The second annual World Religious Travel Expo and Educational Conference concluded this week with global leaders in the religious travel industry reporting better-than-expected figures and predicting continued resilience in faith-based tourism because of the commitment and purpose among religious travel consumers. Trade members also pledged to support, strengthen and sustain meaningful travel products and experiences for people of faith. Positive updates and forecasts by WRTA Expo participants -- including representatives from Switzerland, Cyprus, Turkey, Palestine, Israel, Germany, Greece and Jordan -- confirm the findings of a recent report by the World Tourism Organization, which explained that religious tourism has proven resilient to the pressure of the global recession, because it is not seen as a “luxury,” but rather travel with a purpose.

“Because of the nature of religious tourism, it has proven elastic and strong, even in the current economy” said Kevin Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) and chairman of the Expo. “The primary goal of the WRTA Expo is to equip delegates with the organizations, products, services and education that will help them continue to develop and sustain meaningful travel experiences for people of faith. In fact, we have challenged our members to make 2010 their best year ever in faith tourism, and I am confident coming out of this expo that they can accomplish this.”

With more than 300 million people traveling annually for religious and pilgrimage reasons and with revenues that exceed $18 billion every year, faith tourism has become a significant global industry. WRTA reports that faith tourism today is more than just pilgrimages, as it includes travelers on cruises, volunteer vacations, adventure trips, leisure vacations, conferences and events, and much more. In fact, religious travel is not necessarily focused on the destination, but on the purpose of the travel: strengthening fellowship and faith.

According to WRTA’s 2010 Religious Travel Outlook, tour operators expect 500,000 visitors for the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany, which only happens once a decade; Spain has declared 2010 a holy year because the feast of St. James, July 25, falls on a Sunday, which means that many will be traveling to Santiago de Compostela, whose cathedral has a relic of St. James the Apostle; the Year for Priests, in which many seminarians and priests are traveling to Ars, France, where St. John Vianney served his entire priestly life, continues through June, 2010; and a rare exposition of the Shroud of Turin in Italy will open in 2010.

More than 550 participants -- including 300 sellers and 200 buyers -- attended the 2009 World Religious Travel Expo and Educational Conference, held Nov. 14 to 16 at the Atlantis Resort in Reno, Nev. Tourism representatives of 30-plus countries, from Armenia and Ethiopia to Tanzania and Turkey, participated. Despite the economic downturn that has contributed to a decline in overall attendance at trade conferences, the WRTA Expo turnout surpassed the attendance figures of its 2008 inaugural year. Wright considers this a testament to the strength of the religious travel industry.

The WRTA Expo was co-located with the Annual Convention of the National Tour Association (NTA). Currently, 35 percent of NTA operators offer religious tour products, and NTA and WRTA seek to expand the overall growth of faith tourism by bringing both memberships opportunities for education and professional development. Next year’s WRTA Expo will again be held in conjunction with the NTA Annual Convention (between Nov. 13 and 17) in Montreal. WRTA already has begun accepting exhibitor, attendee and sponsorship registrations for the 2010 World Religious Travel Expo. For more information, visit www.WRTAexpo.com or www.WRTAreligioustravel.com.

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