TOP 10 REASONS TO ENTER/EXPAND YOUR PRESENCE IN THE RELIGIOUS TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY MARKET
The number one question for organizations and professionals in the travel trade to ask is “Why should we enter or expand our presence in religious tourism?” Above all, the religious market provides an opportunity for new business, new clients and new revenues. The following are the top 10 reasons to enter or expand your presence in the religious travel and hospitality marketplace:
1. Religious tourism is today one of the fastest growing markets in the travel industry.
Taken together, the religious travel and hospitality marketplace is valued at $18 billion and comprises 300 million travelers. Many countries, destinations, attractions and various sites have experienced record numbers of religious travelers and visitors in recent years, and many of these same entities and organizations expect these numbers to grow substantially over the next decade.
2. One in four travelers is interested in religious travel.
According to a study by the U.S. Travel Association, one quarter of travelers said they were currently interested in taking a spiritual vacation (e.g., religious retreat, pilgrimage). This means that on average 25 percent of your existing clientele would be interested in your organization or destination offering religious travel products and services. Similar statistics can be found in many countries in which a large percentage of the population shares an interest in faith-based travel and events.
3. Religious travel is a group-dominated market.
Rather than traveling in “onesies and twosies,” people of faith travel in groups. In fact, group travel comprises approximately 75 percent of the faith tourism marketplace. This is very good news, because business comes in large numbers. Additionally, this means the marketplace is full of pied pipers.
4. People of faith like to repeat their travel experience.
One of the most enticing statistics about the religious travel market is in regards to the overwhelming percentage (estimated at 80 percent) of faith-based travelers who express interest in repeating their travel experience. This staggering statistic means religious travelers provide a tremendous opportunity for repeat business.
5. Faith-based travel appeals to all ages.
A major misconception about the faith-based marketplace is that faith-based travel appeals primarily to seniors. Conversely, religious travel appeals to all ages with interest divided equally between the age groups of 18–34, 35–54 and 55+. For this reason, it’s common to see families, young adults, college students, professionals, baby boomers and retirees all traveling together on a faith-based trip. Few markets within the travel industry offer such a wide age-group appeal.
6. Faith-based groups and travelers seek a diverse range of travel and event experiences.
Although pilgrimages are most often associated with the religious travel market, this type of vacation experience only scratches the surface of interest by people of faith. Today, churches and religious groups embark on a wide variety of trips including not only pilgrimages but also cruises, leisure vacations, missionary travel, volunteer vacations, adventure trips, safaris, local getaways, retreats, conventions, meetings and much more. The religious travel marketplace is much more dynamic than ever before, which provides unprecedented opportunities for travel wholesalers, suppliers or destinations to participate.
7. The religious traveler is a loyal and faithful client.
People of faith are by their very nature faithful. When a religious traveler or group finds a travel organization or destination with whom they are happy, they often become a loyal client and customer. Coupled with the fact that people of faith like to repeat their travel experiences, this makes the religious marketplace very appealing for its repeat business opportunities.
8. Religious travelers are very resilient.
The buying decisions and motives of religious travelers often differ from other travelers. How so? Many religious travelers will make or base their buying decisions in relation to their faith. In contrast, non-faith-based travelers will often make buying decisions in response to other factors such as their current financial situation, leisure time availability, the safety of a destination and so forth. As a result, religious travelers are a much more resilient market. Regardless of political or financial instability at a destination, people of faith often will continue with their travel plans and events. Their faith compels them to do so.
9. More travel agents and retailers are selling today to faith-based groups and organizations.
Thousands of travel agents who never previously sold to the religious market are today entering the fast-growing marketplace of faith tourism. In turn, this means tour operators, wholesalers, cruise lines, destination management organizations and suppliers of all kinds have a whole new channel of business in which to sell their products and services. In other words, as travel agents expand their customer base to include people of faith, new opportunities are created for those who sell to travel agents.
10. The religious travel market provides a new channel of clients, business, and opportunities.
Above all, one of the primary reasons for travel companies and tourism organizations to enter or expand their presence in the religious market is new client and revenue opportunities. Currently, most organizations have not tapped fully into the religious travel market. With minimal investment, however, many organizations can expect excellent return on investment when selling to the religious travel market. For this reason, once a company or organization begins working with people of faith, this new channel of business often evolves into a key cornerstone of business.