Travel Motivations of Spiritual Tourists

This article aims to identify the motivations that lead tourists to spiritual trips and to determine the differences between the motivations of Turkish tourists living in Turkey for traveling to spiritual sites in Turkey and the travel motivations of tourists from different cultures living in other countries. With the convenience sampling method, 408 Turkish tourists living in Turkey and 301 tourists from different cultures living in other countries were reached. Frequency distributions were examined, and t-test was applied. Significant differences were found according to the demographic characteristics of spiritual tourists living in Turkey and other countries and the push and pull motivations that lead them to travel. Based on the results of the study, it has been possible to make suggestions about the necessary marketing practices in terms of spiritual tourism in order to increase awareness of spiritual areas and to have the desired importance.