Faith travel


Keeping the faith N


Traveling is quite often a special occasion. For people traveling for spiritual reasons, it’s even more so. By Geri Bain


early one in 10 (8.3 percent) outbound leisure travelers has gone abroad on a faith-based vacation,


and about one third (35 percent) are likely to take a religious vacation at some point, according to the most recent TravelStyles survey commissioned by Globus. Te repeat factor is astounding; 85 percent of those surveyed who’d taken a religious vacation planned to do so again, and the total market potential as of 2011 was estimated at 16.3 million Americans. Globus, which launched its faith-based


travel division in 2004 and added Cosmos tours to its offerings a few years ago, saw this year’s faith-based bookings grow 30 percent year-on-year. “Our best year yet,” says Joanna Dyer, director, groups & emerging markets for the Globus family of brands. Homeric Tours, which estimates the


worldwide faith-based tourism market at about $4bn in total sales worldwide, is also seeing growing demand. Te segment seems resistant to the daily challenges of online individual booking, commission changes, and so on. “Primarily, this is because faith followers prefer to travel with a group, which gives a higher profit just by the sheer number of people traveling,” says John A. Klados, vice


president of sales. Collette and Trafalgar are among other major tour operators that offer faith-based travel. In 2014, recognizing that 37 percent of


National Tour Association members offer faith-based travel products and services, the association created a new division, the Faith Travel Association (FTA), which provides directories of faith leaders and faith travel suppliers as well as networking opportunities and various other resources.


Follow your leader Critical to success is matching the


experience and tour operator to the group faith leader’s goals for the trip. Each denomination has its own points of interest, focus and in some cases, dietary requirements. Spiritual journeys are never just about seeing the sites; it’s important to allow time for fellowship and bonding, religious services and/or cultural exchanges along the way. “For some leaders, the trip is primarily


about letting the congregation experience their faith in holy pilgrimage sites; for others, it’s a chance to connect with those of the same or different faith, to do humanitarian work or experience their faith through


nature and God’s creation,” says Paul Larsen, president of Ed-Ventures, which specializes in educational and religious tours. “Agents have to be aware of each group’s


needs in terms of dietary and religious requirements,” says Aziz Abu Sarah, co-owner & CEO of Mejdi Tours, which curates Jewish, Muslim, Christian and inter-faith programs in the Holy Land and beyond. “Jewish and Muslim groups are among those with specific dietary requirements. Plus, for Muslim groups, we need to set aside five times a day for prayer. Some Jewish groups can’t travel on the Sabbath and also may require prayer times during the day. Te tour guide can’t see those things as frustrations; they have to be integral to the program. Plus, you need to be aware of when religious sites will be closed for holy days.”


Where to go Te Holy Land, while its key sites are a bit different for each sect, is the perennial favorite for Jews, Christians and Muslims. It’s the logical first trip for most faith groups, and many return more than once. For Catholics, Italy and the Vatican are also vital. “Faith-based travelers are often motivated by specific events,” says Globus’ Dyer. ▶


ASTAnetwork | Fall 2017 | 53


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