Beyond the horizon of words: silent landscape experience within spiritual retreat tourism
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
ISSN: 1750-6182
Article publication date: 15 June 2020
Issue publication date: 15 June 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the notion and function of silent landscape in a touristic experience by presenting the findings of a study on silent retreats in a Buddhist meditation retreat center in Northern India.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a sensory ethnography approach applied through interviews and participant observation methods conducted during and after nine retreats in a meditation center.
Findings
This study suggests that silent landscapes are not only backdrops of touristic experiences but can be considered as inter-subjective performative and resourceful milieu of engagement that intertwine intimate embodied experiences with broader social and cultural values.
Originality/value
Despite landscapes having been thoroughly investigated in tourist studies, this paper underlines the pertinence of mobilizing the lens of other forms of presences such as affects, embodiment, sensoriality and sonority to understand the inter-relation between tourists-selves and the surrounding world encountered during their travels.
Keywords
Citation
Mourtazina, E. (2020), "Beyond the horizon of words: silent landscape experience within spiritual retreat tourism", International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 349-360. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCTHR-10-2019-0185
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited