Turismo religioso en Montserrat

In the last few years, the historic region of Bages in Catalonia (Spain) has developed the tourism advantage it enjoys because of the medieval relics of the monastery of Montserrat that it treasures, to the point of becoming a major resort area. Montserrat is an example of synergies between religious heritage and tourism. On the mountain of Montserrat, religious devotion, regional identity, cultural heritage and linguistic tradition, landscape, and the nearness of Barcelona join together to create a tourist product of great importance. This working paper shows how religious tourism is an expression of the commercialisation of culture and religion. Heritage, images, shrines, beliefs and devotion are all related to culture, identity, religious feeling and faith, but also to the consumption of a tourism product. The findings suggest that identification with religious identity, promoted for tourism, should be considered as the main determinant of tourists’ attitudes towards the selection of this destination.

Key Words: religious tourism; cultural tourism; heritage tourism; local identity; satisfaction, Montserrat Monastery, Spain