The Importance of Infrastructure and Tourism Facilities in Case of Religious Sites. Evidence from Romania
The Importance of Infrastructure and Tourism Facilities in Case of Religious Sites. Evidence from Romania

Summary/Abstract: In the context of society secularization and modernization, increasing consumers demand and diversifying consumption habits, examining the degree of importance given to infrastructures and tourism facilities in the context of the oldest form of tourism, pilgrimage, represents a necessary and, at the same time, difficult step. In addition, specialty literature is extremely poor in this respect. It is the duty of those responsible with the management of religious site and local authorities to ensure a satisfying traveling experience from every point of view. Romania knows an unprecedented development of religious sites and the constant increase of the number of visitors to monasteries, the main pilgrimage locations in Romania. This paper aims to evaluate the importance given to tourism facilities and non-specific services when deciding to travel to a religious site. To this end, a survey using the questionnaire was performed, on a sample of more than 1500 respondents who were asked to evaluate a number of 10 attributes regarding the importance of tourism facilities within monastic settlements. The results revealed a low to medium importance of the most important elements of tourism infrastructure, from the set evaluated detaching the importance given to the souvenir shop. The analysis of the influences of socio-demographic variables on the opinions expressed revealed a series of significant differences, which allowed grouping the respondents in different groups or distinct segments. This approach can be useful for managers of religious sites in the context of adapting to the needs and the wishes of the visitors, a good management of experiences for different categories of visitors. The results are relevant also for tour operators on the market of religious tourism, in creating and promoting offers as close as possible to the expectations of the target market segments, but also the local community in the perspective of using religious tourism or pilgrimages as a tool for local development.

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