The World Religious Travel Association

The World Religious Travel Association has got together with the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)to offer some educational workshops at this autumn’s World Religious Travel Expo.

The various forms of faith-based cruising have become an influential element of the growing £9 billion religious travel industry/ Hundreds of faith-based groups embark on cruise ships annual and full-ship charters carry tens of thousands of travellers to spiritually significant destinations.

‘75% of faith-based cruisers are first-timers, so the religious market provides a tremendous new market opportunity,’ said Kevin J. Wright, WRTA President. It is hoped that the presence of cruise lines alongside the specialist bookers will allow travel agencies will discover how cruising can play a key role in appealing to a lucrative and currently growing, faith holiday market.

The World Religious Travel Expo & Educational Conference 2008 will be held October 29th to November 1st in Orlando, Florida. More than 400 participants are expected at to attend and one in four travellers is said to be interested in faith based travel, including pilgrimages, hajj, educational travel, discovering one’s religious routes or taking instruction in a religion during a holiday.