Motivations and experiences of religious tourism in Indonesia

Khasani, Fahim ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7934-2999 and Rasmuin, Rasmuin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0406-8427 (2026) Motivations and experiences of religious tourism in Indonesia. Pancasila International Journal of Applied Social Science, 4 (2). pp. 217-234. ISSN 2988-0750

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Abstract

Religious pilgrimage has increasingly attracted attention within tourism studies; however, existing scholarship has largely interpreted pilgrimage through the pilgrim-tourist dichotomy or emphasized destination management and visitor experiences. These perspectives provide a limited understanding of how Muslim pilgrims negotiate religious devotion, cultural participation, and leisure within the context of Islamic pilgrimage. This study investigates the motivations and lived experiences of Indonesian Muslims undertaking ziarah wali to the Wali Songo shrines and examines how these experiences contribute to a broader conceptualization of religious tourism. Employing a qualitative design with an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, the study draws on in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis involving first-time pilgrims, regular pilgrims, pilgrimage tour operators, shrine managers, and religious leaders across major Wali Songo pilgrimage sites in Java, Indonesia. The findings reveal that ziarah wali is characterized by seven interconnected motivations: religious devotion, the pursuit of barakah (divine blessing), spiritual renewal, historical consciousness, cultural participation, family and social connectedness, and leisure integration. Rather than representing opposing identities, pilgrims negotiate religious and touristic roles simultaneously, while pilgrimage experiences facilitate enduring spiritual transformation reflected in strengthened faith, moral commitment, and attachment to Islamic heritage. Building on these findings, the study proposes the concept of The Spiritual Tourist, a conceptual model that integrates Islamic theological concepts, including niyyah, barakah, and sacred mobility, with contemporary religious tourism theory. By introducing barakah as a distinctive theological motivation within tourism studies, this article contributes to expanding global understandings of Muslim pilgrimage beyond predominantly Western conceptualizations and offers implications for the sustainable management of religious tourism destinations in Indonesia and other Muslim societies.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	religious tourism; pilgrimage; ziarah wali; spiritual tourist; sacred mobility; spiritual transformation; islam nusantara
Subjects:	16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1601 Anthropology > 160104 Social and Cultural Anthropology 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies > 220403 Islamic Studies 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies > 220403 Islamic Studies > 22040308 Islamic Studies not elsewhere classified 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies > 220405 Religion and Society 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies > 220407 Studies in Religious Traditions (excl. Eastern, Jewish, Christian and Islamic Traditions) 16 STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY > 1699 Other Studies in Human Society 22 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES > 2204 Religion and Religious Studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teaching Training > Department of Islamic Education
Depositing User:	Fahim Khasani
Date Deposited:	13 Aug 2026 12:26

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