Abstract
Religious tourism, as one of the most significant types of tourism, is among the most seriously affected economic sectors worldwide as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This study sought to identify and prioritise the strategies for sustaining post-COVID-19 religious tourism. The study was an applied survey that drew on a mixed research design. The results of the qualitative data analysis obtained through a systematic literature review revealed that the recovery strategies to boost businesses in the field of religious tourism in the post-COVID-19 future could be divided into four main strategies (dimensions) and 24 sub-strategies (criteria). Furthermore, the quantitative analysis, conducted through the R-SWARA technique, showed that ‘making it mandatory to maintain a distance from sacred monuments (e.g., tombs) and prohibiting touching or having any physical contact with such monuments’, ‘Understanding religious tourists’ health-related expectations’, ‘making it mandatory to use masks and other health-related equipment in sacred/religious locations’, and ‘reducing the capacity for welcoming tourists in sacred and tourism sites while holding religious ceremonies with a small number of attendants’ were the most significant strategies that could boost religious tourism post-COVID-19. These factors were prioritised by experts and activists in the industry who shared their opinions in this study.
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Recommended Citation
Bagheri, Moslem; Mobasheri, Ali Asghar; and Nikbakht, Amin
(2022)
"Recovery Strategies to Sustain Religious Tourism Post-COVID-19: Evidence from Iran,"
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage:
Vol. 10:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
doi:https://doi.org/10.21427/7vk5-6361
Available at:
https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol10/iss1/7
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/7vk5-6361