Tourism of Sacred Sites, or Is That Profane?

Abstract

The tourism of sacred sites is a source of continuing controversy in many circles. Even the tourism industry is sharply divided about the merits or otherwise of the tourism of sacred sites. There is not even clear agreement by what is meant by the term "sacred site". This paper is in the form of an inquiry into the tourism of sacred sites, written in the form of a dialogue. The two speakers are the main characters from Robert Pirsig's "inquiry" books. Phaedrus, the central character in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, conducted Pirsig's inquiry into values, while Lila, a central character from the book of the same name, was the centre of his inquiry into morals.