Las imágenes en la promoción de los destinos de turismo religioso: el caso de Montserrat

Abstract

In religious tourism, the quality of the visitor experience depends on several factors. The nature of the visitor’s experience at the holy site is very complex because it is intangible and includes elements such as atmosphere and the spiritual merit of the visit, among others. As several authors have argued, visitor experience and satisfaction are directly related to the images visitors are exposed to prior to the visit. The image visitors have of a destination will condition not only their expectations but also their behaviour at the site. This image is configured via very different sources, including universal images, destination advertising, literature, television and film, magazines, blogs and websites, social networks, word of mouth and many more. Although sources are not always controllable, as we can see from the above list, it is important to know what image (visual or otherwise) is being conveyed of the destination we are managing so as to be able to influence it (if we wish to modify or reinforce it) and to know visitors’ expectations. In this study, we aim to analyse the image of Montserrat, the most important religious tourist destination in Catalonia, in order to ascertain whether emitted images match received images in the case of religious tourism or whether there is a discordance that may lead to disappointing visitor experiences due to the destination not living up to expectations