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Keeping the faith

Tue Feb 6, 11:25 AM ET

Religious road warriors don't have to leave their faith at home when they take a business trip. A new Web site promises to help make it easier for business travelers to practice their religion in transit.

For $50 a year, members of the newly-launched World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) will be able to access links to airport chapels, lists of churches offering services such as daily Catholic Mass, and destinations with historic churches or famous shrines, says Kevin Wright, executive director of the association.

The group's focus will be primarily on Christian travelers, reflecting the majority of North American churchgoers, Wright says.

Travelers can also visit the WRTA site to plan leisure trips. In the last decade or so, "the religious market" has emerged as an important niche. "Consumers are spending on products related to their interest and faith,'' says Wright. "It's driven by the larger Christian market with films like 'The Passion' and 'Narnia.'''

Along with the rise of Christian marketing, cruise companies have increasingly allowed full ship charters, where groups hire a ship for a cruise and have a lot of control over activities. For example, Christian groups might install religious bookstores for the duration of the cruise, or they'll close the casinos, says Wright.

For Kosher Jewish groups, cruise companies will take extra steps to fulfill special dietary requirements.

Would you be interested in the kinds of services offered by the World Religious Travel Association? Write to Barbara Correa at bboydstoncorrea@yahoo.com.

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Comments

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1
Interested? Sure. But not until they offer Buddhist. CY in CA
Posted by claire_youmans on Tue, Feb 6, 2007 4:34 PM ET
2
Outstanding idea!! We spend billions in travel each year. It's about time someone acknowledge the needs of the religious community
Posted by chaptf49 on Wed, Feb 7, 2007 6:54 PM ET
3
This is a great idea. I support it 100 percent!
Posted by sabipaez57 on Fri, Feb 9, 2007 2:46 AM ET
4
I support it, but why just catholic services why not all of the other religions out there. I am Lutheran and would like to have this when I travel.
Posted by lblack2815 on Wed, Feb 21, 2007 10:02 PM ET
5
Great idea! Keep it coming! I am a Christian, but I would also think it great to offer such services to Jews, Buddists, etc. My only concern is that terrorists of a certain religion could use the service for some type of support for their terrorist activities; some type of protection needs to be built into to the system to prevent this.
Posted by peter.charette on Tue, May 1, 2007 8:56 PM ET
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