Astrology-driven religious tourism: motivations, decision-making and impacts

Purpose In India, astrology is deeply embedded within transformative tourism, influencing pilgrimage practices, spiritual journeys and travel experiences at sacred destinations. Despite its cultural significance, limited research has examined the relationship between astrological beliefs and religious travel and its implications for transformative tourism. This study aims to fill this research gap by exploring motivation, decision-making and the impacts of astrology influenced tourism on a religious place. Design/methodology/approach Using the theory of planned behavior, the data is collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 42 participants from three prominent religious places of worship in India. Thematic content analysis was used to infer themes and subthemes. Findings Astrology influences the decision-making process when it comes to rituals about religion-based travel. Spiritual fulfillment, healing and guidance were found to be astrology-influenced travel motivations driving transformative tourism to religious places. The alignment of astrological events with their journeys to religious places was perceived as an opportunity for personal growth, introspection and a deeper connection with the divine. It was revealed that even though astrology influenced travel contributes to local economies, it is challenging to preserve genuine astrological experiences due to increased commercialization. Originality/value This study contributes to the transformative tourism literature by highlighting the role of astrological beliefs in shaping pilgrimage motivations, spiritual engagement and meaning-making processes that characterize transformative travel experiences.