Pilgrimage and Religious tourism
| Title | ΘΡΗΣΚΕΥΤΙΚΟΣ ΤΟΥΡΙΣΜΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΣΚΥΝΗΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΠΕΡΙΗΓΗΣΕΙΣ / Pilgrimage and Religious tourism |
| Code | Μ25 |
| Interdepartmental Programme | Tourism and Local Development |
| Collaborating Schools | Economics Agriculture |
| Cycle / Level | 2nd / Postgraduate |
| Teaching Period | Spring |
| Coordinator | Niki Papageorgiou |
| Common | No |
| Status | Active |
| Course ID | 600017170 |
Programme of Study: Tourism and Local Development
Registered students: 6
| Orientation | Attendance Type | Semester | Year | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PERIVALLON KAI AEIFOROS TOURISMOS | Elective Courses | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| POLITISTIKOS-THRĪSKEUTIKOS TOURISMOS | Elective Course belonging to the selected specialization (Elective Specialization Course) | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| TOURISMOS KAI PERIFEREIAKĪ ANAPTYXĪ | Elective Courses | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Academic Year | 2025 – 2026 |
| Class Period | Spring |
| Faculty Instructors | |
| Class ID | 600289945
|
Course Type 2021
Specialization / Direction
Course Type 2016-2020
- Scientific Area
Mode of Delivery
- Face to face
- Distance learning
Digital Course Content
- e-Study Guide https://qa.auth.gr/en/class/1/600289945
- At the Website of the School:
Language of Instruction
- Greek (Instruction, Examination)
Learning Outcomes
The students will be able to:
- assimilate basic concepts related to religious and pilgrimage tourism and make the necessary distinctions
- develop cognitive skills of complex and critical analysis in the field of religious tourism
- get to know important centers of religious and pilgrimage tourism in Thessaloniki and in Greece
- know the current Greek and international legal framework as well as the bodies involved for the protection of cultural and religious heritage
- understand the importance of the right to culture, as well as the various difficulties related to the protection and preservation of the cultural-religious heritage.
- develop a cooperative spirit and culture.
- develop strategic planning skills in the field of religious tourism
- acquire the possibility of effective utilization
General Competences
- Apply knowledge in practice
- Retrieve, analyse and synthesise data and information, with the use of necessary technologies
- Adapt to new situations
- Make decisions
- Work autonomously
- Work in teams
- Work in an international context
- Work in an interdisciplinary team
- Design and manage projects
- Appreciate diversity and multiculturality
- Respect natural environment
- Demonstrate social, professional and ethical commitment and sensitivity to gender issues
- Be critical and self-critical
- Advance free, creative and causative thinking
Course Content (Syllabus)
The course is an introduction to the theoretical foundation of religious tourism as a field of investigation (study) of the social sciences. In this context, the conceptual approach of the phenomenon and the determination of the characteristics that include it in the special and alternative forms of tourism are attempted, its historical evolution is presented and its individual categorizations are analyzed.Particular importance is given to the understanding of the distinction between religious tourism and pilgrimage, as well as to the interconnection of religious and cultural tourism and the clarification of the concept of cultural pilgrimage. Additionally, the purpose of the course is to present to the students the problematic surrounding the concept of the right to culture and to relate it to the right to freedom of worship. In addition, to highlight the importance of the protection of cultural heritage from the Greek and international legislative framework. Finally, special cases of religious tourism in Thessaloniki will be presented, but the religious experience in other cultural and religious traditions will also be explored.
Keywords
religious tourism, pilgrimage, cultural tourism, cultural pilgrimage, alternative tourism
Educational Material Types
- Notes
- Slide presentations
- Book
Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Use of ICT
- Use of ICT in Course Teaching
- Use of ICT in Communication with Students
Description
Use of videos, power point.
Course Organization
| Activities | Workload | ECTS | Individual | Teamwork | Erasmus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 39 | ✓ | |||
| Reading Assigment | 48 | ✓ | |||
| Written assigments | 13 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Exams | 50 | ✓ | |||
| Total | 150 |
Student Assessment
Student Assessment methods
- Written Assignment (Formative, Summative)
- Performance / Staging (Formative, Summative)
Bibliography
Additional bibliography for study
Ανδριώτης Κ., 2009: Αειφορία και Εναλλακτικός τουρισμός. Σταμούλη: Αθήνα
Γαβριήλ Ε., 2021: Η θρησκευτικότητα ως Πολυτροπικό Μέσο Τουριστικής Προβολής. Μια Διαθρησκευτική Προσέγγιση στα Ταξίδια Θρησκευτικού Τουρισμού στην Ελλάδα και την Τουρκία. Διδακτορική Διατριβή. Πανεπιστήμιο Μακεδονίας Τμήμα Βαλκανικών Σλαβικών και Ανατολικών Σπουδών: Θεσσαλονίκη.
Καφούρος Β., 2015: Προτάσεις για την ανάπτυξη του πολιτιστικού τουρισμού στην Ελλάδα. Κέντρο Προγραμματισμού και Οικονομικών Ερευνών: Αθήνα.
Κατσίκη Γ., 2015: Ανάπτυξη Θρησκευτικού και πολιτιστικού τουρισμού στην Τήνο. Εκδόσεις Κέντρο Προγραμματισμού και Οικονομικών Ερευνών: Αθήνα.
Κοκκώσης Χ., Τσάρτας Π., Γκρίμπα Ε., 2011: Ειδικές εναλλακτικές μορφές τουρισμού. Κριτική: Αθήνα.
Κοκκώσης Χ., 2020: Ειδικές και εναλλακτικές μορφές τουρισμού. Ο σύγχρονος τουρισμός και η Ελλάδα ως προορισμός, Κριτική: Αθήνα.
Λύτρας Π., 2001: Θρησκευτικός τουρισμός, μια κοινωνικό-ψυχολογική προσέγγιση. Interbooks: Αθήνα.
Λύτρας Π., 2004: Κοινωνιολογία και ψυχολογία τουρισμού. Interbooks: Αθήνα.
Μοίρα Π., 2003: Από τον προσκυνητή στον θρησκευτικό τουρίστα. Κοινωνιολογική προσέγγιση, Τουριστική Επιστημονική Επιθεώρηση, 1/1, σελ. 87-102.
Μοίρα Π., 2008: Η παράμετρος της θρησκείας στον Πολιτιστικό τουρισμό, Αγορά χωρίς Σύνορα, 13,2, σελ. 152-166.
Μοίρα Π. , 2009: Θρησκευτικός Τουρισμός. Interbooks: Αθήνα.
Πολύζος Σ., 2010: Θρησκευτικός τουρισμός στην Ελλάδα: Χωρική ανάλυση και συμβολή στην ανάπτυξη μειονεκτικών περιοχών. Σειρά Ερευνητικών Εργασιών, 16/9, σελ. 203-222.
Raj, R., Griffin, K., & Blackwell, R. (2015). Motivations for religious tourism, pilgrimage, festivals and events. Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Management: An International Perspective. Wallingford: Cabi, 103-17.
Τσιρώνης Ν. Χρήστος, 2022, Κοινωνική Θεωρία και Τουρισμός: Θρησκεία, Πολιτισμός, Πολυμορφικότητα, Μπαρμπουνάκης: Θεσσαλονίκη
Tsironis N. Christos, Stella Sylaiou & Evangelia Stergiou, 2021, Risk, faith and religious tourism in Second Modernity: visits to Mount Athos in the COVID-19 era, Journal of Heritage Tourism, DOI: 10.1080/1743873X.2021.2007252
Tsironis N. Christos, 2020, Religious Routes and Destinations: A polymorphic social approach. Sociology and Society, Vol. 5, No. 2 DOI: 10.17846/SS.2020.5.2.56-70
Tsironis, C.N., 2022, Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism in Society, in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Paradigmatic Focus on ‘St. Paul’s Route’ in the Central Macedonia Region, Greece. Religions 13, 887. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13100887
Vukonic B., 1996, Tourism and Religion, Elsevier Science: Netherlands.
Last Update
29-10-2025
