Globus, which launched a separate religious division to develop and operate religious vacations, has announced its religious programs for 2007. In addition, catering to most denominations, including several itineraries focused on Catholic and Protestant/Christian faiths, Globus has increased the number of departures by 50 percent for 2007. New religious vacations include “Christian England and the World of C.S. Lewis,” “A Journey through the Bible: Egypt and Jordan,” “The Grand Catholic Italy” vacation and a tour of Lourdes and the Shrines of France, all of which offer personal, in-depth visits to famous religious sites. In addition to these new vacation options, Globus reintroduced popular itineraries.

In 2006, Globus held regional Religious Travel Symposiums and Faith-Based Travel Showcases, providing education, presentations by pastors who run travel programs and sales strategies for travel agents interested in offering religious vacations to their clients. “The main purpose of the symposiums is to help agents successfully enter and succeed in this rapidly growing market,” said Mike Schields, director of group sales and emerging markets for the Globus family of brands. “Interest in, and attendance at, our travel symposiums increased by 100 percent in 2005. We’re bringing more to agents in 2007 and are planning to host conferences in Denver, Seattle and Boston or Atlanta.”

Additionally, the Globus Faith website acts as a resource for agents selling faith-based travel, as well as travelers interested in learning more about the world’s great religious sites. Globus recently introduced a feature providing website visitors with the stories behind each religious site, giving them historical context for the offerings of each vacation.

Globus’ 2007 religious programs include the 10-day “Footsteps of Apostle Paul to Greece and Turkey” tour from $1,569 per person, double, land only; the 11-day “Journey Through the Bible to Egypt and Jordan” itinerary, from $1,699 land only; the nine-day “Christian England & the World of C.S. Lewis” program, from $1,929 land-only; the nine-day “Classic Shrines of Italy” tour, from $1,649 land only; the 10-day “Grand Catholic Italy” itinerary, from $1,849 land only; the 10-day “Lourdes & Shrines of France” program, from $1,799 land only; and the seven-day “Footsteps of Pope John Paul II & Poland Heritage” tour, from $1,149 land only.