University Conference on Religious Tourism this March in Montserrat

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One more year, the Abbey of Montserrat next to the University of Girona, the University of Barcelona and the International University of Catalunya organize these days dedicated to reflection and debate in the specific field of Religious Tourism, Which in this edition I have the pleasure to participate. The sessions will be held on 4 and 5 March 2013.

What is Religious Tourism?

He Religious Tourism It is a reality that is growing and is constantly evolving. Its origins date back to antiquity, with the organization of pilgrimages to go to places that are considered sacred.

although the Religious Tourism born from the desire to get in touch with God, from the point of view of people who practice it can be considered a junket where the religious element is a main goal, besides the desire to move, to rest, the desire to meet new landscapes, new people, to know the cultural heritage, etc.

This means that you can give the promotional and organizational treatment of any tourist event, not losing sight of its main objective, which is the religion ... although it is noteworthy that academically precisely the difference between a "pilgrimage" and an act of "religious tourism" is that in the pilgrimage the goal is the journey to reach the holy place, and the Religious Tourism It is considered the sacred place as part of the trip, but not the final destination ... academically might consider the Religious Tourism a variant of Cultural Tourism, but with a religious orientation.

Approaches controversial about Religious Tourism

Some people are angry with the use of the term "Religious Tourism"They believe it is the result of the secularisation that affects everyone. I am not of this opinion. From the pastoral point of view and particularly from monasteries and Catholic Shrines, I think that this form of tourism is a unique opportunity to make known God's word, while showing the magnificent cultural heritage of the Church, disclose their customs, rites and life in their communities. And of course, also it is considered as a source for funds for the maintenance of this heritage, but this is not the main objective of this tourist practice.

Marketing and Religious Tourism

My presentation at the conference will be about how to publicize religious tourist resources (material and immaterial) and the establishments in which to spend the night, through the Internet and specifically with the use of all specific techniques of Digital Marketing. In fact, the whole afternoon of the second day of the conference will be dedicated to Digital Marketing for Religious Tourism and will have the presence of renowned speakers such as José Antonio Donaire appreciated and Núria Galí (whom even I have the pleasure to know, but I hope to remedy during the conference).

For my part, the goal of my participation will be formed, much as I can in the time I have assigned in Congress, in Digital Marketing for Religious Tourism the persons responsible for promoting websites Monasteries, Sanctuaries, Retirement Homes and specialized in pilgrims.

The target audience reach with messages is large (there are around 2,000 million Christians in the world), hence from the point of view of a marketer thinks a good job segmentation and product creation can be done specific for each segment, with unique value proposals and adequate promotion to each segment.

Given that I am Catholic and I sing in a Sacra choir specializing in musicI think I'll be able to gather worlds, a priori, seem contradictory, but in reality they can be reconciled perfectly.

If you want to attend the conference, you will find more information in this PDF: Tourism seminar program IV

Or here:

http://www.montserratvisita.com/ca/actualitat/86

Montserrat Abbey Foundation, 2025
08199 Montserrat
Tel.: 93 877 77 25
fundacio2025@abadiamontserrat.net

Registration closes on 25 February.

Since the days are university, assisting them 1 ECTS credit provides free choice in the organizing universities, if this is your case, please alert the register to prepare the necessary documentation to validate credit.

See you in Montserrat 4 and 5 March.

A hug.

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