Here's a photo of my book signing at the recent World Religious Travel Expo.
November 24, 2008
August 18, 2008
Kevin J. Wright to Speak at Nebraska Travel Conference on Faith Tourism
The Grand Island Independent (Nebraska)
Website: http://www.theindependent.com/news/x1806343559/Nebraska-Travel-Conference-to-explore-states-third-largest-industry
KEARNEY — The 33rd annual Nebraska Travel Conference invites the state tourism industry to come to Kearney this fall.
The conference will be Oct. 21 through 23 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center, 301 S. Second Ave.
The conference will include educational workshops, general sessions and networking opportunities, as well as travel industry exhibitor booths displaying essential new products. Attendees will also be able to participate in the Nebraska Travel Association's Silent Auction, a fundraiser that will benefit tourism activities throughout Nebraska.
Nebraska Travel Conference to explore state's third largest industry
Other notable speakers include Kevin Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association, who will give a talk titled, "Welcome to the New Era of the $18 Billion Faith Tourism Industry”.
Website: http://www.theindependent.com/news/x1806343559/Nebraska-Travel-Conference-to-explore-states-third-largest-industry
KEARNEY — The 33rd annual Nebraska Travel Conference invites the state tourism industry to come to Kearney this fall.
The conference will be Oct. 21 through 23 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center, 301 S. Second Ave.
The conference will include educational workshops, general sessions and networking opportunities, as well as travel industry exhibitor booths displaying essential new products. Attendees will also be able to participate in the Nebraska Travel Association's Silent Auction, a fundraiser that will benefit tourism activities throughout Nebraska.
Nebraska Travel Conference to explore state's third largest industry
Other notable speakers include Kevin Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association, who will give a talk titled, "Welcome to the New Era of the $18 Billion Faith Tourism Industry”.
July 1, 2008
The Year of Faith Tourism Proclaimed by World Religious Travel Association
LITTLETON, Colorado (July 1, 2008) – The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) has designated 2009 as The Year of Faith Tourism. Serving as a special time set aside for the promotion of and participation in travel by people of faith, the purpose and goal of the year-long celebrations and activities is three-fold: (1) Highlight the New Era of Faith Tourism. (2) Increase the awareness of the personal and communal benefits of Faith Tourism. (3) Contribute to the overall growth and health of the global economy, travel industry, and individual travel providers.All sectors of society are encouraged to become actively involved in The Year of Faith Tourism including the media, governments, travel providers/suppliers, faith communities, and individuals. The official host of The Year of Faith Tourism is the World Religious Travel Association, the leading organization dedicated to the $18 billion faith-based travel, tourism, and hospitality industry.
“Never before has a time been so ripe for the promotion of and participation in Faith Tourism. Although religious travel is the historic forerunner of today’s mass tourism, only now is Faith Tourism beginning to make its presence and economic contributions known throughout society and the travel industry in a big way,” said Kevin J. Wright, WRTA president and author of The Christian Travel Planner. “Faith Tourism is a market that is currently experiencing extraordinary growth on multiple fronts and is poised to continue this trend into 2009 and beyond.”
In recent years, Faith Tourism has evolved from a niche market driven primarily by budget pilgrimages and retirees into a vast and dynamic industry comprised of all ages seeking a diverse range of quality travel experiences. Faith Tourism today comprises its own “niche” segments including pilgrimages, missionary travel, volunteer vacations, events, conferences, cruises, leisure vacations, adventure trips, retreats, camps, monastic guest-stays, attractions, and many other forms of travel. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are 3.3 billion Christian domestic tourists each year, 250 million Christian foreign tourists, and 150 million Christian pilgrims who are “on the move.”
As 2009 is shaping up to be year of uncertainty especially within the travel industry, there has never been a more opportune or needed time for placing Faith Tourism “front and center” of society and the global travel industry. With its designation and spotlight in 2009, Faith Tourism is set to serve as an integral economic pillar and stimulus of the global and local travel economy during this special year of celebrations and activities.
The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) has designated the following fifteen ways in which every person and sector of society and the travel industry can become involved in the promotion of and/or active participation in Faith Tourism:
1. Individuals embark on travels with their faith community and/or to any faith-related destination.
2. Individuals become group travel planners for their faith communities.
3. Faith communities launch a formal travel program (or travel ministry).
4. Faith communities host one or more group trips.
5. Religious leaders preach on travel as ministry.
6. Tourist boards and CVB’s dedicate resources towards attracting, growing, and measuring Faith Tourism.
7. Travel and hospitality providers integrate the faith market and consumer into their overall product, sales, and marketing plans/efforts.
8. The travel industry further develops and enriches Faith Tourism educational resources and business materials.
9. Tour director schools integrate faith tourism curriculum.
10. Media feature and report on stories about Faith Tourism.
11. Film and other related companies produce faith travel programs, documentaries, and series.
12. Publishers launch or expand faith travel publications including guidebooks, magazines, and other periodicals.
13. Religious bookstores and gift-stores implement Travel sections.
14. Colleges and universities undertake the study of Faith Tourism and/or offer Faith Tourism classes.
15. Religious governing bodies promote and advance the theology of Faith Tourism.
As part of its kick-off for The Year of Faith Tourism, the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) is hosting this fall the World Religious Travel Expo & Educational Conference in Orlando (Florida) from October 29 – November 1, 2008. Serving as the travel industry’s first-ever global tradeshow and convention dedicated to the faith tourism and hospitality industry, the event will serve as a gathering of the “Who’s Who” in this robust marketplace. Two of the keynote speakers include the Honorable Neko C. Grant, Bahamas Minister of Tourism, and Maurice Zarmati, President & CEO of Costa Cruise Lines. The selected keynote speakers reflect the growth and diversity of today’s faith tourism industry. More than 400 participants are expected at this historic and unprecedented show.
To learn more about The Year of Faith Tourism, visit the official website at www.faithtourism2009.com. For more information about the World Religious Travel Association or the World Religious Travel Expo, visit the websites www.religioustravelassociation.com and www.religioustravelexpo.com or call 1-800-657-1288.
###
About the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA)
The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) is the leading network for shaping, enriching, and expanding the $18 billion global faith tourism industry. WRTA exists to bring the travel trade and religious consumer together for the primary purpose of promoting and providing quality faith travel experiences around the globe. As the source and voice for the religious travel industry, WRTA provides members opportunities to network, learn, contribute, and lead. WRTA embraces all segments of faith tourism: Pilgrimages, Leisure, Cruises, Events/Conventions, Missions, Retreats, Attractions, Family, Student/Youth, Adventure and Volunteer Vacations. To learn more about WRTA or to become a member or associate, visit www.ReligiousTravelAssociation.com or contact WRTA at 1-800-657-1288 or 360-778-3047. To attend or exhibit at the World Religious Travel Expo, register online at www.ReligiousTravelExpo.com.
May 3, 2008
Christian Bookstores: Why Host a Christian Travel Section
Dear Christian Bookstores:
As a primary role of the neighborhood Christian bookstore is to meet the needs of fellow Christians, this includes meeting their travel needs. Currently most Christian bookstores unfortunately are missing out on a tremendous ministry and financial opportunity by not hosting a "Travel" section in their respective stores. As a result, Christians do not shop for travel books at their neighborhood Christian bookstore but rather at their secular bookstore counterparts (ironically this applies to the owners of Christian bookstores too). I'd like to change all that and begin assisting Christian bookstores of meeting the travel needs of their fellow Christians.
How can we make this possible? It all begins with Christian bookstores launching a Travel section in their respective stores. For this reason, I will begin writing more often on this topic. For today's purposes however, I wanted to provide Christian bookstores with a sampling of titles that they can begin their Christian Travel section with......here are some possible titles:
* The Christian Travel Planner by Kevin J. Wright (Thomas Nelson)
* The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land by Charles H. Dyer and Gregory A. Hatteberg (Moody Publishers)
* How to Get Ready for Short-Term Missions by Anne-Geri Fann & Greg Taylor (Thomas Nelson)
* The Changing Face of World Missions by Michael Pocock (Baker Academic)
* The Christian Traveler’s Companion The USA & Canada by Amy S. Eckert and William J. Petersen (Fleming Revell)
* Christian Lodging Guide by Christian Hospitality Network (William & Warren)
* Touring C.S. Lewis’ Ireland & England by Perry C. Bramlett and Ronald W. Higdon (Smyth & Helwys)
* Vacations with a Purpose – A Handbook for your Short-Term Missions Experience by Chris Eaton & Kim Hurst (Cook Ministries Resources)
* The Christian Conference Planner by Angela Yee (SummitStar)
* Europe’s Monastery & Convent Guesthouses by Kevin J. Wright (Liguori Publications)
* Bed And Blessings Italy – A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging by June Walsh/Anne Walsh (Paulist Press)
* Every Pilgrim’s Guide to Celtic Britain and Ireland by Andrew Jones (Liguori Publications)
* Every Pilgrim’s Guide to the Journeys of the Apostles – Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Itlay, Lebanon, Malta, Syria and the Holy Land by Michael Counsell (Canterbury Press)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to Great Britain by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to France by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to Germany by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
There are dozens more titles of faith and family friend travel books. Watch for more of my blog writings on this subject.
All the best,
Kevin J. Wright
As a primary role of the neighborhood Christian bookstore is to meet the needs of fellow Christians, this includes meeting their travel needs. Currently most Christian bookstores unfortunately are missing out on a tremendous ministry and financial opportunity by not hosting a "Travel" section in their respective stores. As a result, Christians do not shop for travel books at their neighborhood Christian bookstore but rather at their secular bookstore counterparts (ironically this applies to the owners of Christian bookstores too). I'd like to change all that and begin assisting Christian bookstores of meeting the travel needs of their fellow Christians.
How can we make this possible? It all begins with Christian bookstores launching a Travel section in their respective stores. For this reason, I will begin writing more often on this topic. For today's purposes however, I wanted to provide Christian bookstores with a sampling of titles that they can begin their Christian Travel section with......here are some possible titles:
* The Christian Travel Planner by Kevin J. Wright (Thomas Nelson)
* The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land by Charles H. Dyer and Gregory A. Hatteberg (Moody Publishers)
* How to Get Ready for Short-Term Missions by Anne-Geri Fann & Greg Taylor (Thomas Nelson)
* The Changing Face of World Missions by Michael Pocock (Baker Academic)
* The Christian Traveler’s Companion The USA & Canada by Amy S. Eckert and William J. Petersen (Fleming Revell)
* Christian Lodging Guide by Christian Hospitality Network (William & Warren)
* Touring C.S. Lewis’ Ireland & England by Perry C. Bramlett and Ronald W. Higdon (Smyth & Helwys)
* Vacations with a Purpose – A Handbook for your Short-Term Missions Experience by Chris Eaton & Kim Hurst (Cook Ministries Resources)
* The Christian Conference Planner by Angela Yee (SummitStar)
* Europe’s Monastery & Convent Guesthouses by Kevin J. Wright (Liguori Publications)
* Bed And Blessings Italy – A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging by June Walsh/Anne Walsh (Paulist Press)
* Every Pilgrim’s Guide to Celtic Britain and Ireland by Andrew Jones (Liguori Publications)
* Every Pilgrim’s Guide to the Journeys of the Apostles – Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Itlay, Lebanon, Malta, Syria and the Holy Land by Michael Counsell (Canterbury Press)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to Italy by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to Great Britain by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to France by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
* The Christian Travelers Guide to Germany by Irving Hexham (Zondervan)
There are dozens more titles of faith and family friend travel books. Watch for more of my blog writings on this subject.
All the best,
Kevin J. Wright
May 1, 2008
My Book Signing at The Rock Church
I had a wonderful time at the last Sunday's book signing at The Rock Church (mega-church) in San Diego, CA.....home of Pastor Miles McPherson, former NFL player with the San Diego Chargers. Here's a photo from the book signing and event.....
April 23, 2008
Bookstores Being Creative with The Christian Travel Planner
Hey Christian Bookstores......
Want to increase your sales and become the "go to" place for all Christians? Then check out this ingenious Christian giftshop idea below regarding the debut of their new "Travel" section! As their sales of The Christian Travel Planner of course went through the roof with this fabulous and fun display.....you can replicate this idea or even challenge yourself and see if your store can come up with a bigger, better, and more remarkable idea. The sky is the limit!
P.S. If you know of any bookstores or giftshops that have a fun "Travel" section display.....send in photos of the display to me and I may publish it in The Christian Travel Planner blog!
April 19, 2008
Book Signing at The Rock Church April 27 (San Diego, CA)
I will be doing a book signing at The Rock Church in San Diego on Sunday April 27 from 11am to 2pm. The Rock Church is located at 2277 Rosecrans St. San Diego, CA 92106. The pastor of The Rock Church is Miles McPherson, former NFL player with the San Diego Chargers. I hope to see you there! By the way.....here's a sneak-peak look at the "Tower of Power" for the Christian Travel Planner guidebook at The Rock Church bookstore - in preparation for the book signing. The photo is complements of my professional (cell phone) photographer sister - Michelle Wright.
Associated Press: Christian Travel Planner guide to faith-based trips
Christian Travel Planner guide to faith-based trips
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 04/18/2008
Click here to view the full Associated Press article.
NASHVILLE—A guide to faith-based trips is out called "The Christian Travel Planner."
The $16.99 paperback includes information about missions and ministries; Christian cruises, camps and retreats; and Christian heritage sites overseas in the Middle East, Greece, Italy, England, Germany and other places.
Domestic attractions noted in the book include the Holy Land Experience biblical park in Orlando, Fla., and "The Great Passion Play" performed in Eureka Springs, Ark. Listings for monastic guest stays include the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, N.M., and the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Ky.
The book from Nashville-based publisher Thomas Nelson was written by Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association.
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 04/18/2008
Click here to view the full Associated Press article.
NASHVILLE—A guide to faith-based trips is out called "The Christian Travel Planner."
The $16.99 paperback includes information about missions and ministries; Christian cruises, camps and retreats; and Christian heritage sites overseas in the Middle East, Greece, Italy, England, Germany and other places.
Domestic attractions noted in the book include the Holy Land Experience biblical park in Orlando, Fla., and "The Great Passion Play" performed in Eureka Springs, Ark. Listings for monastic guest stays include the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, N.M., and the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Ky.
The book from Nashville-based publisher Thomas Nelson was written by Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association.
April 6, 2008
Denver Post Review - The Christian Travel Planner
Denver Post Review of The Christian Travel Planner
Book Your Vacation
04/03/2008
Website link: http://www.denverpost.com/travel/ci_8775853
"The Christian Travel Planner" ($16.99, Thomas Nelson) makes it possible to plan a trip around specific interests, including tours of biblical areas, retreats, pilgrimages and missionary work, as well as vacations that incorporate stops at religious sites throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. Author Kevin J. Wright, who lives in Littleton and is the founder of the World Religious Travel Association, has organized the planner in a logical way, starting with the reasons for going to a particular area, the religious significance of the sites, the time and logistics involved, and the costs. He also offers relevant Bible passages and historical information, as well as practical tips, such as his suggestion for taking warm clothing if you plan to hike to the top of Mount Sinai in Egypt in the early morning, as it can be chilly even in the summer. Helpful websites, lodging recommendations and other activity options in each area round out this thorough guide.
Kyle Wagner
Book Your Vacation
04/03/2008
Website link: http://www.denverpost.com/travel/ci_8775853
"The Christian Travel Planner" ($16.99, Thomas Nelson) makes it possible to plan a trip around specific interests, including tours of biblical areas, retreats, pilgrimages and missionary work, as well as vacations that incorporate stops at religious sites throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. Author Kevin J. Wright, who lives in Littleton and is the founder of the World Religious Travel Association, has organized the planner in a logical way, starting with the reasons for going to a particular area, the religious significance of the sites, the time and logistics involved, and the costs. He also offers relevant Bible passages and historical information, as well as practical tips, such as his suggestion for taking warm clothing if you plan to hike to the top of Mount Sinai in Egypt in the early morning, as it can be chilly even in the summer. Helpful websites, lodging recommendations and other activity options in each area round out this thorough guide.
Kyle Wagner
Boston Globe Review - The Christian Travel Planner
Boston Globe review of The Christian Travel Planner
Where Jesus went, and Paul, and Martin ...
Posted by Julie Dalton, Globe Travel Staff
February 19, 2008 01:27 PM
This seemed like the book Mike Huckabee would be picking up in the next couple of weeks – oh, OK, maybe months – but his grandly paid Presidents Day weekend in Grand Cayman for the price of a 20-minute speech may have affected his tastes. . . . Nah, Huck still will love “The Christian Travel Planner” by Kevin J. Wright (Thomas Nelson, 416 pp., $16.99, paperback), an encyclopedic and friendly presentation and exposition of sites around the world to entice and inspire travelers uninterested in Sodom, Gomorrah, or Vegas. Pilgrimage tours, mission trips, retreats, conference cruises, camp vacations, religious festivals, solo itineraries devised by the reader alone or with friends are all possible with the materials Wright has meticulously assembled. Jesus (Israel, Jordan, the Egyptian Sinai), Saint Paul (Turkey and Greece), early Christianity (Rome and the Vatican), John Knox (Scotland), Martin Luther (Germany), Thomas Becket (Canterbury Cathedral), John Calvin (Switzerland) are all historical pieces of the worldwide reach of Christian religions and their shrines and remnants.
With each selection, including the Creation Museum outside Cincinnati and the Holy Land Experience in Orlando and the Amish community in Pennsylvania, Wright includes almost all the information an interested traveler, armchair or otherwise, might require in order to take the next step. With some, he goes further: Why should I visit? What should I see and do? How much time should I spend? How can I get there? All are answered succinctly (and none too theologically). In the section on cruises, for instance, Wright summarizes trips by length, cost, when best to go, with whom, and adds a list of “Demands and Benefits”: spiritual focus, fellowship opportunities, physically demanding, intellectually stimulating, emotionally rewarding, culturally enriching. The book has other virtues, though not pictorial (it is truly a paperback, black and white): maps showing itineraries, be they Paul’s or Moses’; a detailed index; pages of notes; a varied bibliography; a list of tour operators; and more websites throughout than you can imagine. Then, again, the religious travel industry is a multibillion-dollar business with hundreds of millions of participants each year. Thinking again of the job-hunting former governor of Arkansas traveling with homo sapiens restores my faith in humanity.
Where Jesus went, and Paul, and Martin ...
Posted by Julie Dalton, Globe Travel Staff
February 19, 2008 01:27 PM
This seemed like the book Mike Huckabee would be picking up in the next couple of weeks – oh, OK, maybe months – but his grandly paid Presidents Day weekend in Grand Cayman for the price of a 20-minute speech may have affected his tastes. . . . Nah, Huck still will love “The Christian Travel Planner” by Kevin J. Wright (Thomas Nelson, 416 pp., $16.99, paperback), an encyclopedic and friendly presentation and exposition of sites around the world to entice and inspire travelers uninterested in Sodom, Gomorrah, or Vegas. Pilgrimage tours, mission trips, retreats, conference cruises, camp vacations, religious festivals, solo itineraries devised by the reader alone or with friends are all possible with the materials Wright has meticulously assembled. Jesus (Israel, Jordan, the Egyptian Sinai), Saint Paul (Turkey and Greece), early Christianity (Rome and the Vatican), John Knox (Scotland), Martin Luther (Germany), Thomas Becket (Canterbury Cathedral), John Calvin (Switzerland) are all historical pieces of the worldwide reach of Christian religions and their shrines and remnants.
With each selection, including the Creation Museum outside Cincinnati and the Holy Land Experience in Orlando and the Amish community in Pennsylvania, Wright includes almost all the information an interested traveler, armchair or otherwise, might require in order to take the next step. With some, he goes further: Why should I visit? What should I see and do? How much time should I spend? How can I get there? All are answered succinctly (and none too theologically). In the section on cruises, for instance, Wright summarizes trips by length, cost, when best to go, with whom, and adds a list of “Demands and Benefits”: spiritual focus, fellowship opportunities, physically demanding, intellectually stimulating, emotionally rewarding, culturally enriching. The book has other virtues, though not pictorial (it is truly a paperback, black and white): maps showing itineraries, be they Paul’s or Moses’; a detailed index; pages of notes; a varied bibliography; a list of tour operators; and more websites throughout than you can imagine. Then, again, the religious travel industry is a multibillion-dollar business with hundreds of millions of participants each year. Thinking again of the job-hunting former governor of Arkansas traveling with homo sapiens restores my faith in humanity.
March 25, 2008
WRTA features special 50% discount for The Christian Travel Planner
The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) debuts this month a special 50% discount reserved exclusively for all members/associates of WRTA - when they purchase The Christian Travel Planner (www.christiantravelplanner.com).
To join WRTA and become a Member or Associate and receive your special 50% discount, simply visit www.religioustravelassociation.com and click on "Join WRTA." The complete your online membership registration.
To join WRTA and become a Member or Associate and receive your special 50% discount, simply visit www.religioustravelassociation.com and click on "Join WRTA." The complete your online membership registration.
USA TODAY features The Christian Travel Planner
USA TODAY featured my new book The Christian Travel Planner (www.christiantravelplanner.com) in my interview with them for the featured article "10 great places to mark Christianity's holiest day." To view the full article, click here http://www.abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=4491511&page=1
Opening story paragraph....
Celebrate the sacred Christian holiday of Easter with a journey to a religious site where faith and history come alive. Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association and author of The Christian Travel Planner (Thomas Nelson, $16.99), shares his recommendations worldwide with Kathy Baruffi for USA TODAY.
Opening story paragraph....
Celebrate the sacred Christian holiday of Easter with a journey to a religious site where faith and history come alive. Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association and author of The Christian Travel Planner (Thomas Nelson, $16.99), shares his recommendations worldwide with Kathy Baruffi for USA TODAY.
March 2, 2008
Christian Travel Planner Website debuts
You can now visit the Official website for The Christian Travel Planner at www.christiantravelplanner.com. You can view here info about the travel guidebook, press, a sample chapter, and info on where to buy the book and much more.
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