The Asia Pacific International Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Conference (APIRTP) organised by the Institute for Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage (IRTP) in conjunction with the International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage (IJRTP), Takasaki City University of Economics invites abstracts for their 5th International Conference to be held from 8th – 11st January 2027, at Takasaki City University of Economics, Takasaki, Gunma, Japan.  

 The aim of the conference is to provide both empirical and personal insights into the changing nature of religion in society and to further the debate for both policymakers and academics to consider these evolving challenges within the future development of faith tourism and pilgrimage. The main emphasis for acceptance at this event is based on participants presenting papers, which apply to the main themes of the conference. 

The key themes of the conference include (but are not limited to) the following: 

• AI and Pilgrims Experience to Religious Sites 
• ​​​Cultural Heritage​​ 
• Crowd Control and Crowd Dynamics for Religious Sites 
• Digital and Virtual Religious Tourism 
• Diaspora and Ancestral Religious Tourism 
• Environmental Impacts on Religious Sites 
• Faith and Gastronomy in Religious Tourism 
• Gastronomy in Religious Tourism 
• Globalisation / Impacts at Religious Sites  
• Healing, Wellness, and Religious Health Tourism  
• Heritage and Religious Architecture  
• Interfaith and Multi-faith Tourism 
• Legal, Security and Safety issues for Pilgrims 
• Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism Motivations 
• Mobilities, Pilgrimage, and Tourism 
• Physical Environment and Sacred Tourist Destinations 
• Pilgrimage, Spirituality, Religion and Tourism 
•  Pilgrimage and Sacred Journeys  
• ​​​Poetics and Politics of Religious Tourism​​ 
• Overtourism at Religious Sites  
• ​​​Regenerative Tourism of Religious Pilgrimage and Tourism Sites​​ 
• Religious Commemoration and Remembrance 
• Religious Tourism and Political Economy 
• Risks and Conflicts of / at Sacred Sites  
• Spiritual Reflection and Cemeteries 
• Social Media and Information Technology for Pilgrimage 
• Sustainability in Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism 
• Sustainable Practices for Religious Tourism 
• Terrorism, Migration and Religious Tourism 
• Theory, Philosophy and Theology of Religious Tourism