Religious and Heritage-Based Tourism: From Ibn Battutah's Travels to Contemporary Global Practices

Religious and heritage-based tourism is an important area of tourism studies that connects pilgrimage, cultural heritage, and mobility. Grounded in ritual practice and the preservation of memory, this form of travel sustains devotion while reinforcing cultural identity and the significance of heritage. Drawing on heritage studies and tourism theory, this study examines how sacred journeys facilitate meaning-making, identity formation, and intercultural exchange. The travels of Ibn Battutah, a 14th-century Muslim jurist and explorer, provide a historical perspective to illustrate how religious purpose and cultural curiosity converged in travel narratives and encounters with diverse traditions, architecture, and languages. Today, these dynamics are still evident in the annual Hajj pilgrimage and the global appeal of UNESCO-recognised heritage sites. By situating both historical and contemporary practices within broader debates, this paper argues that religious and heritage-based tourism continues to promote cross-border connections, cultural resilience, and sustainable development.

Religious tourism, heritage tourism, transmission of knowledge

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