Strategies for Religious Tourism Marketing:
Symbolic, Communicational, and Organizational Analysis from a Multi-Actor Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61454/hfd3yj25Keywords:
Religious tourism, Tourism marketing, Formal and informal strategies, Symbolic economy, Intercultural communication, HeritagizationAbstract
This article addresses the growing tension between the sacred dimension of religious events and their transformation into marketable tourism products, a phenomenon that triggers symbolic, communicational, and organizational conflicts among the multiple stakeholders involved. Through a qualitative systematic literature review (2015–2025) and the analysis of three Latin American cases (the Basilica of Guadalupe, the Lord of Miracles, and the Virgin of Chiquinquirá), the study examines the communicational practices that mediate between the devotional and the commercial. The results reveal polyphonic narratives in which religious institutions, local communities, and tourism operators construct competing meanings, resulting in a strategic "heritagization" of religious assets. The study concludes that it is necessary to implement intercultural communicational governance models that balance spiritual authenticity with tourism management while respecting community voices.
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