This November, the World Religious Travel Expo will co-locate with the NTA Convention.
This means your WRTA Expo registration dollars go further, providing access to the largest gathering of religious travel providers and suppliers in the world, as well as the tour operators, suppliers and destinations at NTA’s Convention—all on one tradeshow floor!
With a combined 2,000-plus travel professionals in attendance, this incredible opportunity of two shows in one destination is a “one-stop shop” for all your planning and religious travel program needs.
Highlights of Expo 2010 include:
• Back by popular demand, North America’s top faith marketing expert Greg Stielstra will keynote at Expo 2010 in Montreal. Stielstra is co-author of Faith-based Marketing and the mastermind behind the strategy of “PyroMarketing.”
• Meet and network with tour operators, suppliers, and destinations from across 30 countries.
• Attend the industry’s most comprehensive educational program in religious tourism and hospitality.
How Can You Receive a FREE Expo Fam Trip to Quebec’s Shrines?
The first 25 buyers to register for Expo 2010 will enjoy a complimentary VIP Fam tour of Montréal valued at $500.
How to Register for Expo Today?
Register online
Register by Phone: 888.255.9782, Ext 101 (U.S. and Canada) or +1.859.219.3529
Register by e-mail: headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com
August 28, 2010
World Religious Travel Expo 2010 to Feature Greg Stielstra
World Religious Travel Expo 2010 to Feature Greg Stielstra
Article link http://www.vacationagentmagazine.com/Editorial.aspx?n=75516
North America’s top faith marketing expert Greg Stielstra will keynote for the second year at the World Religious Travel Expo 2010. Stielstra is the co-author of “Faith-Based Marketing: The Guide to Reaching 140 Million Christian Customers” and the mind behind the strategy of “PyroMarketing” to help businesses reach and retain markets. Stielstra also served as the marketing director behind “The Purpose Driven Life,” a faith-based marketing phenomenon and the fastest selling hardcover book in American history. Stielstra worked in marketing for Christian publishers for 17 years where he planned the promotions for dozens of bestselling books. An expert in word-of-mouth, faith-based and social network marketing, Stielstra is the author of two books – “PyroMarketing: the Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life” and “Faith-Based Marketing: The Guide to Reaching 140 Million Christian Customers.”
“People have long known that word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising,” said Stielstra. “What they may not realize, however, is that faith communities spread word-of-mouth more effectively than any other group. What’s more, people of faith represent the largest demographic segment in the world. When you combine the size and connectivity of the faith community with new social media technologies, you can create incredibly powerful opportunities to promote religious travel that are also affordable. I look forward to sharing this good news with religious travel professionals and seeing them use it to further advance religious travel worldwide.”
The World Religious Travel Expo has developed into the pre-eminent faith tourism marketplace gathering with more than 500 travel professionals and tourism organizations from 30-plus countries in attendance. This November’s World Religious Travel Expo will be held in conjunction with the NTA Convention for the second year, providing a combined gathering of 2,000-plus travel professionals and tourism organizations. Through this collaboration with NTA, the leading association for travel professionals, both associations can offer its members unprecedented opportunities for education, business expansion, networking, and new market opportunities. For more information, call 888-255-WRTA (9782), email headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com or visit www.WRTAexpo.com.
Source: TravelPulse.com - Aug 20, 2010 / © 2010 Performance Media Group
Article link http://www.vacationagentmagazine.com/Editorial.aspx?n=75516
North America’s top faith marketing expert Greg Stielstra will keynote for the second year at the World Religious Travel Expo 2010. Stielstra is the co-author of “Faith-Based Marketing: The Guide to Reaching 140 Million Christian Customers” and the mind behind the strategy of “PyroMarketing” to help businesses reach and retain markets. Stielstra also served as the marketing director behind “The Purpose Driven Life,” a faith-based marketing phenomenon and the fastest selling hardcover book in American history. Stielstra worked in marketing for Christian publishers for 17 years where he planned the promotions for dozens of bestselling books. An expert in word-of-mouth, faith-based and social network marketing, Stielstra is the author of two books – “PyroMarketing: the Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life” and “Faith-Based Marketing: The Guide to Reaching 140 Million Christian Customers.”
“People have long known that word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising,” said Stielstra. “What they may not realize, however, is that faith communities spread word-of-mouth more effectively than any other group. What’s more, people of faith represent the largest demographic segment in the world. When you combine the size and connectivity of the faith community with new social media technologies, you can create incredibly powerful opportunities to promote religious travel that are also affordable. I look forward to sharing this good news with religious travel professionals and seeing them use it to further advance religious travel worldwide.”
The World Religious Travel Expo has developed into the pre-eminent faith tourism marketplace gathering with more than 500 travel professionals and tourism organizations from 30-plus countries in attendance. This November’s World Religious Travel Expo will be held in conjunction with the NTA Convention for the second year, providing a combined gathering of 2,000-plus travel professionals and tourism organizations. Through this collaboration with NTA, the leading association for travel professionals, both associations can offer its members unprecedented opportunities for education, business expansion, networking, and new market opportunities. For more information, call 888-255-WRTA (9782), email headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com or visit www.WRTAexpo.com.
Source: TravelPulse.com - Aug 20, 2010 / © 2010 Performance Media Group
Town business association sees national shrine as tourist draw
Originally published August 24, 2010
Read full story at
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/business/display.htm?StoryID=108939
By Ike Wilson
News-Post Staff
Emmitsburg -- Allen Knott has worked in Emmitsburg for five years and served as the treasurer for the town's business association over the same period.
However, Knott had not visited one of the town's tourism icons -- the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton -- until Thursday, when the Emmitsburg Business and Professional Association toured the facility.
He was impressed.
"I was in awe of the display and St. Elizabeth Seton's life from her time in Europe to when she came back to the United States," Knott said.
The 60-acre facility is more than a captivating memorial to a saint.
With 380 employees, the shrine boosts Emmitsburg 's economic development in several ways, the visitors said following the tour.
Religious tourism is an increasingly growing industry and the shrine offers an opportunity for pilgrims to walk in a saint's footsteps without having to travel to Europe or the Holy Land, said John Fieseler, the county's executive director for tourism.
To read the full story click on the link at the top.
Read full story at
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/business/display.htm?StoryID=108939
By Ike Wilson
News-Post Staff
Emmitsburg -- Allen Knott has worked in Emmitsburg for five years and served as the treasurer for the town's business association over the same period.
However, Knott had not visited one of the town's tourism icons -- the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton -- until Thursday, when the Emmitsburg Business and Professional Association toured the facility.
He was impressed.
"I was in awe of the display and St. Elizabeth Seton's life from her time in Europe to when she came back to the United States," Knott said.
The 60-acre facility is more than a captivating memorial to a saint.
With 380 employees, the shrine boosts Emmitsburg 's economic development in several ways, the visitors said following the tour.
Religious tourism is an increasingly growing industry and the shrine offers an opportunity for pilgrims to walk in a saint's footsteps without having to travel to Europe or the Holy Land, said John Fieseler, the county's executive director for tourism.
To read the full story click on the link at the top.
August 17, 2010
Bulgaria, Relics, and Religious Tourism (Wall Street Journal article)
Read full story at http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB10001424052748704216804575423673016971944.html
By JOE PARKINSON
SOZOPOL, Bulgaria—Archaeologists and clerics here say they have unearthed bones belonging to John the Baptist, an itinerant preacher revered by many Christians as the last of the Old Testament prophets.
Bulgaria's government is looking to the discovery for salvation—of a financial sort.
The remains, including a skull fragment and a tooth, were uncovered last month during the excavation of a fourth-century monastery on St. Ivan Island, off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. They were in a sealed reliquary buried next to a tiny urn inscribed with St. John's name and his birth date.
Officials of this recession-scarred country think the purported relics will give a big boost to tourism, drawing believers from neighboring Orthodox Christian countries to this nearby resort town,
Tens of millions of dollars have already been earmarked to prepare for an anticipated surge in visitors. Construction crews are enlarging the port and building a big new parking lot. Tour guides are being rewritten and new signs are going up to direct people to the relics.
Read rest of the story at the Wall Street Journal.....
By JOE PARKINSON
SOZOPOL, Bulgaria—Archaeologists and clerics here say they have unearthed bones belonging to John the Baptist, an itinerant preacher revered by many Christians as the last of the Old Testament prophets.
Bulgaria's government is looking to the discovery for salvation—of a financial sort.
The remains, including a skull fragment and a tooth, were uncovered last month during the excavation of a fourth-century monastery on St. Ivan Island, off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. They were in a sealed reliquary buried next to a tiny urn inscribed with St. John's name and his birth date.
Officials of this recession-scarred country think the purported relics will give a big boost to tourism, drawing believers from neighboring Orthodox Christian countries to this nearby resort town,
Tens of millions of dollars have already been earmarked to prepare for an anticipated surge in visitors. Construction crews are enlarging the port and building a big new parking lot. Tour guides are being rewritten and new signs are going up to direct people to the relics.
Read rest of the story at the Wall Street Journal.....
Bulgaria Hopes Recent Archaeology Discovery Will Help Save Economy
Read story: http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/2200
BalkanTravellers.com
16 August 2010 Bulgaria is looking to the recent discovery of what are claimed to be the relics of Saint John the Baptist for salvation of the country’s economy, The Wall Street Journal recently reported.
As BalkanTravellers.com wrote, an archaeology team – led by Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov, discovered a few weeks ago relics, consisting of parts of bones from the arm and leg, as well as a tooth and a facial bone, on the island of Saint Ivan near the Black Sea town of Sozopol.
In claims that quickly gave rise to controversy within archaeological circles as well as society at large, the relics were said to have belonged to Saint John the Baptist.
“Officials of this recession-scarred country think the purported relics will give a big boost to tourism,” the publication noted, “drawing believers from neighboring Orthodox Christian countries” to the town of Sozopol, where the relics are now displayed in a church.
“Tens of millions of dollars have already been earmarked to prepare for an anticipated surge in visitors,” according to the publication, and the town’s port is already being enlarged, tour guides rewritten and new signs are going up to direct people to the relics.
Although the relics’ authenticity has not yet been confirmed and has given rise to controversy among both international and local religious, scientific, civil and governmental institutions, news of the find is already attracting visitors to Sozopol.
The Church of Saint George, where the supposed relics are now displayed has seen its daily attendance rise from about 100 to more than 3,000.
To help pull Bulgaria – the EU’s poorest member state, out of its worst recession since the collapse of communism here 20 years ago, the government is looking to promote tourism.
“I'm not religious but these relics are in the premier league,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Dyankov told the publication. The relics’ “revenue potential for Bulgaria is clear,” he says, adding that he wants to double government spending on the development of religious tourism so “we can make this history profitable.”
Meanwhile, according to the publication, business in Sozopol continues to languish. “The government are telling us the town will become the next Jerusalem,” hotel owner Stanimir Stoyanov told The Wall Street Journal. “We just hope that they're right.”
Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria
BalkanTravellers.com
16 August 2010 Bulgaria is looking to the recent discovery of what are claimed to be the relics of Saint John the Baptist for salvation of the country’s economy, The Wall Street Journal recently reported.
As BalkanTravellers.com wrote, an archaeology team – led by Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov, discovered a few weeks ago relics, consisting of parts of bones from the arm and leg, as well as a tooth and a facial bone, on the island of Saint Ivan near the Black Sea town of Sozopol.
In claims that quickly gave rise to controversy within archaeological circles as well as society at large, the relics were said to have belonged to Saint John the Baptist.
“Officials of this recession-scarred country think the purported relics will give a big boost to tourism,” the publication noted, “drawing believers from neighboring Orthodox Christian countries” to the town of Sozopol, where the relics are now displayed in a church.
“Tens of millions of dollars have already been earmarked to prepare for an anticipated surge in visitors,” according to the publication, and the town’s port is already being enlarged, tour guides rewritten and new signs are going up to direct people to the relics.
Although the relics’ authenticity has not yet been confirmed and has given rise to controversy among both international and local religious, scientific, civil and governmental institutions, news of the find is already attracting visitors to Sozopol.
The Church of Saint George, where the supposed relics are now displayed has seen its daily attendance rise from about 100 to more than 3,000.
To help pull Bulgaria – the EU’s poorest member state, out of its worst recession since the collapse of communism here 20 years ago, the government is looking to promote tourism.
“I'm not religious but these relics are in the premier league,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Dyankov told the publication. The relics’ “revenue potential for Bulgaria is clear,” he says, adding that he wants to double government spending on the development of religious tourism so “we can make this history profitable.”
Meanwhile, according to the publication, business in Sozopol continues to languish. “The government are telling us the town will become the next Jerusalem,” hotel owner Stanimir Stoyanov told The Wall Street Journal. “We just hope that they're right.”
Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria
Religious tourism could get boost from canonization of Brother André
Full article: http://www.cjad.com/news/565/1188077
With the canonization of Brother Andre set for October, there are renewed calls to develop the potential of Quebec's religious tourism.
A study is underway by a former director of Quebec's Tourism Bureau to mine the potential of religious tourism in the province, and to publicize sites such as St Joseph Oratory in Montreal and Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre in Quebec City. Tourism analysts say the possible growth is considerable: 20% a year over the next 15 years.
Quebec may be a long way away from being a destination like the Vatican but Dr. Clarence Epstein, Concordia University's director of special projects and cultural affairs in the Office of the President, says the government can start taking steps now.
"It's going to take more than just the religious or the individual to bring tourists here. It's going to take a combination of factors that make Quebec such an interesting place to visit," Epstein tells CJAD News.
And that includes preserving and developing abandoned places of worship.
"We have to make those buildings alive again because the congregations that are leaving them now are certainly not going to give us much hope for how we handle our heritage going forward."
The religious tourism market is estimated at $18-billion dollars worldwide, $10-billion of that in North American.
"The churches of Quebec are what the castles are to Europe," Epstein says.
"And if (tourism officials and the government) play on that, and use that as part of its heritage strategy for marketing Quebec as a destination for whether it's religious or heritage tourism, then there's a larger opportunity of succeeding and convincing people to come and visit us."
With the canonization of Brother Andre set for October, there are renewed calls to develop the potential of Quebec's religious tourism.
A study is underway by a former director of Quebec's Tourism Bureau to mine the potential of religious tourism in the province, and to publicize sites such as St Joseph Oratory in Montreal and Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre in Quebec City. Tourism analysts say the possible growth is considerable: 20% a year over the next 15 years.
Quebec may be a long way away from being a destination like the Vatican but Dr. Clarence Epstein, Concordia University's director of special projects and cultural affairs in the Office of the President, says the government can start taking steps now.
"It's going to take more than just the religious or the individual to bring tourists here. It's going to take a combination of factors that make Quebec such an interesting place to visit," Epstein tells CJAD News.
And that includes preserving and developing abandoned places of worship.
"We have to make those buildings alive again because the congregations that are leaving them now are certainly not going to give us much hope for how we handle our heritage going forward."
The religious tourism market is estimated at $18-billion dollars worldwide, $10-billion of that in North American.
"The churches of Quebec are what the castles are to Europe," Epstein says.
"And if (tourism officials and the government) play on that, and use that as part of its heritage strategy for marketing Quebec as a destination for whether it's religious or heritage tourism, then there's a larger opportunity of succeeding and convincing people to come and visit us."
August 9, 2010
2010-2011 Religious Travel Buyer's Guide Just Published
The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) has just published its 2010-2011 RELIGIOUS TRAVEL BUYER'S GUIDE. The publication is the industry’s preeminent guide to the religious travel and hospitality marketplace (a $49 value).
How will the Buyer’s Guide help you?
Discover new ideas and opportunities for enriching your faith tourism and hospitality travel program, while also finding suppliers, products, and services in faith tourism.
What types of faith-based travel services can you learn about in the Buyer's Guide?
Pilgrimages, conferences, events, cruising, missionary travel, volunteer vacations, adventure, safaris, attractions, shrines and holy sites, leisure vacations, insurance, transportation, lodging, restaurants, retailers, destinations, and much more!
What type of travel providers can you find in the Buyer’s Guide?
Tour operators, travel agents, travel wholesalers, destinations and supplier members of WRTA—all of whom are involved in religious travel and hospitality. Our publication is easy to use, giving you quick e-links to web sites and emails, making it convenient for you to contact these distinguished travel providers.
How can you obtain your FREE (digital) copy of the Buyer's Guide?
Just click here http://bit.ly/WRTABuyersGuide2010-2011
How can your organization be featured in future editions of the Buyer's Guide?
Call 888-255-9782/859-219-3529 or email headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com.
Whether you are a religious leader who would like to learn more about developing a travel ministry program and how faith based travel can deepen spiritual growth, a travel agent looking for inspiring new travel product to offer your religious market segment or a supplier or destination who caters to the religious travel traveler, WRTA is your connection to growth and development in the religious travel industry.
I invite you to take full advantage of the resource you’ve been given through the Buyers Guide and I encourage you to consider membership in WRTA and/or attending the upcoming World Religious Travel Expo 2010, being held November 13-16 in Montreal, Quebec.
To learn how you can become more involved in WRTA or register for the Expo, please contact us via phone 888-255-9782/859-219-3529 or email headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com.
Best wishes to you in 2010 and 2011.
Kevin J. Wright
WRTA President
How will the Buyer’s Guide help you?
Discover new ideas and opportunities for enriching your faith tourism and hospitality travel program, while also finding suppliers, products, and services in faith tourism.
What types of faith-based travel services can you learn about in the Buyer's Guide?
Pilgrimages, conferences, events, cruising, missionary travel, volunteer vacations, adventure, safaris, attractions, shrines and holy sites, leisure vacations, insurance, transportation, lodging, restaurants, retailers, destinations, and much more!
What type of travel providers can you find in the Buyer’s Guide?
Tour operators, travel agents, travel wholesalers, destinations and supplier members of WRTA—all of whom are involved in religious travel and hospitality. Our publication is easy to use, giving you quick e-links to web sites and emails, making it convenient for you to contact these distinguished travel providers.
How can you obtain your FREE (digital) copy of the Buyer's Guide?
Just click here http://bit.ly/WRTABuyersGuide2010-2011
How can your organization be featured in future editions of the Buyer's Guide?
Call 888-255-9782/859-219-3529 or email headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com.
Whether you are a religious leader who would like to learn more about developing a travel ministry program and how faith based travel can deepen spiritual growth, a travel agent looking for inspiring new travel product to offer your religious market segment or a supplier or destination who caters to the religious travel traveler, WRTA is your connection to growth and development in the religious travel industry.
I invite you to take full advantage of the resource you’ve been given through the Buyers Guide and I encourage you to consider membership in WRTA and/or attending the upcoming World Religious Travel Expo 2010, being held November 13-16 in Montreal, Quebec.
To learn how you can become more involved in WRTA or register for the Expo, please contact us via phone 888-255-9782/859-219-3529 or email headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com.
Best wishes to you in 2010 and 2011.
Kevin J. Wright
WRTA President
Expo Buzz Newsletter Aug 5, 2010
WRTA's Expo Buzz
Greg Stielstra is Back to Ignite Your Marketing Fire
The highly-rated speaker from Expo 2009 and author of PyroMarketing, Greg Stielstra, has just signed on for Expo 2010! He will be the keynote speaker during the Sunday luncheon.
Greg is excited and honored to be coming back to speak at Expo and see everyone again. Be sure to watch for our formal press release to the industry regarding this special announcement. In the meantime, want to learn more about Greg Stielstra and his topics of Faith-based Marketing and PyroMarketing – including his books? Visit Greg’s website: http://www.pyromarketing.com/
Buyers: Explore Mauricie & Québec City
on WRTA's Dime
The first registered 25 buyers to contact us will receive the $500 post-Fam tour of the Montréal area at no cost! The tour departs Montréal Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 8 a.m. with an overnight in Québec City. The tour concludes at Montréal’s Trudeau Int’l Airport Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. To register or read more about the post-Fam, visit the Expo Web site: http://www.wrtaexpo.com/
Just Announced!
Travel Ministry Conference Coming to Montréal
Based on the tremendous response of attendees at our new Travel Ministry Conferences, WRTA is elated to announce the new addition of our Travel Ministry Conferences to our Expo in Montréal. Travel Ministry Conferences are smaller, more intimate gatherings designed specifically for pastors, religious/ministry leaders, and other group planners. More details to come soon. Stay tuned!
For $ 5,000, you can become an official co-sponsor of the Montréal Travel Ministry Conference, along side Palestine. This sponsorship includes 5 minutes of promotional time and the opportunity to distribute marking materials at the event. This sponsorship also qualifies you for Silver Level Expo benefits: two Expo registrations, premium 10x10 exhibit space, recognition as an official WRTA sponsor, sponsor signage, sponsor listing on Expo Web site, sponsor icon with listing in Expo Program (part of the NTA Convention Catalog – giving you additional exposure to the 1800 NTA delegates), participation in e-mail blast to WRTA members and Expo delegates and sponsor ribbon with badge.
Due to limited availability, this offer won’t be on the market for long. Call +1.859.226.4402 or email sales@WRTAstaff.com today to reserve your spot!
WRTA Expo
Nov. 13 -16, 2010
Palais des congrès de Montréal
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Greg Stielstra is Back to Ignite Your Marketing Fire
The highly-rated speaker from Expo 2009 and author of PyroMarketing, Greg Stielstra, has just signed on for Expo 2010! He will be the keynote speaker during the Sunday luncheon.
Greg is excited and honored to be coming back to speak at Expo and see everyone again. Be sure to watch for our formal press release to the industry regarding this special announcement. In the meantime, want to learn more about Greg Stielstra and his topics of Faith-based Marketing and PyroMarketing – including his books? Visit Greg’s website: http://www.pyromarketing.com/
Buyers: Explore Mauricie & Québec City
on WRTA's Dime
The first registered 25 buyers to contact us will receive the $500 post-Fam tour of the Montréal area at no cost! The tour departs Montréal Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 8 a.m. with an overnight in Québec City. The tour concludes at Montréal’s Trudeau Int’l Airport Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. To register or read more about the post-Fam, visit the Expo Web site: http://www.wrtaexpo.com/
Just Announced!
Travel Ministry Conference Coming to Montréal
Based on the tremendous response of attendees at our new Travel Ministry Conferences, WRTA is elated to announce the new addition of our Travel Ministry Conferences to our Expo in Montréal. Travel Ministry Conferences are smaller, more intimate gatherings designed specifically for pastors, religious/ministry leaders, and other group planners. More details to come soon. Stay tuned!
For $ 5,000, you can become an official co-sponsor of the Montréal Travel Ministry Conference, along side Palestine. This sponsorship includes 5 minutes of promotional time and the opportunity to distribute marking materials at the event. This sponsorship also qualifies you for Silver Level Expo benefits: two Expo registrations, premium 10x10 exhibit space, recognition as an official WRTA sponsor, sponsor signage, sponsor listing on Expo Web site, sponsor icon with listing in Expo Program (part of the NTA Convention Catalog – giving you additional exposure to the 1800 NTA delegates), participation in e-mail blast to WRTA members and Expo delegates and sponsor ribbon with badge.
Due to limited availability, this offer won’t be on the market for long. Call +1.859.226.4402 or email sales@WRTAstaff.com today to reserve your spot!
WRTA Expo
Nov. 13 -16, 2010
Palais des congrès de Montréal
Montréal, Québec, Canada
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