Escaping the escape: a study among tourists' visiting Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
Permanent link
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/34933Date
2024-09-12Type
Journal articleTidsskriftartikkel
Peer reviewed
Author
Smørvik, Kjersti KarijordAbstract
A number of tourists visit churches on their holiday without being
religious or having any religious motivation. If religion is not
important for the visit, what is then central to the tourist
experience, and how do tourists describe their church visit? In this
article, I examine tourists’ church visits and the meaning it gives. In
a setting characterized through tourism and religion, and with a
special focus on the individual church experience, the personal
perspective is prioritized. The data for this study have been
collected at the church of Santa Cecilia in Rome, where I have
interviewed 12 tourists. The findings show that the experience of
escape is an important part of the church visit. Further the findings
demonstrate tourists’ need to find back to themselves, as a
contrast to the busier tourist role. While previous studies of visits
to religious sites often emphasize religious identity and holiness,
this study indicates that religion is unimportant or subordinate to
some extent. The findings therefore provide new knowledge about
the significance for tourists of visiting churches.
Publisher
Taylor & FrancisCitation
Smørvik KK. Escaping the escape: a study among tourists' visiting Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 2024Metadata
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