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Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-7771-8921

Abstract

Spiritual tourism has evolved as a growing segment of special-interest tourism, attracting increasing attention from both public and private sectors. While government agencies are primarily responsible for infrastructure development at spiritual sites, the private sector plays a crucial role is delivering products and services that enhance the visitor experience. Although collaboration between these stakeholders is vital, the role of relationship marketing, particularly through vertical partnerships, remains underexplored in the context of spiritual tourism. This study addresses this gap by examining vertical partnerships as a relationship marketing strategy at Kartarpur, a prominent Sikh pilgrimage site. Employing a case-study approach, the research identifies three key challenges, namely political, commercial, and religious that hinder effective collaboration among stakeholders, particularly for Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) serving spiritual travellers. These challenges pose significant threats to the sustainable development of the site. The study concludes that the long-term viability of spiritual tourism in Kartarpur depends on the effective management of these interrelated barriers through coordinated stakeholder strategies.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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