Religious tourism

Religious tourism, also commonly referred to as faith tourism, is a form of tourism whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage, missionary, or leisure (fellowship) purposes. The International Conference on Religious Tourism estimates the worldwide faith tourism industry at $18 billion.[1]. North American religious tourists comprise an estimated $10 billion of this industry

Tourism Segments

Religious tourism comprises many facets of the travel industry including:

• Pilgrimages
• Missionary travel [3]
• Leisure (fellowship) vacations
• Faith-based cruising
• Crusades, conventions, and rallies
• Retreats
• Monastery visits and guest-stays
• Christian and faith-based camps
• Religious tourist attractions

Statistics

Although no definitive study has been completed on worldwide religious tourism, some segments of the industry have been measured:

• According to the World Tourism Organization, an estimated 300 to 330 million pilgrims visit the world's key religious sites every year. [4]
• According to the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, Americans traveling overseas for "religious or pilgrimage" purposes has increased from 491,000 travelers in 2002 to 633,000 travelers in 2005 (30% increase).
• According to the Religious Conference Management Association, in 2006 more than 14.7 million people attended religious meetings (RCMA members), an increase of more than 10 million from 1994 with 4.4 million attendees. [5]
• The United Methodist Church experienced an increase of 455% in mission volunteers from 1992 with almost 20,000 volunteers compared to 110,000 volunteers in 2006. [6]
• The Christian Camp and Conference Association states that more than eight million people are involved in CCCA member camps and conferences, including more than 120,000 churches. [7]
• Religious attractions including Sight & Sound Theatre attracts 800,000 visitors a year [8] while the Holy Land Experience and Focus on the Family Welcome Center each receives about 250,000 guests annually. [9]Religious tourism, also commonly referred to as faith tourism, is a form of tourism whereby people of faith travel individually or in groups for pilgrimage, missionary, or leisure (fellowship) purposes. The International Conference on Religious Tourism estimates the worldwide faith tourism industry at $18 billion.[10]
• 50,000 churches in the United States with religious travel programs [11]
• One-quarter (25%) of travelers said they were currently interested in taking a spiritual vacation (e.g., religious retreat, pilgrimage). More than one in ten travelers (12%) said they were more interested now compared to five years ago in taking a spiritual vacation. The appeal of a spiritual vacation spans the ages, with approximately one-third of each age group (18-34 years old, 35-54 years old and 55+) expressing current interest in taking such a vacation. [12]

In the News

• CBS Early Show: Rest, relaxation, & religion [13]
• TIME Magazine: Spirit and adventure [14]
• USA TODAY: On a wing and a prayer [15]
• The New York Times: 21st-century religoius travel, Leave the sackcloth at home [16]
• The Los Angeles Times: More agencies are serving the flock - religious travelers [17]
• Belief.net: Companies see increased interest in spiritual tours [18]
• Rocky Mountain News: In the footsteps of the faithful [19]
• The Grand Rapids Press: Spiritual journeys take off in the travel industry [20]
• Yahoo! Business Traveler: Keeping the Faith [21]
• Washington Post: Seeking answers with field trips in faith [22]
• Nassau Guardian (Bahamas): Religious niche being targeted by Bahamas Ministry

Countries, Tourist Boards & Religious Tourism

• Jordan: Promoting niche markets such as religious tourism is a large part of Jordan’s overall tourism strategy [24]
• Cypress: Launching new marketing efforts to increase religious tourism of its current 100,000 faith-based visitors annually [25]
• Italy: Religious tourism in Italy alone generates over $4.5 billion each year. [26]
• Bahamas: One of the few countries with a Director of Religious Tourism and staff dedicated to attracting faith-based visitors [27]; [28]
• Scotland: Projected to triple from religious tourism dollars of GBP 80-100 to GBP 300 million by 2014 [29]
• Switzerland: Seeking to highlight its religious sites and attract more visitors [[30]]
• India: Largest portion of visitors are religious pilgrims [31]
• Israel: Tourism ministry looks to boost tourism from North America [32]