Tourist Experience at Religious Sites: A Case Study of the Chinese Visiting the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Studies empirically examining visitor experience at religious sites were limited. This study investigated the Chinese tourists’ experience of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, an Islamic religious site in UAE. Online reviews posted by the Chinese tourists were analyzed with a semantic network analysis method. The results revealed that the core dimensions of the Chinese tourists’ experiences could be captured by 7 themes. The study confirmed previous findings that tourists’ perception of Muslim destination tended to focus on arts and architecture, famous individuals, conduct and dress code. It was concluded that the visit provided a milieu that enabled the Chinese tourists to tap into the spirituality of the Others. However, the underlying deep-rooted Islamic values seemed not fully comprehended by the tourists.