Religious Pilgrimage in the Global South From Christianity to African Spirituality in South Africa

Abstract

The growth of tourism in South Africa after the end of apartheid can be associated with the growth of various forms of special interest tourism such as religious tourism. Religious pilgrimages produce positive spin offs for many destinations in South Africa that may not be regarded as traditional tourism destinations. Religious tourism is very robust in South Africa due to the existence of major African Initiated Churches (AICs) such as the Zion Christian Church, located in Moria City, outside Limpopo Province. There are, however, major religious tourism trips motivated by African Spirituality to destinations such as Isinuka in the Eastern Cape Province. The presence of the religious tourists in these small towns are closely related to low-density tourism in rural hinterlands leading to the geographic spread of tourists. The investigated pilgrimage events in the Global South give the reader a tapestry from mega pilgrimage events such as those undertaken by the Zion and Shembe Church and smaller scale pilgrimage occurring at Isinuka and Robben Island's Kramat.