A Relationship Framework between Souvenir Purchase Intention, Pilgrimage Motivation and Demographics

Pilgrimage tourism is one of the oldest and most widely practiced forms of tourism over the world. Pilgrimage has not only been confined to religious and spiritual benefits of the pilgrims but has extended gains to other participating communities including the locals and the service providers. As a pilgrimage destination flourishes, it becomes a source of income generation for the locals and service providers, along with fulfilling the spiritual desires of the pilgrims. With the core activity of offering prayers and pilgrimage, allied activities particularly shopping at the destination is a key indulgence at a pilgrimage destination. Special products, believed to possess spiritual and religious relevance are sold at the destinations. The pilgrims buy these products to offer to their God. Such products when used for commercial purpose are known to be Souvenirs. Pilgrims buy souvenirs to take back memories of their journey and to gift to others as a momento or token of affection. The present study is an empirical research which tends to know the souvenir purchase behaviour of the pilgrims at one of the most visited pilgrimage shrine of India, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. The research explores the Souvenir Purchase trend at the destination and tends to study how the Souvenir Purchase intention is affected by the demographics of the respondents. The difference in Souvenier Purchase Intentions of the pilgrims on the basis of their visiting Motivation will also be worked upon. It includes first hand as well as second hand data and will be analysed with the help of tools like percentage, mean, t-test and ANOVA.