Identifying Elements That Facilitate Pilgrims’ Transformative Experience

Pilgrimages have experience increased popularity among tourists worldwide during the past couple decades. Despite the growing research on pilgrimage over years and that transformation was noted as a theme long proclaimed in the pilgrimage literature, a holistic concept regarding the pilgrimage elements that facilitate the transformation is much needed. A review of the literature revealed eight elements that may elicit transformation: religion/spirituality, long-distance walking, community, challenge, simplicity, being in nature, art/history/culture, and multiculturalism. To identify the underlying construct of these inter-related elements in fostering transformation, American pilgrims who had recently visited Camino de Santiago – the world’s most well-known Christian pilgrimage, were surveyed (n=1,588) and examined using exploratory factor analysis. Five factors were identified: 1) internal freedom, 2) independence, 3) community, 4) art, history, and culture, and 5) religion, which is consistent with the self-determination theory. This study enhances the understanding of pilgrims’ transformative experiences on the Camino.