Date post: | 30-Mar-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | premier-travel-media |
View: | 227 times |
Download: | 0 times |
on location: international � kevin j. wright
IN RECENT YEARS THE religious
tourism and hospitality marketplace
has evolved from a rather obscure
niche market into an attention-grab-
bing, $18-billion global industry. In-
deed, faith-based travel today is in the
midst of a remarkable growth spurt.
International travel by Americans
for religious purposes has doubled over
the past five years and according to a
recent study by Menlo Consulting, this
trend is expected to continue for an-
other five years. Destinations such as
Israel, Jordan and Palestine enjoyed
some of their best tourism years ever in
2008. European pilgrimage sites such
as Lourdes (France) witnessed a
record-breaking number of visitors.
Many destinations, attractions and
events in North America also experi-
enced a year of growth in faith-based
tourism.
What can we expect in 2009 for the
religious travel and hospitality market-
place? Consider the top 10 trends:
More tour operators will debut reli-
gious travel programs. In the past five
years, formal religious travel programs
have been introduced by large tour op-
erators like Trafalgar Tours,
Mayflower Tours (Faithful Holidays)
and the Globus family of brands. The
National Tour Association (NTA) has
seen its member tour operators in-
crease their religious programs; 35 per-
cent of them now offer religious tour
product. More operators will roll out
(and/or expand) religious travel pro-
grams in 2009.
More travel agencies will become
involved in selling to religious groups
and travelers. The increase in tour op-
erators offering religious programs (see
previous trend) will result in a greater
number of travel agents entering the
faith tourism marketplace because
there is more product available to sell.
Cruise lines will devote more efforts
18 February 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com
Travelers contribute manpoweron missionary trips.
Top 10 ReligiousTravel TrendsTop 10 ReligiousTravel Trends
The president of the World ReligiousTravel Association looks at 2009,proclaimed the Year of Faith Tourism
and products towards the faith-based
market. Cruise companies are major
beneficiaries of the recent growth in re-
ligious tourism, and more faith-based
groups are choosing cruising as their
preferred choice of a “fellowship vaca-
tion.” Companies such as Princess
Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Monarch
Classic Cruises and Steps of Paul
Coastal Cruises have recently debuted
or expanded ports of call in the Holy
Land.
Missionary travel and volunteer va-
cations will continue to surge in popu-
larity. The number of people taking a
“vacation with a purpose” has doubled
in the past five years to two million
Americans. One of the major drivers of
this marketplace in the coming years
will be travel agents. Although agents
have traditionally steered clear of sell-
ing this type of vacation, more of them
will begin offering missionary travel
and volunteer vacations due to in-
creased assistance from wholesalers
such as MTS Travel, Raptim Travel
and Lifetree Adventures.
Tourist offices/boards and conven-
tion and visitors bureaus will devote
more resources and personnel towards
developing the faith-based travel mar-
ket. As religious group travel and
events continue to develop into a vital
source of new revenues and visitors,
we’ll see a growing trend of destination
management organizations hiring a
specific person or setting up a depart-
ment to oversee the religious market.
One model is the Bahamas Ministry of
Tourism, which has a dedicated direc-
tor of religious travel in Linville John-
son. A second trend will include CVBs
and regional tourist offices devoting
more resources towards attracting and
developing not only the religious con-
ventions and meetings market but the
fast-growing leisure group travel mar-
ket as well.
Monasteries and retreat guesthouses
will welcome an increase in visitors. As
2009 will be a year most likely filled
with uncertainty and increased anxiety
across the world, many people will be
searching for a place that provides sol-
ace and serenity. As a result, monaster-
ies and retreat guesthouses are gearing
up for a possible record-setting number
of visitors; about 2.5 million North
Americans embark on a retreat each
year. To meet the growing demand,
more publications are coming out on
places of solitude and inspiration. This
includes my guidebook, Europe’s
Monastery & Convent Guesthouses:
A Pilgrim’s Travel Guide (Liguori
Publications).
Religious tour operators will ex-
pand their product offerings into
leisure travel. Many leading religious
tour operators in North America have
developed stellar reputations for their
expertise in pilgrimage travel; these in-
clude companies such as 206 Tours,
Group IST (Journeys Unlimited and
Regina Tours) and Unitours. In 2009
and beyond, we’ll see religious tour op-
erators expanding their leisure product
offerings, from cruising and local get-
aways to faith-based attraction visits,
African safaris and volunteer vaca-
tions. In summary, we’ll see more reli-
gious tour operators debut leisure
travel programs – and we’ll see more
of them cross-sell their various reli-
gious and leisure travel products.
Attractions will further customize
their products, services and sales/mar-
keting efforts to the religious market.
Museums, amusement parks and the-
aters already welcome religious groups.
However, many such attractions take
the market for granted and do little to
further draw people of faith. As the
potential of the religious marketplace
LeisureGroupTravel.com February 2009 19
Cruise lines will devote more efforts and productstowards the faith-based market.
becomes more apparent, we’ll begin to
see a change in how attractions cater
to faith-based groups.
Religious groups will continue to
gather – no matter what the year
ahead brings. If there is one tradition
that cuts across all religions, it is this:
people of faith like to gather. To look
at it another way, “community” lies at
the very core of many faiths and reli-
gions. For this reason, it comes as no
surprise that the religious market rep-
resents about 16 percent of the meet-
ings industry and is estimated to be
twice the size of the business meetings
market. According to the Religious
Conference Management Association
(RCMA), the religious meetings mar-
ket has grown from 4.4 million atten-
dees in 1994 to an estimated 15
million attendees today.
Churches and faith-based organiza-
tions will launch travel programs in
ever-increasing numbers. Approxi-
mately 50,000 of the 400,000 churches
and religious organizations in America
possess some kind of travel program.
One of the hottest trends in faith com-
munities is the hosting of a travel pro-
gram (also known as “travel
ministry”). There is much greater
awareness in religious circles about the
benefits of combining faith, fun and
fellowship through travel. This aware-
ness is being driven by expanded media
coverage on the topic, growth of reli-
gious travel guidebooks, and the in-
crease in travel companies marketing
and selling directly to churches and
faith-based organizations. LGT
20 February 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com
international �
The Pyramids at Giza
OBERAMMERGAU PACKAGES
Virgin Vacations offers the following
Europe itineraries that package the
2010 Oberammergau Passion Play:
Music and Passion with Oberam-
mergau a 12-day program that visits
Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Oberam-
mergau, the Black Forest and Rothen-
burg; from $3,789.
Highlights of Germany with Ober-
ammergau a nine-day program that vis-
its Munich, Oberammergau, the Black
Forest, Frankfurt and includes a Rhine
River cruise; priced from $2,979.
Northern Italy, Switzerland and
Oberammergau a 10-day program that
includes Milan, Lake Maggiore,
Switzerland, the Black Forest and
Wurzburg; from $3,469. [888-937-
8474, virginvacations.com]
TRAFALGAR LAUNCHES
NEW RELIGIOUS SERIES
Trafalgar’s 2009 Journeys of Faith and
Spirituality brochure details five new
itineraries visiting the most inspirational
and holy sites in Israel, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, France, Spain and Poland. The
lineup includes:
Missionary Journey of Paul 11 days
from $2,020, visiting Athens, Mykonos,
Rhodes, Kusadasi, Thessaloniki and
Meteora; departures May-September.
Land of the Bible 9 days from
$1,975, visiting Tel Aviv, Caesarea,
Haifa, Acre, Tiberias, Capernaum, Kib-
butz Nof Ginosar, Kursi, Jordan Park,
Nazareth, Jericho and Jerusalem; depar-
tures May-October.
Poland and Pope John Paul II 8 days
from $1,225, visiting Krakow, Wadow-
ice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska,
Auschwitz, Czestochowa and Warsaw;
departures May-November.
Catholic Portugal, Spain &
France 12 days from $2,225, visiting
Lisbon, Santarem, Fatima, Santiago de
Compostela, Burgos, Lourdes and Paris;
departures June-October.
A Journey through Christian Italy 10
days from $1,995, visiting Rome, Assisi,
Siena, Florence, Padua and Venice; de-
partures June-October.
All prices listed are land-only, per
person, based on double-room occu-
pancy.
Sightseeing highlights include visits
to the birthplace of Jesus and the Basil-
ica of the Annunciation in Nazareth; the
Church of the Nativity, Wailing Wall
and Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem;
Auschwitz in Poland; the Basilica and
Grotto in Lourdes; the Vatican; and the
14th century monasteries perched high
atop towering rocks in Meteora, Greece.
[866-544-4434, trafalgartours.com]
FAITH TRAVEL INSURANCE PLAN
Travel Guard has launched a new travel
insurance offering – the Faith Travel
Plan – developed to appeal to the grow-
ing religious travel market. The plan is a
22 February 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com
Munich will be included on many 2010 Oberammergau itineraries.
EEEEEURURURURUROPEOPEOPEOPEOPE G GGGGRRRRROUPOUPOUPOUPOUP SSSSSALESALESALESALESALES TTTTTIPIPIPIPIP #9 #9 #9 #9 #9
TIP # 9 - Publish Your Tours
Write articles (including pictures), detailing your mostrecent trips, and send them in to local newspapers, maga-zines and trade publications of regions where yourtravelers reside. This is a low-cost way to promote yourservices and provide testimonials to future clients.
For Europe group information, call (800) 964-3170
on our radar: international �
novel approach to meeting the travel in-
surance needs of travelers embarking on
mission trips, pilgrimages, volunteer va-
cations, conferences and retreats. In addi-
tion to enhanced coverage options, the
Faith Travel Plan features specialized
concierge services to help customers who
may feel “out of their element” traveling
to religious destinations around the
world.
The plan includes:
*Trip cancellation coverage up to
$100,000 – High coverage limit if over-
seas travel must be canceled for reasons
such as sickness of religious pilgrimage
traveling companion or financial default
of mission tour operator.
*Children under age 17 at no addi-
tional charge
*Medical evacuation – Medical cover-
age (whether traveling in religious
groups, individuals or families) that in-
cludes evacuation and transportation to
the hospital of choice or home in the
event of an unforeseen incident.
*Cancel for any reason – The Faith
Travel Plan reimburses up to 50 percent
of the trip cost if the insured cancels a
covered trip for any reason, up to 48
hours prior to departure.
*Cruise, airline, and
tour operator default
coverage
Included in the plan is
a Faith Traveler’s 24-
hour hotline with spe-
cialized concierge
services giving religious
travelers convenient ac-
cess to worldwide reli-
gious destination
information, urgent mes-
sage relay to friends and
worship leaders, and pre-
trip health and safety ad-
visories. Emergency
assistance services offer
an around-the-clock
travel hotline for finding
alternative flight options,
rebooking flights, replac-
ing lost travel docu-
ments, and making hotel
and rental car reserva-
tions. [800-826-1300,
travelguard.com]
TEL AVIV CELEBRATES
Tel Aviv is marking its 100th
anniversary with year-long celebrations
that kick off April 4 with a massive con-
cert in Rabin Square, complete with
multi-media experiences and perform-
ances by international stars, the New Is-
raeli Opera and Israel Philharmonic
Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta.
Founded in 1909 on sand dunes as a
garden suburb of ancient Jaffa, Tel Aviv
quickly burgeoned into a metropolis,
styling itself as "the first Hebrew city in
two millennia." By the 1930s, architects
escaping the Nazis were creating the
wealth of Bauhaus buildings that gave
Tel Aviv its unique look and caused the
"White City" to be designated a UN-
ESCO World Heritage Site. By the turn
A classical concert at Tel Aviv's Mann Auditorium: theIsrael Philharmonic, solo singers and a visiting choir.
LeisureGroupTravel.com February 2009 23
of the 21st century the city had become
home to dozens of world-class restau-
rants, a fashion scene that combines
Milan, Tokyo and New York, and a
wealth of cultural institutions.
"If Jerusalem is our Washington,
D.C.," said Arie Sommer, Israel tourism
commissioner for North and South
America, "then Tel Aviv is our New
York, the center of business, entertain-
ment and all the excitement associated
with a big city that is also a beach re-
sort on the Mediterranean."
Plans to revitalize the Shlomo Lahat
Promenade, the long boardwalk stretch-
ing along the Mediterranean shoreline,
have been announced. The estimated
$75-million project will expand the
promenade to 8½ miles all the way
along the coast from Bat Yam through
Jaffa and Tel Aviv to Herzliya. Upon
completion, the walkway will connect
several of the city's parks and boast
new restaurants and
shops. [goisrael.com]
HIKES IN THE HOLY LAND
Israel has inaugurated the new Pil-
grim's Route, a trail enabling travelers
to hike to its Christian holy places.
Along the route leading from
Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, tourists
can visit the site that recalls the New
Testament parable of the Good
Samaritan, the Qumran caves and the
point in the Jordan River believed to
be where Jesus was baptized by John
the Baptist.
The Good Samaritan site, located
just off the highway leading from
Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, is home to
a Byzantine church built about 1,700
years ago. The mosaic floor of the
church was recently reconstructed by
archaeologists. In addition, the bap-
tismal site, located near Jericho, is
considered the third most important
site for Christian pilgrims to the Holy
Land and holds significance in the
Jewish tradition as the place where
the Children of Israel crossed the Jor-
dan River when they entered Canaan.
[goisrael.com]
ANOTHER SIDE OF ORLANDO
Christian groups in Orlando, Fla., will
find 4,500 square feet of hands-on ex-
hibits, interactive media, games and
video presentations at Wycliffe Dis-
covery Center (formerly WordSspring
Discovery Center) on the campus of
Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Ex-
hibits and videos focusing on the his-
tory of the Bible, world cultures and
languages, and ongoing work of Bible
translations are designed for both
children and adults. A cafe is open for
lunch, and there is a gift shop. Tours
of Wycliffe headquarters are available.
[407-852-3626, wycliffe.org/
wordspring]
Qumran: The community buildings, where theDead Sea Scrolls were written.
international �
24 February 2009 LeisureGroupTravel.com
For an unforgettable group vacation that can forge everlasting memories and treasured bonds between fellow travelers, you can count on the Globus family of brands to deliver what you’re looking for.
After providing extraordinary travel experiences for more than 80 years, we’re experts on the grandeur that prevails around the globe. To arrange a group vacation with us call 866.821.2752.
*All prices quoted are per person, cruise/land only, double occupancy. Air-inclusive pricing is available. Additional restrictions may apply.
GLOBUSEMERALD ISLE
11 Days, $1,999 land onlyDublin, Sligo, Galway,
Limerick, Killarney, Waterford
COSMOSNIAGARA FALLS & WASHINGTON DC
7 days, $1,129 land onlyNew York City, Niagara Falls,Philadelphia, Washington DC
AVALON WATERWAYSFLAVORS OF BURGUNDY
& PROVENCE11 Days, $2,209 land/cruise only*
Paris, 7-night cruise from Chalon-sur-Saône to Arles, Nice