Porter’s 4-Ps of marketing have supported a generation of aspiring tourism promoters in the execution of their duties and the fulfillment of their aspirations. Are the 4-Ps effective for all forms of tourism, and can they bring results when applied to pilgrimage tours and religious travel? The paper tries to assess the importance of the 4-Ps as factors for the development of the different dimensions of religious tourism (pilgrimage, culture, arts, traditions, etc.), from the experiences drawn from the implementation of a “development and promotion strategy” set in motion by the Synodical Office of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece. The activities, proposed in the May 2012 “strategy paper for pilgrimage tours”, approved by the Holy Synod, and in the December 2012 “Collaboration Protocol”, signed between the Church of Greece and the Ministry of Tourism, are assessed as part of a 4-Ps marketing strategy for the development of this special interest form of tourism. There is an effort to assess each “p” as to a number of factors, in order to be able to provide guidance for further actions to be undertaken for the development of religious tourism.

1. Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage
5th Expert Conference
Malta – June 2013
«How effectively can the Church Administration
p
promote the pilgrimage tourism product?
p g
g
p
A strategic marketing approach»
[Learnings from the practices of the Synodical Office for
Pilgrimage Tours of the Church of Greece]
Christos Petreas,
Business & Tourism Economist - Consultant –
EU Expert for tourism and regional development
Special Advisor Synodical Office for Pilgrimage Tours and
Development of Religious Tourism of The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece
former Professor - Lecturer of tourism planning & development and tourism marketing
e-mail: christos@petreas-associates.com / chrispetreas@gmail.com
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
© CHRISTOS PETREAS 2010

2. Why religious tourism?
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•
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•
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More than 2/3 (88%) of the
monuments of the World Heritage List
have also religious significance
(Shackley 2001)
Approximately 75% of all inhabitants of
the planet belong to the 5 most
important religions
i
t t li i
TWO out of THREE belong in one of
only THREE religions
The WRTA argues that the market is
worth ~ $ 18 billion and handle 300
million passengers
Lourdes is the most visited shrine in
Europe and receives over 6 million
visitors each year
The Catholic Church has established a
company for "Religious» Charter
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA

3. The typology of religious-pilgrimage
tourism (western world)
t i
(
t
ld)
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Pilgrimage tours
Missionary trips
Mi i
i
Cruises (Greece – in October “Steps of Apostle Paul”)
Conferences / meetings (15 million people in 17,000 meetings in
2006)
Christian camps (involving 120,000 churches)
Travel holiday volunteers (55 million Americans have participated)
Youth / student movements (about 3 million young p p are
(
y
g people
attending about10,000 private church schools)
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
© CHRISTOS PETREAS 2010

4. The 4-Ps of Porter + 5th
4 Ps
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•
•
•
PRODUCT
PLACE
PRICE
PROMOTION
+
• PEOPLE
(important for
religious tourism)
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
© CHRISTOS PETREAS 2013

5. Product
• The Church of Greece
identifies 4 tourism
dimensions for pilgrimage
& religious sites and
monuments
1.
2.
3.
4.
Religious dimension
Cultural dimension
Historic dimension
Environmental
dimension
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA

6. Place
and the way it is perceived ...
•
Pilgrimage visit
– Dedicated pilgrimage
– Incidental pilgrimage
•
Cultural visit
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–
–
–
–
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•
Natural it
N t l site
Monumental visit
Historical visit
Art i it
A t visit
Museum visit
Combination visit
Religious celebrations and events
– Celebrations with pilgrimage element
– Celebrations with traditional element
– Celebrations with entertainment element
© COPYRIGHT CHRISTOS PETREAS
•
Combination visit
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA

7. Price
• ... The cost is really
secondary,
secondary but is an
important consideration…
PRICE is related to:
• Transport and
accessibility
ibilit
• Accommodation
• M l and other support
Meals d th
t
facilities
• Faith element
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA

8. Promotion
• The religious “attraction”
must be recognized,
recognized
and must appeal to one or
more of the “needs” of the
visitor
• The element of
“branding”:
•
•
•
•
•
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
As a tourist destination
As a religious site
As an “event” location
As a “faith” pole
All of the above

9. People
p
•
•
People are from all the
stakeholders involved:
Authorities religious and political,
tourism stakeholders, support
entities, the local society
,
y
People:
• “Facilitate” the visit and the
Facilitate
experience
• Assist the veneration an the
worship
• Perfrom the relevant religious
services
• P id th required services
Provide the
i d
i
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA

10. Promotion activities (examples)
• PRODUCT
– Creation of pilgrimage
tours
• PLACE:
– Collaboration with
authorities and t i
th iti
d tourism
professionals
• PRICE:
– Collaboration with tour
operators & travel
agents
• PROMOTION:
– Exhibitions
– Specialized
p
promotional material
– Internet promotion
• PEOPLE:
– Special Diocese
Liaisons
– Permission for joint
religious services
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
© CHRISTOS PETREAS 2010

11. INDICATIVE ITINERARIES*
• Typical
• Non typical
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
*exodos travel & congress (c) 2012

12. The relationship of the stakeholders
h t
ll happens
what really h
Visitor permits / visas
Road network
Overall accessibility
Signage
Transport
Overall promotion
Local accessibility
L
l
ibili
Information / promotion
Facilitation of visitors
THE
RELIGIOUS
OBJECTIVE
Visitation hours
Visit organization
Visitable areas
Dress code
Protection / maintenance
Visit guidance
Saleable items / souvenirs
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
© CHRISTOS PETREAS 2013

13. The Methodology – or how to do it
gy
a. Joint collaboration of
stakeholders
b. Field research –
Questionnaire to travel
agents
c. Field research –
Questionnaire to
visitors
d. Strategic partnerships
e. P
Promotional activities
ti
l ti iti
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
© COPYRIGHT CHRISTOS PETREAS 2013

14. The “collaboration” areas
collaboration
• “Product information” (religious and
non religious)
non-religious)
• Market information (what the customer
wants)
• Facilitation of the visit itself (access,
authorities, regulations, time schedules,
etc.)
etc )
• Obtaining the blessing – “the spiritual
element”
• Overall enhancement of the “package”
4 dimensions:
– Religious Cultural, Historic, Environmental
Religious, Cultural Historic
Thank You
2013 ATLAS RELIGIOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE – MALTA
© CHRISTOS PETREAS 2013