Tourism vs Pilgrimage


Historic sites foster visitation from people around the world. Religious sites are places of interests to tourists and pilgrims alike. However there are differences between these two sets of individuals upon visiting historic religious sites. The tourist sees sights, discovers new places, learns interesting facts, takes photographs and accumulates souvenirs. The pilgrim is not inhibited by the ornamentation of some holy places, but focuses on the meaning of the place itself. The tourist returns from the voyage the same person as the one who left. The outcome of the pilgrimage, for the pilgrim, will be the personal transformation that has taken place inside the individual. Furthermore, the pilgrim takes joy in the journey with the understanding that the journey only exits because of the connection of the destination to the divine.

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