Title: Church institution and digital world: new opportunities to profess the word of God

Authors: Olga Lo Presti

Addresses: IRAT – Institute for Service Industry Research, CNR – National Research Council, Via Schipa 115 – 80122 Naples, Italy

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between church institution and new technology in the field of communication and management of the religious tourism experience. A critical study of the institutional church use of new technology applications for the communication, management and promotion of ecclesiastic heritage is developed; an empirical phase is implemented by conducting research and analysis of technology applied to ecclesiastic heritage, and all of this in while developing a case study of the Catholic Church institution of Naples. This paper shows the high degree of technology utilisation by church institutions in order to communicate and educate people to evangelisation. The results of this study will be useful to understand the adaptability of these technologies to the needs of users, recipients and territories; their degree of enhancement and promotion; and the measures that can be implemented for an efficient and effective governance of heritage and territory.

Keywords: church institutions; digital culture; tourism experience; religious tourism; religion; religious heritage; Catholic Church; Naples; Italy; electronic tourism; ICT; information technology; communications technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2011.040850

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2011 Vol.7 No.1, pp.116 - 130

Published online: 27 Sep 2014 *

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