Most of the world’s great religious centers, past and present, have been destinations for pilgrimages – think of the Vatican, Mecca, Jerusalem, Bodh Gaya (where Buddha was enlightened), or Cahokia (the enormous Native American complex near St. Louis). They are monuments for spiritual travelers.
To this day, travel such as this for spiritual motives has remained important and in few countries is this more obvious than countries such as Italy, Israel, India, France and many others. Thus, religious / faith-based / spiritual tourism / pilgrimage is a significant and constant element of the tourism industry.
