More media on religious tourism (Wash. Post)

On June 25, the Washington Post published the article Seeking Answers With Field Trips in Faith (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/24/AR2007062401422.html).

This article is the latest in a string of major media and publications reporting on the tremendous growth of faith-based tourism. Some of these include my interviews with CBS Early Show, TIME Magazine, USA TODAY, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and dozens of other media outlets including travel, religious, and news.

One of the most interesting statistics in the article is: Todd M. Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, said 7 percent of the world's Christians -- about 150 million people -- are "on the move as pilgrims" each year.

The above statistic is especially interesting when compared against the World Tourism Organization's estimation that 300 to 300 million people embark on religious travel annually (all faiths).

Speaking of statistics - the article's author Mary Jordan did a good job of citing other key statistics as well, including the growth of other pilgrimages and religious travel sites. Another finer point of Mary's article was referencing how faith based travel has affected the local economy and how one travel company grew in four years to its present-day 10,000 pilgrim travelers. Many people forget that tourism (the world's 2nd largest economy - only behind oil), and religious tourism more specifically, does act as a vessel in enriching the lives of others in the lands they visit by providing jobs, strenthening their economies, etc.

It is for the above reasons as well as those cited in the Washington Post article, that the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) was launched last January. In short, there was a great need and demand for a global network for faith tourism companies and travelers. Next month WRTA will launch registrations for the World Religious Travel Expo which will be held in fall 2008. The primary purpose of the conference is to provide a world-class forum for networking opportunities and educational seminars for both the trade and consumer. For more information visit http://www.religioustravelassociation.com/.