isk and Safety Challenges for Religious Tourism and Events is a volume of 15 chapters on risk and safety management for religious tourism and pilgrimage. The book explores the risks and safety challenges faced by tourists and worshippers while visiting holy and pilgrimage sites and religious events, on a global scale. From stampedes and terrorist attacks to health hazards such as untreated water and epidemic, visitors are vulnerable to a series of safety issues and event managers must be prepared to mitigate risks while respecting the specificity and importance of religious rituals. Consequently, tourism operates in a worldof uncertainty and constant change, where risk is inevitable. Thus, this book’s main goal is toinform academics and practitioners from the field of religious tourism and events planning/management of potential risks and mitigation strategies. In this light, the editorsgather the contributors’ perspectives on theoretical and practical aspects of religious tourismsafety, risk assessment and management.

The book is divided into 3 sections – 1) Risk Management; 2) Managing for Risk: issues and challenges; and 3) Risk Challenges and Issues: global case studies. Section 1 provides an overview of risk management and examines theories of tourism security, risk perceptions, religion and ideology, as well as principles for risk assessment. The main concepts and variables of safety and risk assessment are also outlined in this section. Subsequently, the discussion moves to the ideological aspects of groups and crowds – how racism and ‘me versus them’ ideologies highly influence individual and shared identity.Tolerance and overall emotional state is discussed, which will ultimately affect crowdmovements and behaviours, that is, how pilgrims and worshippers ‘act and react’ in a religious event setting.