that is most emphasised in the messages is the opportunity to connect with others, which includes cultural exchange, openness to diversity, and the Christian notion of hospitality and leisure. Conclusion: By offering guidelines for establishing more humane and spiritual tourism practises, Catholic Church contributes to existing tourism trends, especially those involving hopeful and transformative tourism.

Tourism ; spiritual dimension ; St. John Paul II ; Holy See ; Episcopal Conference of Croati

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