In a state where religion is either a way of life or a source for discussion, it’s no surprise that faith-based travel is so popular among Utah residents.
“We’re not just talking about LDS travel, although that is a huge part of the industry here in Utah,” said Wendy Fracchia, Group Coordinator at Morris Murdock Travel, LLC, a Utah-based full-service travel agency. “But you also have those of the Jewish faith travelling to Israel, Catholics visiting Italy, and Muslims travelling to Mecca. Faith-based travel is an important part of the industry as a whole.”
According to The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA), the faith tourism industry generates $18 billion annually with 300 million faith-based travelers.
LDS-Based Tours:
“Cruises, tours, and family vacations are all great ways for those of the Latter-day Saint faith to learn more about their history and to deepen their religious beliefs,” Fracchia said. “We have been providing moving religious experiences to our travelers for over 50 years.”
In 1957, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints approached Franklin Murdock about starting a travel agency to handle the travel needs of church employees and missionaries. On January 1, 1958, Murdock Travel opened its doors. Murdock not only handled the travel for the LDS Church for more than 30 years but also grew to be the second largest travel agency in Utah, establishing a reputation for offering memorable LDS Church History trips around the world. Planning travel for a worldwide missionary system also allowed Murdock and his staff to build a reputation as the international travel experts in Utah. Franklin Murdock was President of Murdock Travel until 1979 and served as chairman of the board until his death in 1986.
Another Morris Murdock Travel parent company was born in 1958. Four young men who had spent time in New Zealand were asked to coordinate a trip to New Zealand for the LDS temple dedication there. From that assignment, Beehive Tours & Travel was born. Barry Wride, Dick Lambert, Harper Wallace and Wilf Goodwill gave up their planned careers and turned to travel. Beehive Travel became one of the largest and oldest continuously operating, full-service travel agencies between Denver and the West Coast.
“So we have a lot of experience,”
Also popular amongst Utah and Idaho travelers are guided tours to Israel and Egypt.
“Our Middle-East tours are popular because they allows Christians of any denomination to experience the places they read about in the Old and New Testament,” Fracchia continued. “Jersualem, Nazareth, Mt. Tabor, Capernaum, Qumran, Masada, the Garden Tomb, Giza, the Valley of the Kings, Jaffa, and so on. The list of biblical destinations travelers want to experience just goes on and on. And even better, most of our tour guides are past seminary or Institute teachers or recognized scholars in their area of study.”
Oberammergau Passion Play:
“The Oberammergau Passion Play is something we are extremely excited to offer travelers of all faiths,” said Fracchia. “It only happens once every 10 years in the tiny, picturesque village of Oberammergau in the heart of the Bavarian Alps. The whole village gets together to re-enact an event which draws people of every religious denomination from the four corners of the world.”
The event includes more than 2,000 Oberammergauers, actors, singers, instrumentalists and stage technicians coming to the stage to re-enact those events Christianity regards as its central source of life and hope—the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The year 2010 promises to be a significant year in the history of the Passion Play, attracting countless worshippers who will be converging on Oberammergau to witness this amazing spectacle.
“The play itself has an amazing history,” Fracchia said. “Its history began in 1633 in the middle of the Thirty Years War. After months of suffering and death from the plague, the Oberammergauers swore an oath that they would perform the "Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years. At Pentecost 1634, they fulfilled their pledge for the first time on a stage they put up in the cemetery above the fresh graves of the plague victims. In the year 2010, the Community of Oberammergau will perform the Passion Play for the 41st time.
“We invite anyone, no matter what their religion or belief to experience this incredible event,” said Fracchia. “It is a theatrical event that rivals any Broadway or West End production. But since it is such a special event, tickets go quickly so interested vacationers need to act fast before they are all gone.”
