Cultural and International Tourism for Life's Enrichment - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 227

Paris is indeed blessed
with tourism icons. In
addition to the Eiffel Tower,
the Gothic Notre Dame
cathedral is one of the most
outstanding and most
signi cant examples of the

Roman Catholic religion's
impact on architecture in all
of Europe. In 1768,
geographers decided that
all distances in France
would be measured from
Notre Dame. Thus, Notre
Dame was, and in many
ways, still is the center of
France. Photocourtesyof
CorbisDigitalStock.

developed to support pilgrimage travelers. Probably the best-known pilgrimages are to Mecca. Large
numbers of people go to the headquarters of their church organizations and to areas well known in
their religious literature. Often these are group trips

for example, a group of Protestants visiting
magni cent churches and headquarters of various church denominations in different parts of the
world. Similarly, missionaries travel with a religious mission. The large amount of travel to Israel is in
part based on religious motivation, as are travels to the Catholic centers at Vatican City within Rome;
Oberammergau, in Bavaria, Germany; Lourdes, France; and Mexico City, Mexico. Visits to prominent
houses of worship of all forms of religious doctrine are an important motivation for travel. Notre Dame
cathedral in Paris, Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the Great Mosque at Mecca are examples.

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Food and Drink

Food and drink of a country are among its most important cultural expressions. The tourist enjoys

native foods, particularly items of a local or ethnic nature. When traveling, trying out local dishes is
part of the fun.