Sacred or sold

This paper examines the complexity of pilgrimage tourism, with its interdependencies among sacredness, spirituality, and commercialisation at faith-based tourism destinations. We use a Systems Approach to move beyond linear thinking that positions spirituality and commerce as inherently oppositional forces, arguing that pilgrimage destinations function as complex adaptive systems in which spiritual, commercial, and educational objectives interact dynamically. We build Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) formed from autoethnographic observation and stakeholder discussions. We present and compare four pilgrimage sites: Lourdes (France), Brezje (Slovenia), Malta, and Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia (Türkiye). The CLD models reveal the dynamics of the pilgrimage sites, the interdependencies, and the interactions among stakeholders (elements of the system). The systems approach demonstrates that successful destinations manage pilgrimage sites as integrated systems in which activities complement and constrain one another through feedback loops. Using a Systems Methodology, the article develops the dynamics of pilgrimage environments and presents a new typology of four pilgrimage (sacred) and commercial (secular) destinations. By advancing knowledge and education, the spiritual-commercial role of the sacred- secular destinations in question offers a different, comprehensive approach to their management.