Abstract
Religious tourism is aimed at tourists who travel to satisfy their beliefs by visiting religious centers in various countries. With its historical and cultural background, the Konya province in Turkey is an important center of religious tourism and is a starting point that introduces tourists to the rich religious and cultural history of other parts of central Anatolia. The shrine of Mevlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, an Islamic thinker who lived in this region in the 13th century, Çatalhöyük, the oldest settlement with sacred structures in Anatolia, and Greek Orthodox Church of Agia Eleni are located within the city borders, and this makes the Konya province a significant destination for religious tourism. In this study, a questionnaire was conducted to reveal how local people of Konya perceive religious tourism. The results of the study show that the local people of Konya believe the potential of religious tourism will positively affect the city's economy, revive investments in the region, and these investments will increase employment in the region.
TopThe Concept Of Religious Tourism
Sightseeing trips made with the intention of visiting places other than where people reside, work, satisfy their ordinary needs, and to fulfil their religious beliefs and see religious centres are defined as “Religious Tourism” in the tourism phenomenon.
As a general definition, religious tourism is the set of travels in which people from different cultures and beliefs visit places which they consider religiously important in order to satisfy their spiritual needs. It is the set of social and economic relationships that people had chance to come together or become acquainted as a result of these travels. (Kurnaz, 2013, p.8). Faith-inspired journeys are ancient as the human being. Since pre-classical times to this day, pilgrims from different religion and culture moving towards places of worship (Trono, 2015, p.16). So, religious tourism is one of the oldest types of tourism in the world. It is possible to find the examples of religious tourism in the middle ages. Destinations such as Rome and Jerusalem became prominent in this period. In the 19th century, with mass tourism movements, religious tourism began to spread, as well (Güzel, 2010, p.90).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Religious Tourism: It can be defined as Faith Tourism, where people are constantly resident, engaged in work, and out of places where they meet their usual needs, to realize their religious beliefs and to see tourist attractions for tourism attractions.
Anatolia: The name of the land in Turkey’s Asian mainland.
Tourist: A person who travels and stays overnight at a destination, due to one or more motivations.
Archaeological Sites: Archaeological site is the general name of a place or place bearing traces from the past to the present (of the prehistoric or historical period).
Agia Eleni Church: Helena, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine, went to Silla on her way to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. She saw the carvings of the first Christian ages and decided to make a mabed in Sille for Christians.
Pilgrim: One who journeys as an act of a religious devotion.
Political Stability: The durability of a regime.
Regional Development: Achieving economic justice in distribution of production factors (labor, capital, employment, tourism, etc.).
Çatalhöyük: Çatalhöyük is a Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement area in Central Anatolia that has been a settlement place since 9000 years ago.