Interestingly, many spiritual tourists have been classified by academic researchers
as pilgrimage, religious, special interest, cultural or experiential tourists. Cohen
(1992) described two polar types of pilgrimage centres: the formal and the popular.
He defines a formal centre as one in which “the serious and sublime religious activities
are primarily emphasised” and “the pilgrim’s principle motive for the journey to
such centres is to perform a fundamental religious obligation” (Cohen 1992, p. 36).
On the other hand, within a popular pilgrimage centre, “the ludic and folksy activities
are of greater importance and may even take precedence over the more serious and
sublime activities” Cohen (1992, p. 36). He also discusses and analyses the tourist as
a modern pilgrim and concludes that “traditionally pilgrimage is essentially a movement
from the profane periphery towards the sacred centre of the religious ‘cosmos’”
(p. 182). Hajj is clearly, according to Cohen, formal, sacred pilgrimage.