Faith Travel Association Welcomes Agents
by Stacey Zable /This is the first of two stories on the faith-based travel market
The Faith Travel Association (FTA) is making it easier for travel agents to sell faith-based travel with a new membership level.
Under the new Travel Advisor category, independent travel agents can now create a searchable online profile that will give them exposure on FTA’s website, www.faithtravelassociation.com.
FTA, “serves as a conduit through which tourism professionals can connect and develop this entirely new sector of their business, and helps to educate them about the nuances of faith-based travel,” said FTA Julie Hoover-Ernst, director of marketing and communications. The group’s travel agent membership is approaching 200.
The new Travel Advisor category joins other FTA member benefits including networking opportunities, member discounts, educational programs, and an e-newsletter.
Agents can also take advantage of advertising discounts in FTA’s annual Trip Planner and other publications. The annual dues are $150.
A significant market
Faith travel is a significant market in the U.S.
The FTA cites a 2011 Globus survey that said the market is composed of more than 16 million people in the U.S.
And the U.S. Travel Association (USTA) reports that 25% of all U.S. travelers are interested in taking a spiritual vacation, the FTA says.
Hoover-Ernst said a conservative dollar estimate for all faith-based travel worldwide is between $50 and $100 billion.
That figure is based on the fact that the size of the combined travel markets for Jordan, Israel and Italy alone is about $10 billion, she said, also noting that the economic impact of Muslim travelers performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia in one year reached nearly $17 billion.
“As more countries announce plans to focus on religious or faith-based travel in their economic development strategies, we expect that number to grow exponentially,” says Hoover-Ernst.
Faith-based travel defined
Faith Travel “goes beyond the traditional pilgrimage and mission trip to encompass any leisure tour, youth adventure excursion, conference travel or group outing taken by faith-based groups,” said Hoover-Ernst.
“It has become more about groups having an opportunity to be together than about the attraction or destination, and that really throws the doors wide open when it comes to who can and should be a part of the faith-based travel market,” she said.
Paul Larsen, president and sales manager of Ed-Ventures, Inc., a tour operator that specializes in faith travel, agreed that while faith-based travel for many is a pilgrimage to a holy site or a holy place, it has expanded to offer more than those experiences
“For some, the purpose is to connect with people of similar faith and yet to others it is the opposite to connect with people of different faiths,” said Larsen.
“The traveler is enriched by common bonds and needs, and stretched by things that are foreign to them.”
Custom groups
Many of Ed-Ventures’ tours are for specific clients, including group leaders or travel agents, and are customized according to the groups’ objectives, Larsen said. Destinations include Europe, the Middle East, Central America, Africa and North America.
According to Hoover-Ernst, requests for more authentic cultural experiences and more independent exploring as part of faith-based travel are being integrated into more group tours.
“They want to meet the locals and experience the food, the culture, the true feel of a city,” she said.
“Many groups are also looking to combine a faith experience or mission trip with a few days of leisure, often doubling their length of stay by tacking on pre- or post-tour adventure or spa packages.”
Don’t forget the fun part
Bob Shaffer with Cruise Holidays—Experts at Land and Sea in Charlotte, N.C., advises agents not forget that faith travelers’ first desire is “to have fun because they are on vacation just like most tourists.”
“They also are seeking new destinations, new cultures, history and, of course, links to their faith,” said Shaffer, who is an FTA agent member. “They generally want down time to relax, shop or explore on their own.”
Scott Monroe, co-owner of tour operator Tom’s Christian Tours, agreed that fun is a big focus of his tours.
Monroe doesn’t classify his customers as “faith travelers” but instead describes them as “a Christian group enjoying places just like everyone else but in a Christian atmosphere.”
Trips include all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean, mystery tours where the people have no idea where they are going, Hawaii and even Milwaukee Brewer spring training games in Phoenix.
“Our trips are not always going to faith-based places,” Monroe said. “We go all around the world.
“Our main idea is to have fun and learn things about this great planet of ours in the light of God's Word.”
Next time: Finding faith-based travel clients