Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Industrial Management Department, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran

2 Tourism Department, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Although today it is common to categorize spiritual tourism separately as a type of tourism, spirituality can be found at the heart of any travel. What might be taken as granted is that the tourist is going to add something to his/her self and, in this respect, some degree of spirituality can be sought in every type of tourism. Therefore, through entrepreneurship and innovation it would be possible to focus on the development of businesses which are able to offer some degree of spirituality to tourists according to their needs. This paper seeks to provide a deeper view of the relationship between authentic experiences and spiritual tourism and the role of entrepreneurship in utilizing this relationship in order to enrich tourists’ experiences. In other words, the spiritual dimension of every type of tourism is discussed and the necessity of its reinforcement through entrepreneurship in tourism and a systematic approach towards the issue is considered.

Keywords

References:
Ahmadpour, M. and Moghimi, S.(2008) Entrepreneurship Essentials, Faranisdish publication, 6th edition.
Baudrillard, J. (1994) Simulacra and simulation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Bauman, Z. (2000) Liquid Modernity. Cambridge: Polity.
Beck, U. (1992) Risk society: Towards a new modernity. London: Sage.
Berger, P. (1973) Sincerity and Authenticity in Modern Society. Public Interest, Spring: 81-90.
Boorstin,D (1964) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. New York: Harper and Row.
Cohen, Erik (1979) Sociology of Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 6(1-2,), 18-194.
Cohen, E. (1979) A phenomenonology of tourism experiences. Sociology, 13(2), 179–201.
Cohen, E. (1983) The dynamics of commercialized arts: The Meo and Yao of Northern Thailand. Journal of the National Research Council of Thailand 15(i), part II: l-34.
Cohen, E. (1988) Authenticity and commoditization in tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, 13, 371–386.
Cohen, E. (2007) „Authenticity‟ in tourism studies: Apre´s la lutte. Tourism Recreation Research, 32(2), 75–82.
Cohen, E., & Cohen, S. A. (2012) Authentication: Hot and cool. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(3), 1295–1314.
Fonneland, T. (2012) Spiritual entrepreneurship in a northern landscape: Spirituality, Tourism and Politics, The Finnish Society for the Study of Religion, Temenos 48(2), 155–178
Haq, F & Jackson, J (2006) Exploring Consumer Segments and Typologies of Relevance to Spirtual tourism, ANZMACCANNELL 2006: Advancing Theory, Maintaining Relevance, Brisbane.
Haq. F. and Medhekar, A. (2014) Spiritual Tourism between India and Pakistan: Business Opportunities and Threats, Proceedings of Eurasia Business Research Conference, Turkey.
Haq, F., Newby, L. & Jackson, J. (2009) Spiritual tourism market segments”, refereed paper presented at the Australia New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMACCANNELL), Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Haq, F., Wong, H. & Jackson, J (2008). Applying Ansoff‟s growth strategy matrix to consumer segments and typologies in spiritual tourism”, refereed paper presented at 8th International Business Research Conference, 2008, Crown Plaza Hotel, Dubai, UAE.
Haq, F. and Wong, H. (2010) Is spiritual tourism a new strategy for marketing Islam? Journal of Islamic Marketing, 1(2), 136 – 148.
Löfgren, O. (2003) The new economy: A cultural history. Global Networks 3, 239–54.
Löfgren, O., Robert W. (2006) Introduction. The Mandrake Mode. Orvar Löfgren & Robert
MacCannelll, D. (1973) Staged authenticity: Arrangements of social space in tourist settings. American Journal of Sociology, 79(3), 589–603.
MacKay, K. and Fesenmaier, D. (1998) A process approach to segmenting the gateway travel market. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 7(3), 1-39. Maslow, A.H. (1943) A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review 50 (4) 370–96.
McKercher, Bob (2002) Towards a classification of cultural tourists. International Journal of Tourism Research, 4(1), 29-38.
McKercher, Bob & Cros, Hilary (2003) Testing a cultural tourism typology.International Journal of Tourism Research, 5(1), 45-58.
Moghimi, S.M. (2001) Entrepreneurship as an interdisciplinary and inclusive subject, Marketing periodical journal, No. 22, 72-86.
O‟Dell, T. (2005) Spas: The Cultural Economy of Hospitality, Magic and the Senses. Lund: Nordic Academic Press.
Pine, J. B., Gilmore J. H. (1999) The Experience Economy. Boston: Harvard Business Scholl Press.
Reisinger, Y. (2008) Travel/tourism: Spiritual experiences, In D. Buhalis & C. Costa (Eds.), Tourism Business Frontiers: Consumers, Products & Industry, Oxford: Elsevier, pp. 148-156.
Ritzer, G., & Liska, A. (1997) McDisneyization and „post-tourism‟‟: Complementary perspectives on contemporary tourism. In C. Rojek & J. Urry (Eds.), Touring Cultures: Transformations of Travel and Theory London: Routledge, pp. 96-109.
Wang, N. (1999) Rethinking authenticity in tourism experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), 349–370.
Wang, N. (2000) Tourism and Modernity: A Sociological Analysis. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Willim (eds.), Magic, Culture and the New Economy, 1–18. Oxford & New York: Berg Publishers.