POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN LOCAL MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Every year, people travel to places considered holy for spiritual and religious purposes. When it comes to spirituality and religion, everyone has their own beliefs and faith, so the pilgrimage to find the higher things that can bring comfort the for our souls. This is how pilgrimage happens, everyone follows the same path to find what this can bring to you, and you feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the walk. Pilgrimages are phenomena of expression. In the past, they had an influence on the historical development of people. Pilgrimages also provide a meeting of people where it is possible to exchange culture, experiences and knowledge about the importance of making some sacrifice in favor of our beliefs. Here we are talking about the importance ofthe Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iran where every year millions of people from around the world travel mosques and the country's famous religious temples. The country is also known for having historic sites that have become World Heritage Sites. Iran is an ancient country that also attracts tourists not only for religious purposes, but also to visit historical sites. Religious tourism, can be understood as an activity developed by people who travel for religious reasons or to participate in activities of religious significance, being important in the religious, cultural, historical aspects and for the economic and social development. However, it can also cause some inconvenience when there is no control at the tourism site, that is, control with regard to accommodation, safety, health, control over the waste left at the site, as well as local transportation. Thus it is important to know what researchers are researching about the positive and negative points of religious tourism in the context of local management, as well as the positive and negative points. This paper sought to identify the overview of religions in Iran as well as the impact on the local economy from the references presented in the literature for the period 2019 to 2022.