Spiritual Tourism: A tool for Socio-Cultural and Sustainable Development

With a landmark 1 billion tourists crossing international borders in 2012 alone, never before have so many travelled so widely, nor come into contact with such diverse expressions of spirituality, faith and culture. The interaction spurred by such encounters has the potential to evoke profound spiritual experiences and transformational spiritual growth. Moreover, the cultural exchange and dialogue evoked by spiritual tourism are the very cornerstones of mutual understanding, tolerance and respect, the fundamental building blocks of sustainability. Above all, attaining sustainability requires that the local traditions, spiritual values and rich cultural heritage of visited destinations are understood and respected, and that host communities can directly reap the benefits of tourism development. Hand in hand with economic and environmental concerns, it is essential that the social and cultural dimensions of tourism including spiritual tourism receive ever more consideration from decision makers and business leaders. This paper would present a way of healthy life by way of spirituality and control social crime, and also how the responsible and sustainable use of natural and cultural assets in the development of spiritual tourism can create employment opportunities, generate income, alleviate poverty, curb rural flight migration, prompt product diversification, and nurture a sense of pride among communities and destinations.