Religious Tourism in Turkey

Abstract

Playing host to 40 million international visitors annually, Turkey is a popular tourism destination. Starting in the 2000s, the country saw a significant increase regarding tourist arrivals. Although Turkey is a popular destination for its “sun, sand, and sea” tourism, it has huge potential in terms of alternative types of tourism, including cultural, rural, thermal, and religious tourism. Religious sites, such as monuments, churches, mosques, and synagogues derived from the country’s long history of playing host to several civilizations and religions over centuries, are one of the most important resources of Turkey. However, religious tourism is one of the least studied areas in Turkish tourism literature. The number of studies related to religious or faith tourism has increased significantly in the last 10 years, but there are still some gaps related to religious tourism. Therefore, this chapter aims to determine and assess the religious potential of Turkey in an exploratory manner. In addition, given the importance of the literature on religious tourism, some theoretical knowledge will be presented, such as the meaning of religious and pilgrimage tourism, the motivations for religious tourists to visit sacred sites, and the figures pertaining to the religious tourism market.