Publishers, retailers encouraged to tap into religious tourism

Christian suppliers have been encouraged to explore new territories for their products—in the world of religious travel.

Faith-based tourism is a huge potential growth area for publishing and other Christian resources, according to those behind the recently launched The Year of Faith Tourism.

The initiative was launched at the first annual World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) expo and conference—which concluded last month in Orlando, Fla., where organizers said that with millions of people making short-term mission trips or taking part in religiously based visits or events each year, there was an underserved growing market for materials.

Among those who have put their toe in the travel-related waters is Ellie Claire, which released a classic-styled, $12.99 travel journal to good response in the summer of 2008.  There are plans for a missions-focused journal to release before next summer .“We would definitely be interested in expanding further into this area,” said President Carlton Garborg.

WRTA attendees heard that travel products could range from specifically travel-related items to more general backlist titles that could be of interest to those journeying for different reasons—such as books about the Reformation for people traveling to Switzerland this year to mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of Reformer John Calvin.

The WRTA event drew more than 500 travel agents, organizations and planners who heard that what had once been a niche market focused on pilgrimages, retirees and low budgets had broadened into an $18 billion-a-year industry attracting all ages and embracing a wide range of destinations and styles.
The new WRTA was founded by Kevin J. Wright, the author of four faith-based travel guidebooks, including The Christian Travel Planner, released by Thomas Nelson in January 2008.

He said that while faith-based travel currently accounted for only about 2-3% of the overall travel industry, it seemed to be following the trend of Christian publishing and music, which had each been about 1% of their larger category markets in the 1980s and grown to take a 5% share of the overall market.

Thomas Nelson was among the almost 100 exhibitors on the WRTA trade show floor, where more than 30 countries—including Israel and Jordan—were represented. In addition to countries with biblical and historic Christian sites, exhibitors included locations offering increasingly popular Christian convention and cruise destinations.

Linville J. Johnson, deputy director of the religious market for the Bahamas Tourist Office, said that many Christian cruise visitors to Nassau asked to be shown the home and church led by the island’s best-selling author Myles Munroe, with whom discussions were taking place about possibly including his church as part of an official tour.

In addition to Wright’s Nelson title, other travel-related titles on display in Orlando included his Liguori Publications “Pilgrim’s Travel Guide” titles Catholic Shrines of Western Europe and Europe’s Monastery and Convent Guesthouses.
The Oct. 29-Nov. 1 WRTA event followed a year in Ellie Ckaire joined some other Christian publishers in travel-related projects.

Standard Publishing brought out three teen mission trip devotions and journals in March for use before, during and after programs. The success of the pocket-sized Anticipate, Experience and Reflect titles, each costing $9.99, prompted the November release of versions for adults, Called, Challenged and Changed.
Brownlow Gift’s 2008 My Missionary Journal, with a similar format to Ellie Claire’s, retails for $9.99.

While consumer spending has been hit by the recent economic downturn, faith-based travel had been one area least affected, according to several of the 50-odd WRTA panelists and presenters.

According to one study referenced at the convention, worldwide there were 300 million religious travelers annually, worldwide. In the U.S., more than 2 million took part in missionary travel each year, while 15 million people attended 17,000 Christian events from conventions to meetings.

The travel-related opportunities spotlighted at the WRTA event were not limited to publishers, suggested association Vice President Honnie Korngold. In addition to promoting travel-related books and other materials, Christian retailers might look into linking in some way with Christian travel groups to let shoppers know about faith tourism packages, she said.

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