THE PARTICULAR ROLE OF PROSOCIALITY IN CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS TOURISM

Abstract

This review study investigates the key role of prosociality in cultural and religious tourism, based exclusively on the analysis of recent literature. The aim of this study is to identify how tourists’ prosocial behavior such as helping other tourists, humanitarian donations, respecting local culture, respecting local attraction norms, protecting natural and spiritual resources and contributing to sustainability, enhance personal and transformative experiences as well as loyalty in cultural and religious destinations. The research methodology involves a systematic review of research studies from 2015 to 2026 (n>20 sources), selected through academic-based searches focusing on cultural and religious tourism, pilgrimages and community interactions. The results reveal that prosociality, influenced by religious norms, customs and emotional attachments, improves tourists’ well-being, psycho-emotional experiences, social relationships and sustainable development of destinations. This study helps to carefully highlight the evolution of prosociality in the current context of cultural and religious tourism and may be implied in increasing revisit intentions for managers of cultural and religious tourist attractions. The findings emphasize the need to implement local and managerial strategies that promote prosociality to enhance loyalty in cultural and religious tourist destinations essential for sustainable development, and provide valuable insights into the academic literature.