This chapter is based on a philosophical interrogation of religious tourism and conflict. It asks many questions about how religion acts and can act as a force for conflict or peace. Though it does not provide a definitive answer to a complex issue of this calibre, it holds the thesis that cultural difference is not reason enough for riots, political instability or conflict.
This chapter discusses the potential for Cuba, despite decades of tension and conflict with the Catholic Church, as a destination for religious tourism. The chapter explores not only the limitations and dichotomies of authenticity but also the roots of religion, tourism and politics. While social scientists agree that religiosity is closely linked to politics, Cuba shows the opposite, and perhaps demonstrates how religiosity can remain dormant, cemented in the roots of heritage. The chapter explores not only the religious core of hospitality (and tourism) but also critically discusses the extent to which Abrahamic traditions have paved the path to develop a specific definition of 'other', in Latin America. As the case study is Cuba, a country that kept its Catholic roots despite its socialist affiliation, the tension between the proper atheism of Marxist ideology and Catholicism is one of the main themes examined in this chapter.
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