Religious Motivation at the Core of Route Preferences in Pilgrimage Decision-Making

This doctoral thesis analyses the decision making processes of pilgrims traveling along the Portuguese Ways, focusing on the factors influencing the choice between the Portuguese Central Way and the Portuguese Coastal Way. The doctoral research considers individual motivations, cultural background,...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Miranda, Rosa Maria Riveiro Conde Pacheco de
Format: doctoral thesis
Publication Date:2026
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC)
Repository:Minerva. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:minerva_____::3c2fa3e5b576a39c874d6c5d50856930
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10347/46742
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Pilgrimage decision-making
Portuguese Ways of Santiago
Route choice
Religion tourism
531290 Economía sectorial: turismo
Description
Summary:This doctoral thesis analyses the decision making processes of pilgrims traveling along the Portuguese Ways, focusing on the factors influencing the choice between the Portuguese Central Way and the Portuguese Coastal Way. The doctoral research considers individual motivations, cultural background, type of travel, physical route characteristics, external factors, demographic variables, and the religiosity level of pilgrim home countries. Considering the Portuguese Ways, descriptive analysis using Pilgrim Office data reveals continuous growth in the number of pilgrims traveling along these routes. The thesis identifies four main research gaps. Limited studies integrating religious, secular, and cultural motivations in route choice within pilgrimage contexts. Lack of focus on physical route attributes and external factors in pilgrim route choice.