Religious Tourism Development in Lesvos Island. Potentials and Prospects in a Spiritual Approach of Priests of Lesvos

Abstract

This paper aims to (a) present the opinions of the priests of Lesvos on the current situation of religious tourism in Lesvos, (b) explore the potentials and prospects for the further development of religious tourism and (c) formulate policy proposals for its systematic development. The exploration of the research objectives was carried out by contacting a quantitative research, the questionnaires of which were distributed among all the priest of Lesvos. The survey was contacted in February 2017, using the inventory method and the data collected were based on descriptive and inductive statistics. The investigation showed that Lesvos, as a religious destination, has been developed to a significant extent but, it still has many prospects of growth. The survey highlighted the need for the implementation of an integrated strategic planning for local tourism development, which through targeted actions will cover the basic strategic directions for further development of religious tourism in the Island.