The effect of fervid attachment to religious rites on tourism: evidence from the Holy Week in Southern Italy

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is aimed to examine natives’ Fervid Attachment to religious rites, as a part of cultural heritage, in its extrinsic (sense of belonging, rituality) and intrinsic (intimate bond, emotionality) characteristics, by shedding light on how leveraging on these characteristics could be emphasized to promote sustainable local development. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the principles of an ethnographic research approach based on observational methods, this paper analyzes the rites of Holy Week in Taranto, a city located in the Southern Italy, by capturing individuals’ behavior according the concept of Fervid Attachment. Findings – Results show that tourism destinations preserving their traditions and religious rites as part of their cultural heritage can satisfy tourists’ spirituality needs and, by promoting the interaction with the local population (natives) in terms of relationship between them and tourists, supporting local communities’ development. Moreover their Fervid Attachment in terms of sense of belonging, rituality, intimate bond and emotionality could be empathized to promote sustainable local development. Practical implications – Our results provide suggestions on how local policymakers and tourism marketers could leverage natives’ attachment to religious rites to boost religious tourism. Originality/value – This paper shows from a new perspective based on the concept of natives’ Fervid Attachment how local people are relevant in promoting a tourism destination.