L4) Sacred or Sold? Balancing Spirituality and Commercialisation in Pilgrimage and Faith-based Tourism

This study adopts an interpretivist paradigm, framed by systems thinking and grounded in ethnographic methodology, to examine the role of Marian pilgrimage souvenirs in the intersection of faith, commerce, and material culture at the pilgrims’ sites of Malta, Lourdes (France) and Brezje (Slovenia). The choice of these approaches is dictated by the nature of the subject itself: sacred souvenirs are not merely objects but elements within a larger network of belief, ritual, economic structures, and pilgrimage dynamics. An interpretivist approach is necessary to account for the subjective and constructed meanings assigned to these souvenirs by pilgrims, shopkeepers, and religious institutions. Systems thinking, in turn, allows for a holistic analysis, moving beyond linear or transactional models to consider how these elements interact and reinforce one another within the pilgrimage experience. Ethnography, with its emphasis on lived experience and contextual immersion, ensures that these interactions are captured in their natural setting, allowing for an examination of how sacred souvenirs function as both religious and commercial artifacts. The interplay of spiritual intention, economic necessity, and devotional practice cannot be understood in isolation; rather, it must be analysed within the broader framework of Marian pilgrimage sites, where materiality, belief, and commerce intersect in ways that shape both the individual and collective experience.