A CSÍKSOMLYÓI BÚCSÚ TURISZTIKAI VIZSGÁLATA

Abstract

Csíksomlyó is the eastern gateway of the Mária Way, the site of the respect of God and Blessed Virgin, and
the appearance of the national identity. As the determining pilgrimage site of the sacred Szeklerland, it looks
back centuries-long history, and over the past 25 years this event has become the largest pilgrimage site of
the Hungarian nation, where about hundreds of thousands come each year. The research was made in 2016
by the National Strategic Research Institute and it explores the motivations of the visitors, the historical role
of the Csíksomlyó Pilgrimage, and religious and national consciousness associated with the motivation to
visit the Csíksomlyó shrine. The research essentially examined the pilgrimage visit typology. In addition to
literature studies in religious tourism and pilgrimages an online questionnaire survey gave insight into the
following questions: why the visitors of the Csíksomlyó Pilgrimage start off to make this great distance, how
much time they spend there and what else besides the Mass they are interested in. We were curious as to
which part of the pilgrimage were the most attractive to the visitors and what services they missed at the
time of the Whitsun, or in connection with it. The primary research also examined that those who have not
visited the settlement, or not at the time of the Whitsun, how they see, what they think of the Csíksomlyó
Pilgrimage.