Religious sites as tourism attractions in Europe

Religious sites as tourist attractions in Europe. The article describes the European system of religious tourism by examining mainly the satisfaction of visitors, whether devout pilgrims or secular tourists, at three types of attractions. These are: places of pilgrimage where religious devotions are very important and where there is little to interest secular tourists; places of pilgrimage which have the double function of center of devotion and attraction of religious tourism thanks to a mixture of historical, artistic and scenic factors; and places where the main attraction is a religious festival. The problems of conflicting interests of pilgrims and tourists are discussed, and examples of management strategies to minimize these conflicts are presented.