Motivations and experiences of Western tourists

[Tourism: a sacred journey? The case of ashram tourism, India
Richard Sharpley, Priya Sundaram
University of Hull, Scarborough Campus, Filey Road, Scarborough YO11 3AZ, UK
email: Richard Sharpley (R.Sharpley@hull.ac.uk) International Journal of Tourism Research Volume 7 Issue 3, Pages 161 - 171 Published Online: 14 Apr 2005
Based on an exploratory study, it considers the motivations and experiences of Western tourists visiting the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and the nearby utopian township of Auroville in Pondicherry, south east India... Third, the research also suggests that the notion of a continuum of religious or spiritual intent as proposed by (1992a) is valid. Although a variety of motives, from knowledge-driven secular curiosity to more purposeful need satisfaction, were identified in the research, it is evident that, albeit unintentionally, different intensities of spiritual fulfilment were experienced by visitors to the Ashram and Auroville. Thinking Made Easy: Tourism: a Sacred Journey? The Case of Ashram tourism, India Full Text: PDF (Size: 196K)]

VISIT PUDUCHERRY is yet to catch the fancy of international tour operators. [TNM]