Presented in this volume, the first of its kind that is entirely dedicated to food in the context of pilgrimage and faith-based tourism, are different case studies gathered for the benefit of academia, pilgrimage stakeholders, faith-based tourism stakeholders, planning and policy makers, tourist guides, students and interested readers. This knowledge hopefully will find its way into practical applications and educational materials.
The potential of this volume is that the contributors have researched food as an addendum of the spiritual experience of food within the context of pilgrimage and faith-based tourism, namely that giving, receiving and sharing promotes respect and understanding. Food can be used simultaneously as an active peace-building tool, to promote inclusion, bridging cultures and harmony at table.
About the Author: Dane Munro is a Resident Academic at the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture (ITTC) at the University of Malta, where he has his regular teaching load and is a supervisor of both undergrad and postgrad dissertations. His academic educational trajectory is marked by an MA in the Classics and a PhD in the cultural anthropology of pilgrimage and faith-based tourism at the University of Malta. He has also obtained a Ph.D. in history at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, regarding the culture of memoria and the identity of the knights of the Order of St John throughout the ages. His research in the Classics and historical research has resulted in a standard publication on St John's Co-Cathedral, Memento Mori, a companion to the most beautiful floor in the world (2005). Munro is also an active pilgrim and researcher in the field of faith-based tourism and has published many peer-reviewed articles. Most recent publications as co-editor and contributor are New Directions in Sacred Journeys Research (IJRTP 2020), Peace Journeys: A New Direction in Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage Research (Cambridge Scholars 2020), Pilgrimage and Beyond: Going Places, Far and Away (Sacred Journeys 2021) the forthcoming New Pilgrimage Routes and Trails: Society, Peace, and Development (Peter Lang 2022). Dane is a member of the academic boards and editor of the International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage (IJRJP) and the publications of Sacred Journeys. Munro is also a visiting professor and pilgrimage consultant at Primorska University, Slovenia in religious events and pilgrimage tourism.
Noel Buttigieg is a senior lecturer and an academic researcher at the Institute for Tourism, Travel & Culture of the University of Malta specializing in cultural heritage with a particular interest in food culture. His current projects include research on food and pilgrimage, food tourism and culinary heritage and his ongoing bread history and culture project. He is currently involved in a number of projects related to educational programmes intended for professionals in the cultural heritage sector. Furthermore, he is engaged in researching audience behaviours in museums through the use of innovative technology. Dr Buttigieg was the main sponsor for the successful application for Ftira [a traditional sourdough flatbread] to be included in the UNESCO List for Intangible Cultural Heritage. He is the director of Taste History Limited, an arm of the national agency Heritage Malta. He is currently a committee member of the Malta Historical Society and a council member of the Sacra Militia Foundation.
Daniel H. Olsen is a Professor in the Department of Geography at Brigham Young University. His research interests revolve around religious and spiritual tourism, heritage tourism, and the management of sacred sites, with secondary research interests in tourism in peripheral areas and tourism and disabilities. He is co-editor of Religion, Tourism and Spiritual Journeys (2006) Religious Pilgrimage Routes and Trails (CABI, 2018), Dark Tourism and Pilgrimage (CABI, 2020), Religious Tourism and the Environment (CABI, 2020), The Routledge Handbook of Religious and Spiritual Tourism (Routledge, 2021), and the forthcoming New Pilgrimage Routes and Trails: Society, Peace, and Development (Peter Lang 2023).
