Abstract
Document analysis was used as qualitative research methods while preparing this book chapter. For this purpose, verses related to the seven churches in the Bible have been included in the study. The fact that the seven churches mentioned in the Bible are located in Turkey has made this place a very important position in terms of faith tourism. In the book chapter, faith tourism is first mentioned. Later, the concept of pilgrimage was mentioned in Christianity and the importance of Anatolia from the point of view of Christianity was explained. Examples of tours about the seven churches are also included in the study. Later, it was discussed what should be taken into account when evaluating the seven churches within the scope of faith tourism.
Top1. Faith Tourism
Religious beliefs that people have and the phenomenon of tourism are interrelated concepts. Religion and belief have been one of the important reasons for human beings to migrate or travel from one place to another since ancient times (Rot et al., 2014). Faith tourism includes visits to religious sites that are considered to be related to one's own faith or the faith of others. This type of tourism is defined as visits or activities made to visit holy places, participate in religious ceremonies and fulfill religious duties. Faith tourism focuses on visiting religious places, monuments or destinations whose primary purpose is to establish a relationship with a particular faith (Heidari et al., 2018). In his definition, Woodward emphasized that faith tourism is a consumer-oriented type of tourism. According to Woodward, faith tourism activities are an important source of income for many institutions and organizations that provide funds for repairs and maintenance (Woodward, 2004).
In a more comprehensive way, faith tourism is expressed as trips that people participate in for the purposes of satisfying their religious needs and seeing sacred centers other than the places where they live and meet their needs (Demircan, 2014). Faith tourism destinations usually consist of holy places, pilgrimage centers and religious heritage sites (Shinde, 2010). Religious sites such as cathedrals, temples and mosques attract worldwide visitors not only for their spiritual values, but also for entertainment, educational and cultural purposes (Heidari et al., 2018).
Faith tourism, sometimes called spiritual tourism, has gained an increasing role all over the world. Part of this issue is due to the explosion of the tourism phenomenon in general, supported by technology, income growth, knowledge transfer and promotional activities. In addition, faith tourism develops in direct relation to reasons such as people's hunger for knowledge and their desire to understand religions other than their religion (Tala & Padurean, 2008).
While organizing faith tourism activities, attention is paid to some of the unique features of each religion. Because the places or architectural structures considered sacred in every religion are not the same. For this reason, faith tourism activities are organized in three different ways (Usta, 2005):
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Meetings held on the anniversaries of religious events considered important in different religions,
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Pilgrimage trips to holy places organized individually or as a group,
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Tours organized for the purpose of visiting sacred sites and architectural monuments located on a specific route.
Today, millions of people travel around the world in search of holiness and spirituality and visit places that are considered sacred (Tala & Padurean, 2008). Faith tourism attracts a large number of people as a sociocultural phenomenon for reasons such as meeting with different religions and cultures, providing the opportunity to compare religions and establishing good relations between representatives of different religions (Kurmanaliyeva et al., 2014). In today's world, people participate in faith tourism not only to fulfill their religious duties, but also to have information about the religions of different societies and to be intertwined with different cultures (Guzel, 2010). In fact, the reasons behind people's participation in religious tourism activities differ. These reasons are as follows (Kacar & Türker, 2020):
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Performing the duty of pilgrimage,
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Being close to God,
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Praying,
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Asking for help for some problems and illnesses,
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Bringing peace to the soul.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Religion: Religion is one of the most basic elements that human beings need from the beginning of human history to the present day, from simple societies to complex ones, from the uneducated to the well-educated, from the weak to the powerful, from the young to the old.
Christianity: Christianity is a great religious tradition that emerged as a small Jewish sect under the shadow of the Roman Empire in the 1st century, became the official religion of Rome in the 4th century, developed around Christ Jesus and has the largest number of members in the world today.
Bishop: In Christianity, the clergy who take responsibility for a part of the Church that has been entrusted to him as the representative of Christ Jesus, in union with all other bishops, are called bishops.
Diacon: Diacon is a title given to the clergy who come after the bishops and priests in the hierarchy of the clergy in Christianity.
Faith: The concept of faith seen in human beings in every period of history, from the first human to today's people, is defined as the state of being attached to something, trusting, believing in God.
Ekklesia: The word “ekklesia” in Greek is a term used to express the communities also found in Christianity.
Pilgrimage: The pilgrimage, which is done in different ways in almost every period of history, means visiting places and temples that are considered sacred in order to be purified from sins.
Faith Tourism: Faith tourism is explained as the travels that people participate in for purposes such as fulfilling their religious duties, learning different religions or visiting holy places outside the places where they live.