São as visitas turístico-religiosas da cidade santuário de Aparecida influenciadas por fatores económicos e pela busca por informação?

Abstract

How can economic factors and the search for information impact the phenomenon of Catholic religious tourism? The search for the answer to this question motivates the present investigation. The Shrine of Aparecida (in Brazil) has received in recent years more than 10 million visitors (per year). Understanding how the economy influences tourism is essential to help the recovery of Brazilian religious tourism in the post-pandemic crisis. The results of this investigation show that economic variables are related to the phenomenon. Besides, the results also indicate that the search for information through the internet drives the growth of religious tourism in the long-run. These findings can assist public policymakers in the region, and they can also be useful for agents involved in religious tourism at the hotel and restaurant level. In addition to benefiting the Shrine of Aparecida, it will be able to make management decisions to attract visitors/pilgrims based on robust results.