According to research there is a noticeable decline in organized religion, but religious pilgrimages are more popular than ever. At the First International Congress on Tourism and Pilgrimages in September, the United Nations released a study finding that of every three tourists worldwide, one is a pilgrim, a total of 330 million people a year.

The author of the article went on six pilgrimages to discover what this phenomenon says about the future of faith. What he discovered: "Pilgrimage is not merely ancillary to the modern spiritual existence. In an age of doubt and shifting beliefs, people are no longer willing to blindly accept the beliefs of their ancestors. They are insisting instead on choosing their own beliefs. A pilgrimage can be a central part of this effort."

The rise of the idea of being on a "spiritual journey" is taking over the world. A pilgrimage reverses the commonly held belief that religion is passive. "At its core, it's a gesture of action. In a world in which more and more things are artificial and ephemeral, a sacred journey gives the pilgrim the chance to experience something both physical and real."

Editor’s Note: A 2024 update to this continuing trend can be found here