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Pilgrimage and tourism: Cathedral visiting in contemporary England |
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| Authors: | Michael Winter Ruth Gasson |
| Institution: | 1. Countryside &2. Community Research Unit , Cheltenham &3. Gloucester College , Francis Close Hall, Cheltenham, GL50 4AZ, UK;4. Department of Agricultural Economics, Wye College , University of London , Ashford, Kent, TN25 5AH, UK |
| Abstract: | Abstract This paper examines the role of cathedral visiting in contemporary England. It highlights the importance of cathedrals to the tourism economy and also considers the issue of the commercialisation of heritage within cathedrals and the difficulties posed for cathedral authorities in contrasting perceptions of visitors as tourists and pilgrims. The issue of pilgrimage is examined through the results of a survey of the experiences and attitudes of eight hundred visitors to four English cathedrals. It is suggested that the tension between tourism and pilgrimage is not as great as might be expected and that experience of visiting a cathedral can engender a sense of pilgrimage in the tourist |
| Keywords: | Tourism Pilgrimage Cathedrals England Visitors |