‘Thank you, God. You saved us' - examining tourists’ intention to visit religious destinations in the post COVID

ABSTRACT

This study investigated tourists’ intention to visit religious destinations in the post-COVID 19 phase. The respondents (N = 237) in the survey rated twenty-three statements related to religious motivation, spiritual beliefs, place attachment, destination image, and visit intention. The results indicate that the respondents are ready to visit religious destinations, particularly to thank God, preserve emotional wellbeing, and pray for a better future. The findings also show the vital role of religious motivation, spiritual beliefs, place attachment, and destination image within the context of religious tourism visits. The study highlights the role of tourism stakeholders in managing a religious destination safely and sustainably.

KEYWORDS:

• Religious destination
• spiritual belief
• place attachment
• destination image
• COVID
• India

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.