An ETS Tours group in Israel (Photo Credit: ETS Tours)
WHY IT RATES: Throughout its 50-plus-year history, ETS Tours has been abundantly aware of the importance of educational opportunities to help edify and inspire its advisor partners regarding its faith-based groups. The company also understands the importance of fam experiences in helping advisors generate more sales and is offering one such trip to Israel in January.—Claudette Covey, Executive Retail Editor
ETS Tours, the leader in faith-based travel for more than 50 years, is inviting travel advisors and group travel planners to discover how to tap into this dynamic travel niche during its upcoming “How to Sell Faith-Based Travel Groups” webinar on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Designed for advisors who may be completely new to faith-based travel as well as those looking to expand their existing group business, the complimentary training will provide practical, step-by-step guidance directly from ETS Tours’ faith-based travel experts. The program will explore why faith-based travel represents such a compelling opportunity for travel professionals, how to identify and approach potential group leaders, how to develop and sell successful groups, and how ETS supports advisors throughout the process.
The webinar will also provide an update on The Holy Land, including how and when ETS Tours plans to resume Holy Land tour operations, as well as what advisors should know as they begin conversations with clients and prospective group leaders about returning to the destination.
“Faith-based travel is about so much more than visiting a destination. It is about extraordinary lifetime experiences, strengthening faith, building fellowship and creating relationships that continue long after everyone returns home,” said David Welch, Vice President of Business Development for ETS Tours. “For travel advisors, that creates an unmatched opportunity. A successful faith-based group can be the beginning of a long-term relationship with a pastor, church, ministry, or group leader, and those travelers often want to embark on their next journey together. Our goal is to show advisors that they do not have to already be experts in this market. ETS provides the knowledge, products, training, and support to help them get started and grow.”
From Finding a Group Leader to Building a Successful Faith-Based Travel Business
Among the topics addressed during the August 20 webinar will be one of the most important questions for advisors entering the niche: Where does the business come from?
ETS experts will provide actionable strategies for identifying prospective group leaders and developing relationships within churches, ministries and faith communities. Advisors will also learn why the most successful approach to faith-based travel often begins not with selling a particular destination, but with understanding the interests, spiritual goals and shared experiences a group leader wants to create.
Faith-based travel can encompass experiences around the world, from journeys tracing the footsteps of the Apostle Paul through Greece and Türkiye and Catholic pilgrimages across Europe to Bible Land cruises, river cruises, retreats, heritage journeys and Holy Land tours.
At the center of these experiences is fellowship. Traveling, dining, worshipping, learning and discovering together can transform a collection of travelers into a community—creating the kind of emotional connection that can translate into exceptional repeat business, referrals and long-term loyalty for the advisor who helped make the experience possible.
“Advisors sometimes assume they need a huge church contact list or years of specialized experience before they can enter faith-based travel, and that simply is not the case,” Welch added. “What they need is a willingness to build relationships, ask the right questions and connect people with experiences that matter to them. We can help with the rest. That is exactly why education like this webinar is such an important part of what ETS provides.”
Holy Land Update: Preparing Advisors for the Return
The webinar will also address one of the topics generating considerable interest among faith-based travelers: the Holy Land.
ETS recently released a special Holy Land Update video (link) featuring perspectives from the destination as the company prepares for the resumption of its Holy Land tour operations. The August 20 webinar will give advisors additional context about ETS’s plans and provide guidance for answering questions from travelers and group leaders interested in returning.
For ETS, which was founded in 1974 and has decades of experience operating faith-based programs, keeping advisors informed and prepared is an important part of helping them confidently serve their clients as travel conditions and opportunities evolve.
From Online Training to Experiencing the Holy Land Firsthand
Advisors interested in taking their education one significant step further will also have the opportunity to experience faith-based travel firsthand through a newly announced ETS Tours Holy Land Advisor Familiarization Tour departing January 12, 2027.
Special advisor rates start at $2,199, while a traveling companion can join for $2,299 – just $100 more.
The FAM is designed to give travel advisors and group planning professionals the invaluable perspective that comes from experiencing a faith-based journey themselves: seeing biblical sites firsthand, understanding the flow and logistics of a group itinerary, experiencing the fellowship that develops among travelers, and gaining the confidence to speak authentically with prospective clients and group leaders about a Holy Land journey.
SOURCE: ETS Tours press release
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