Claiming the Right to Say No-30 Nov 09-EQUATIONS - Equitable ...

Theologizing Tourism: Towards a Pastoral Care of Tourism
Theologizing Tourism:
Towards a Pastoral Care of Tourism
by Students of Theology
Rachol Seminary
Goa, the Rome of the East, is blessed with the blue seas, silver sands,
swaying palms, extensive paddy fields, tranquil hills and green valleys.
Its ancient churches, temples and mosques, famous for its architectural
legacies, have christened Goa as a tiny “emerald land” on the west coast
of India. Added to this, the mouth watering Goan cuisine, its foot tapping
music and unforgettable cultural heritage, gives the tourists all possible
reasons to choose Goa as their holiday destination.
Goa being one of the best products of the world tourism industry, has
always offered a hospitable treat to her guests, who travel from far and
wide either for leisure, business or for other reasons.
Tourism industry has proved to be both boon and bane to our land. On
one side, tourism has resulted in creating employment opportunities,
generating income, developing infrastructure, but, on the other side, it is
responsible for degeneration of values, exploitation of our natural
resources to satisfy needs and greed of the tourists, and also of all those
who cater to them at the cost of selling off the very core of Goa.
Having got the overview of tourism, let us now come to our objective. The
objective of our study is to provide a theological reflection on tourism.
At the very outset, we should remember that every authentic theology is
born of two interlacing experiences; one is that of the faith and the other
is of the reality of life. While theologizing we take into account both, the
faith perspective and the concrete historical situation. In this regard our
study is a reflection on tourism in the light of Christian faith. In laymen’s
language it’s a reflective fusion of Christian faith and tourism.
67