Homeric Tours releases new Faith Tours brochure

Press Release from Homeric Tours:

With the introduction of our new Faith Tours brochure evidencing our commitment to the religious audience, 2009 is indeed an exciting year for Homeric Tours. With over 40 years of experience serving the greater travel community, specializing in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Europe, it was time for Homeric Tours to distinguish its approach into this specialized area of the industry. This new brochure is a collaboration of our own research as well as the many requests that we have received over the years from our loyal group leaders. We are confident that our brochure will be well received by our existing clients as well as the marketplace as a whole.

Our new Faith Tours brochure has over 30 distinct itineraries that will help individuals achieve a better understanding of their faith, by visiting those sites significant to the beginnings of Christianity. The brochure is designed for coordinated group travel with an established group leader. However, we welcome the opportunity to work with active members of Churches, religious organizations and academic institutions looking to establish a trip within their organization. The general theme of the brochure is to promote an increase in faith oriented travel, not just enter into an existing market. We firmly believe that the Faith Based travel market is far from mature.

We feel that our brochure is unique in that it provides a broad spectrum of itineraries to choose from. In addition, not only can the itineraries be modified to suit the specific needs of your group, we can build an entire customized itinerary. Our experience as a provider of customized travel for so many years sets us apart from many of the existing participants in this industry.

We are very excited about our commitment to this niche industry and welcome the opportunity to assist members of the WRTA audience with. We invite you to visit our website where you can find additional information on our brochure, PDF versions of the brochure itself, a brochure and quote request kiosks and contact information to speak with one of our specialists. Our dedicated Faith Tours website is: http://faith.homerictours.com/ and our toll-free number is 800-223-5570. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

John A. Klados
VP Marketing & Sales

Africa Travel Association (ATA) Renews Partnership with WRTA

NEW YORK, New York, August 24, 2009 – The Africa Travel Association (ATA) and the World
Religious Travel Association (WRTA) announced today the continuation of their partnership
agreement, aiming to support both organizations’ endeavors in the promotion of religious travel
trade.

“The Africa Travel Association (ATA) is excited to work with the World Religious Travel
Association (WRTA) to promote faith-based tourism to Africa,” said ATA Executive Director,
Edward Bergman. “Religious tourism is certainly a growing niche market for travelers to the
African continent and the partnership with WRTA will help us educate our membership on faithbased tourism opportunities.”

According to WRTA, religious travel and hospitality opportunities can be found across Africa in
four main ways: visiting a religious destination; attending a religious gathering; traveling for
missionary or humanitarian purposes; or leisure traveling with fellowship intent.

“Faith-based tourism attracts 300 million travelers worldwide, who spend $18 billion annually,”
said Kevin J. Wright, WRTA President. “We look forward to once again working with ATA,
especially as Africa has long served as a top destination for people of faith. In fact, among the
wide variety of travel experiences the continent offers, faith-based African safaris are quickly
becoming one of the most popular new trends in religious travel today.”

Under the new partnership agreement, ATA and its members will participate in the WRTA World Religious Travel Expo and Educational Conference to be held from November 14-16, 2009 in Reno, Nevada. WRTA will participate in ATA events in the United States and Africa, including ATA’s 35th Annual Congress to be held in The Gambia in May 2010.
About the Africa Travel Association (ATA).

The Africa Travel Association (ATA) was established as an international travel industry trade
association in 1975. ATA’s mission is to promote travel, tourism and transport to and within
Africa, and to strengthen intra-Africa partnerships. As the world’s premier travel industry trade association, ATA provides services to a broad range of members including: tourism, diaspora,
culture, and sports ministers, tourism boards, airlines, hoteliers, travel agents, tour operators,
travel trade media, public relations firms, consulting companies, non-profit organizations,
businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises, and other organizations engaged in tourism
promotion. For more information, visit www.africatravelassociaton.org or call +1.212.447.1357.

Pastors Representing 10 Nations Experience Faith and Fellowship in the Bahamas

RELIGIOUS MARKET GLOBAL OUTREACH – The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation’s Religious Market, recently took advantage of an opportunity to pitch the country’s outstanding conference and meetings facilities to a group of Pastors visiting Nassau from the United States, Cuba and even places as far flung as China, Africa, Italy and Great Britain.

The group of spiritual leaders were in attendance at a "Kingdom Leadership Conference" being held at the Diplomat Center, Carmichael Road, under the direction of renowned Bahamian spiritual leader, Pastor Miles Munroe, President and Senior Pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International, Nassau, Bahamas. The group of pastors representing 10 nations, were a part of a delegation of about 185 persons in attendance at the Conference.

During their visit to The Bahamas, the church leaders were given a tour of some of the Island's finest hotels and resorts, and then feted to a reception at their host hotel, The Wyndham Nassau Resort, Cable Beach. Pictured above, front center, Mr. Linville Johnson, MOT Director of Religious Market, and Dr. Myles Munroe are flanked by the Pastors.The Religious market is an $18 Billion Global Market, and the Bahamas, boasting the largest assortment of vacation spots of any tropical destination in the world, is poised to take advantage of a larger share of this growing market. No longer simply a fun vacation, the Bahamas can also offer its visitors faith and fellowship."The Bahamas...where God lives."

Linville Johnson, is available to answer questions on group needs for religious conferences, conventions, retreats etc., at ljohnson@bahamas.com. For more information on the Islands of The Bahamas, visit www.bahamas.com, or you can reach us at 1-800 Bahamas.

Leisure Group Travel Magazine Targeted Religious Market Coverage

Leisure Group Travel Magazine Targeted Religious Market Coverage
August 13, 2009
http://insite.religioustraveldirectory.com/featured-on-insite/leisure-group-travel-magazine-targeted-religious-market-coverage/

Leisure Group Travel’s August 2009 edition explores the world of religious tourism. This 100-page digital page flip e-magazine includes feature articles on group travel to Israel and a special on-site report from Cyprus by senior editor John Kloster. We also include an extensive section on Oberammergau Passion Play group tour packages for 2010 with sample itineraries from leading tour brands. Plus, check out the sneak preview of the World Religious Travel Expo coming up in November, 2009 along with news and updates from faith-based attractions and destinations.

Switzerland Tourism - Religious Tourism

Read the full story at http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/search/Result.html?siteSect=882&ty=st&sid=11036746

Switzerland Tourism has been courting US religious groups – many of whom organise group trips for their congregations – to entice them to explore Switzerland's religious history.
"It's an interesting market and it's growing," Herrmann said. "These groups don't just want to see religious sites, but it's the hook that brings them to our country."

The tourism office is marketing everything from the eighth century St Gallen abbey - a Unesco World Cultural Heritage Site – to the International Museum of Reformation in Geneva.
On its website, Switzerland Tourism highlights scores of historical religious sites in five Swiss regions and offers information on lodging in abbeys, cloisters and monasteries.

But religious tourists can also be easily put off: after a story in the New York Times about a growing number of nude hikers wandering the Alps, near Appenzell, a number of American groups cancelled their trips to Switzerland, according to Herrmann.