ABSTRACT
This paper deals with the concept of “Geopietism” (“georeligion”), and the role of Thomas Cook (1808-1892), one of the main innovators in the modern business of tourism in England and abroad, in the rediscovery of the Holy Land. For centuries the Holy Land had been a center of pilgrimage for Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Based on contemporary primary sources the paper analyses the creation from 1869 of new institutional frameworks, infrastructures, and travel components by the company, the land and sea tour routes and means of transportation chosen, tourist agencies, guides, and hotels.
Those went hand in hand with the changing perceptions, images, motivations and role of the tourists brought to the Holy Land (women, Protestants, Catholics, British Zionist Jews, and royalty, including the German Kaiser). Cook’s intention and activities in Palestine also reflected his personality, piety, and wish to combine his tourist business with Christian activities.
The 19th century marked a decisive turning point in the history of Palestine. Cooks’ operation there had an impact on the modernization of the local economy and local society, on the one hand, and European and American culture and society, on the other.
