As a continuation of my post Sustainable Tourism in Korea - Exploring the Full Potential of Mountains, I would like to inform you that the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has just released its study on Religious Tourism in Asia and the Pacific.
Two chapters of this monumental academic and professional work are dedicated to Korea and one of them is an interesting research-paper of my friend David Mason on the Baekdu-daegan region as a fresh and "green" uniquely-muliti-faith pilgrimage-tourism destination for South Korea.
Abstract of David Mason's paper on the baekdu-daegan
This research paper is a case-study of the Baekdu-daegan long-distance-hiking Trail, which was previously non-existent for all practical purposes and relatively little-known even among Koreans themselves, emerging only within the past two decades and still virtually unknown to the international community. However, it is currently burgeoning into public attention as an adventure-hiking tourism route, with potential to become a significant religious-pilgrimage tourism destination-attraction of the Republic of Korea, or for domestic and foreign inbound tourist markets.
This paper begins with a review of relevant theory of emerging religious-pilgrimage routes as tourism assets all over the world, and then a brief overview of the history and characteristics of the Baekdu-daegan, the unbroken crest of a mountain range that runs the length of the Korean Peninsula, and the trail that now runs along it. Within South Korea it has become a viable and nearly-continuous adventure-hiking route in the past two decades, almost 700 km long, with a very high density of religious sites and multi-religious and spiritual pilgrimage opportunities. This paper then offers a very preliminary listing of the many different stakeholders involved in the development of this route as a uniquely trans-national tourism site, based on the author’s 20 years of reading, observation and experience.
The Baekdu-daegan Range of Mountains is now fairly well-known to Koreans as “the spine of the nation”, having been revered by cultural-nationalists as a symbol of national unity, identity and vital energy for more than 1100 years; however, it is virtually unknown to the rest of the world. Today it offers trekkers spectacular natural scenery featuring sweeping views; and for spiritually-oriented tourists, it is also uniquely rich with temples, shrines and monuments of four great Asian religious traditions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism and Shamanism. In this variety of different religions available to view and experience along the way, it may be unique among the “pilgrimage trails” of the world. It is not yet known about in the international tourism market, and this project is producing the first written studies in English of its emergence as a potential tourism attraction for Korea, preliminary-level exploration of the conflicting and parallel interests of the various stakeholders involved, and the extremely high level of religious and cultural heritage that it offers.
This paper begins with a review of relevant theory of emerging religious-pilgrimage routes as tourism assets all over the world, and then a brief overview of the history and characteristics of the Baekdu-daegan, the unbroken crest of a mountain range that runs the length of the Korean Peninsula, and the trail that now runs along it. Within South Korea it has become a viable and nearly-continuous adventure-hiking route in the past two decades, almost 700 km long, with a very high density of religious sites and multi-religious and spiritual pilgrimage opportunities. This paper then offers a very preliminary listing of the many different stakeholders involved in the development of this route as a uniquely trans-national tourism site, based on the author’s 20 years of reading, observation and experience.
The Baekdu-daegan Range of Mountains is now fairly well-known to Koreans as “the spine of the nation”, having been revered by cultural-nationalists as a symbol of national unity, identity and vital energy for more than 1100 years; however, it is virtually unknown to the rest of the world. Today it offers trekkers spectacular natural scenery featuring sweeping views; and for spiritually-oriented tourists, it is also uniquely rich with temples, shrines and monuments of four great Asian religious traditions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism and Shamanism. In this variety of different religions available to view and experience along the way, it may be unique among the “pilgrimage trails” of the world. It is not yet known about in the international tourism market, and this project is producing the first written studies in English of its emergence as a potential tourism attraction for Korea, preliminary-level exploration of the conflicting and parallel interests of the various stakeholders involved, and the extremely high level of religious and cultural heritage that it offers.
Also check David Mason's website: http://www.san-shin.org/
Summary of UNWTO's study
The Asia-Pacific region is considered the world’s religious core with the greatest number of pilgrims and travellers for religious events, for both international and domestic tourism. It is estimated that there are approximately six hundred million national and international religious and spiritual voyages in the world, of which 40% take place in Europe and over half in Asia. According to UNESCO, 60% of the world’s population practises a religion and these believers form the demographic base of religious tourism. This study has therefore clearly identified areas of interest that appeal to the religious aspects of travel and it is the responsibility of tourism administrators and travel professionals to glean this information and look at religious tourism as a resource in the same light as the sun, sea and sand holidays that are readily marketed by tourism professionals.
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