Africa Travel Association (ATA) and the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) are pleased to announce a continuation of their partnership agreement in an effort to promote both organizations’ endeavors in the religious travel trade.

“ATA is excited to work with WRTA to promote faith-based tourism to Africa,” said ATA’s Executive Director, Edward Bergman. “Religious tourism is certainly a growing niche market for travelers to the continent and the partnership with WRTA will help us to educate our membership on faith-based tourism opportunities.”

Religious travel and hospitality is present throughout the continent and is defined in four ways by WRTA: Visiting a religious destination; attending a religious gathering; traveling for missionary or humanitarian purposes; or leisure traveling with fellowship intent.

“Faith-based tourism attracts 300 million travelers worldwide, who spend $18 billion annually,” said Kevin J. Wright, WRTA President. “We look forward to once again working with ATA, especially as Africa has long served as a top destination for people of faith. In fact, among the wide variety of travel experiences the continent offers, faith-based African safaris are quickly becoming one of the most popular new trends in religious travel today.”

Under the new partnership agreement, ATA and its members will participate in the WRTA World Religious Travel Expo and Educational Conference 2009 to be held from November 14-16, 2009 in Reno, Nevada and WRTA will participate in ATA’s upcoming events in the United States and across Africa, most notably the 35th Annual Congress in The Gambia in May 2010.