Faith-Based, Religious Travel Strong and Growing

Call it what you will – religious travel, faith-based touring or spiritual journeys – the statistics surrounding the size and potential of this market are staggering.

A survey by Globus put the total market for religious travel in the U.S. (past and potential) at about 16.6 million people. In 2008 more than 900,000 people from the U.S. traveled internationally for religious purposes, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

And, nearly one-quarter of all U.S. travelers are currently interested in taking a spiritual vacation, according to a study by the U.S. Travel Association.

“There is a very large portion of Americans interested in this market,” Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association, told Travel Market Report. But, he added, travel sellers still aren’t completely familiar with everything the market offers.

Defining the market: The religious travel market has traditionally been driven by pilgrimages (such as visiting Israel, the Vatican or Rome with a religious objective in mind) and missionary travel. But over the past five to 10 years, the market has broadened significantly.

“Today religious travel includes people of faith going to religious events and conferences, traveling on faith-based cruises, doing voluntourism,” said Wright. Even the annual church or temple ski trip is a form of religious tourism.

Faith-based safaris – regular safaris that include a stop to have a devotional service or bible reading – are also increasing in popularity, he said.

Identifying the traveler: According to a Menlo Consulting Group/Globus study, the majority of religious travelers are well-educated – more than 60% have graduated from college or attended or completed graduate school. More than half have a household income of more than $75,000, and 70% are married.

Interest in religious travel is evenly divided across age groups; about one-third of each age group surveyed (18-34, 35-54 and 55+) have expressed an interest in taking a spiritual vacation.

More than 90% of the religious travel market is Christian, but faith-based travel also includes Jewish and Muslim travel (especially Mecca-related), and to a smaller extent Buddhists, Yoga practitioners and other spiritual disciplines and faiths. Within these broad religious groupings, there are more specific markets, including Catholic, Baptist, Orthodox Jewish, etc.

Groups, usually ranging in size from 30 to 40 people, form the mainstay of the market.

Tres Lobo

Connaissance Travel and Tours in Toronto, Canada, offers customized Christian and Catholic travel. According to Tres Lobo, director of sales and product, about 95% of the agency’s religious travel is in groups. Average group size is about 45, although the agency has handled groups as large as 400 people.

Most popular destinations: According to Lobo, traditional pilgrimage destinations include The Holy Land, comprised of some combination of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey; as well as Fatima (Portugal), Lourdes (France), and Guadalupe in Mexico, among others.

“It’s a very specialized market in terms of where they want to go, so agents need to decide on which region they would like to develop in the initial stage, because you can’t do everything all at the same time,” Lobo said. “I would focus on the Holy Land, or some combination of Israel, Egypt and Jordan, as that is the number one region.”

Vickie S. Everhart, manager of Krouse Travel Group in Manchester, Penn., recommends a broader approach. Krouse Travel has been selling Holy Land tours for 14 years and Everhart said demand for that area is highly susceptible to political developments in the region. One-quarter of Krouse Travel’s group business is in the religious travel market.

“If a company wants to do faith travel then they need to look at the groups and try to figure out, beyond pilgrimages, what kind of activities they would enjoy, like faith cruises,” Everhart said. “That way if groups that were thinking about going to the Holy Land become frightened because something happens in that region, they have other things they can offer them.”

Getting started in the market: As with any other special interest market, education is the first step to successful involvement. Wright said understanding religious travel and the major players is fundamental.

It is also extremely important for agents to be sensitive to the needs of different groups. Everhart said.

“You have to treat these groups a little differently in what you offer and what places you would take them. You have to have sensitivities to some of the things they may or may not enjoy or appreciate,” she said.

For example, Everhart works with some groups that are opposed to gambling and drinking, so Las Vegas would not be an appropriate suggestion. Other religious groups she works with enjoy Las Vegas.

“You just have to be a good listener and not come in with your own ideas of what would be okay or not okay,” she said. “If you send them somewhere they’re not comfortable, they’re probably not going to do it again.”

RESOURCES
World Religious Travel Association: WRTA offers a Religious Travel Market Educational Course, designed to educate travel agents about the market, focusing on North American travelers. CTCs, CTAs and CTIEs who complete the course will earn 3 continuing education units (CEUs). http://www.thetravelinstitute.com/home.cfm?tn=standard&menuid=238&navids=1,238&pageid=1094 WRTA also offers free webinars throughout the year, and conducts a yearly religious travel expo including seminars and a trade show.