Consumption in Religious Tourism: An Ethnographic Case Study of the Umrah Pilgrimage and Gift-Giving

Abstract

Abstract Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah remains one of the most significant areas of religious tourism which has witnessed a tremendous increase in participation in recent times, with socio-economic implications. Within the context of Islamic tourism, Umrah pilgrimage represents an essential spiritual quest that enjoys annual participation of millions of Muslim faithful. Notwithstanding the spiritual essence of the Umrah pilgrimage, an intrinsic component of the Umrah pilgrimage experience which has received less attention from consumer researchers is how consumption is implicated in the experience and gift consumption specifically. This study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of pilgrim's experience of the Umrah and examine the role of consumption in the pilgrimage undertakings. The study adopts an ethnographic-based case study approach to collect data from Umrah participants, while secondary data from the Quran, Hadith, government reports and articles sources are also employed to develop an interpretive analysis of the collected data. On this basis, the investigation has identified the sacred and non-sacred components of pilgrims’ consumption, which are conveniently classified according to their tangible and intangible status. Furthermore, gift-giving theory is used to justify pilgrims’ consumption experience which are typically defined by sacred tangible consumption (water of Zamzam, Ajwa dates, Miswak), valuable gift consumption (Mispah, miniatures, prayer rugs), profane tangible consumption (perfumes, clothes, watches, children’s toys) and sacred intangible consumption (supplications, good deeds, Umrah-gifting, blessed-life). From the interpretive analysis, Zamzam water is identified to be the most consumed sacred object by pilgrims due to the associated spiritual, physical and psychological well-being. In addition, valuable gifts are considered a new construct of the sacred-profane dichotomy, which deepens the understanding of the sacred dimension of profane consumption. Furthermore, the concept of having a blessed life is identified as an emerging social context of the Umrah employed by couples and family to enhance the fortunes of their relationships. Finally, the contributions of this work offer new insights into the sacred meanings of gift consumption in religious tourism, while reinforcing aspects of consumer experience in religious tourism which have been established in the literature. Specifically, appreciation of pilgrimage consumption experience from a non-western perspective; elucidation of the role of sacred and profane consumption in the pilgrimage experience and its significance for pilgrims; detailed description of the significance of gifting practices are discussed in detail.