Faith-Based Travel On The Rise

Whether it’s a trip to the Holy Land or a pilgrimage to Ireland, faith-based travel is up with Globus and Cosmos, and thanks to growing interest, the company is introducing a new destination – Mexico.

Value-focused brand Cosmos has unveiled two new faith-based vacations for 2016 – the six-day Mexico & Our Lady of Guadalupe, priced from $1,849, and the eight-day Protestant Classic Israel priced from $1,711 (airfare not included).

In addition to these new tours, Cosmos is launching “Get Out and Give Back” volunteer opportunities for travellers. Two itineraries – Holy Land Discovery and Protestant Classic Israel – will feature special departure dates that provide travellers the opportunity to give back to the citizens of Israel and Jordan with volunteer work in Nazareth, Jerusalem and Madaba. In Nazareth, volunteers will work with Nazareth Trust assisting staff in the hospital or in a community to support local churches and ministries.

In Jerusalem, they will work alongside Pantry Packers, parceling food destined for the city’s needy. When extending a vacation in Jordan, there’s an opportunity to plant an olive tree in Madaba with Custodia Terra Sancta – a symbol of peace as well as a resource for the population.

And now that Pope Francis has declared 2016 a Jubilee of Mercy, Stéphanie Bishop, managing director for the Globus family of brands in Canada, is expecting the company’s faith-based Italy tours – Globus’ Grand Catholic Italy and Cosmos’ Spiritual Highlights of Italy to be extremely popular in 2016.

According to Bishop, the company has doubled its faith-based itineraries since 2009, and next year alone, budget-friendly Cosmos will be up to six.

The company’s top-selling faith-based vacations this year so far are Globus’ Footsteps of Apostle Paul (featuring Greece and Turkey) and Marian Shrines of Europe (featuring France, Spain and Portugal) as well as Cosmos’ Fátima, Lourdes & Shrines of Spain (also featuring France, Spain and Portugal).

Even better, Canadians can raise funds for their church or place of worship when they book as a group on a Globus or Cosmos faith-based tour. The Get Out & Give Back program applies with groups as small as eight. Larger can lead to a contribution of up to $1,000.

Early Booking Incentive: Book a 2016 faith-based holiday by Sept. 15 and save 10% (up to $742 per couple) with Globus. On Cosmos, travellers can save $50 per person.

(http://www.GlobusJourneys.ca ; http://www.CosmosVacations.ca)