SALEM, Ohio — Church groups report an increase in numbers of travelers on group tours in the “Going On Faith 2011 Travel Industry Report.” Sixty-seven percent of responding churches reported a load factor average above 36 passengers per tour. That is up from 65 percent from last year.
The GOF Report is the result of a survey of more than 1,000 traveling church groups and was completed following the organizations annual conference in Richmond, Va. Going On Faith is the leading organization for religious and church group travel.
Churches also reported was that 76 percent are finding new travelers in their communities, and 31 percent of church groups plan travel a full year or more in advance.
New travelers are also getting younger, with 52 percent of the new travelers being age 59 or below. Destination marketing organizations that attended the Going On Faith Conference fared well with 81 percent of groups saying they worked with destinations they met at the conference.
The full “Going On Faith 2011 Travel Industry Report” is available free of charge at www.gofconference.com. To follow religious group travel go to www.facebook.com/gofconference.
