Ninth International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

Religious tourism is as old as humanity itself. In biblical Israel, any adult Israelite was required to visit the temple of Jerusalem once each year. Outside the religious context, these pilgrimages provide business opportunities such as money exchange if the tourism is transnational but also services such as restauration and accommodation are needed by the pilgrims. There are places that have acquired reputation for occurrence of “supernatural” phenomena and “miraculous” healing. From a consumer law point of view there is a risk of manipulation hence despite the fact that most religious organisations claim to be non-commercial they collect funds either through “free” and “voluntary” donations but also there they perform healing practices outside the legal and official healthcare system, which also raises issues of regulation and safety. There are also allegations of physical and emotional abuse and sometimes sexual exploitation of women during healing sessions and civil courts cannot handle consumers of religious products not only because of the non-profit nature of religious organisations but also because participations to healing sessions and mass prayers is considered as voluntary which brings in an element of consent. Furthermore, in some contexts, religious organisations are exempt of taxes unlike business organisations which are required to publish financial statements. Most religious organisations are registered as private voluntary organisations (PVO), therefore, they are not required by the law to produce a “commercial invoice” or a “receipt” because the funds they receive are considered as “free” and “voluntary” donations..