Tourism Management Studies

Transferring the Lived Experience of Spiritual Events Tourists with a Regenerative Tourism Approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mehrshad Ghanbari Hossein Abadi 1
mohsen moslehi 2
Reza Nasr Esfahani 3
Mohammad Ali Rajaei Rizi 3

1 Department of Tourism Management, Isfahan University of Art, Isfahan, Iran

2 Department of Museum and Tourism, Isfahan University of Art, Isfahan, Iran

3 Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship, Isfahan University of Art, Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22054/tms.2025.88235.3111
Abstract
The potential of spiritual events in international tourism and regenerative tourism motivated this study, aiming to inform developmental planning through the analysis of tourists’ lived experiences. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected via in-depth interviews with 28 purposively selected participants who had directly experienced spiritual events. Analysis followed Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method, resulting in 57 statements across five main dimensions and the development of a conceptual model. The model, consistent with regenerative tourism principles, highlights the centrality of narration, participation, and experience. It functions as a feedback cycle in which positive outcomes of lived experience reinforce attraction and experience transfer, fostering the dynamism, renewal, and continuous regeneration of experiences within spiritual events. This framework provides a practical foundation for planners and policymakers to enhance both individual and collective benefits while supporting sustainable and transformative development in spiritual tourism.

Keywords

Transfer
Lived Experience
Spiritual Events
Regenerative Tourism
Subjects
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Tourism Management Studies
Volume 21, Issue 74
Spring 2026
Pages 249-296

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