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Capturing the healing journey of medical and spiritualtourism: a systematic literature review
Vashu, Deeparechigi Subramaniam, Thanam Khan, Rizwan Ullah
Vashu, Deeparechigi
Subramaniam, Thanam
Khan, Rizwan Ullah
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Date
2024-12-10
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Abstract
Spiritual tourism has emerged as a unique and growing area of interest for tourism research. This paper presents a systematic literature review of academic literature related to spiritual tourism to identify key trends, influential authors, and major research themes. We identified 2076 papers published after 2019 using a systematic manual search method and selected 22 articles for an in-depth review that matched the predefined criteria for inclusion. The extracted data were based on spiritual tourism, medicine, healing, destination, experience, well-being, and healing. The results of a systematic literature review confirmed that research on spiritual tourism in relation to destination selection, experience, healing, and well-being is still in its infancy. Most articles focus on medical recovery from chronic illness, anxiety, and loneliness rather than health improvement and healing. By applying systematic literature review methods, this study elucidates the renewed focus and development of holistic health, encompassing facets of medicine and healing, within the context of post-pandemic recovery. This could potentially pave the way for individuals, particularly tourists, who visit specific destinations for emotional, physical, and spiritual rejuvenation.