Written by The CliqueTraveler | July 26, 2010

Religious travel is not centered just on pilgrimages, rather today's religious travel can be defined as travel to religious destinations, gatherings, "voluntourism",

travel which includes volunteering for a charitable cause, and travel to promote fellowship. According to a U.S. Department of Commerce report, faith-based tourism has been on the rise since 2001 and is expected to do so through 2009. Since 2003, overseas religious travel by Americans has grown by more than 50 percent.

Virtually all religions have a rich history of valuing and promoting this form of travel. In fact, the term most often associated with this type of journey is pilgrimage.

Travel to a religious gathering is another form of religious travel. People of faith have been traveling and gathering together since the dawn of humanity and especially for religious purposes and celebrations.It is believed that “mass tourism” as we know it today, as its roots in religious tourism dating back to the Egyptian Empire.

Today is no different though. People of faith continue to gather together. Every day you will find people of faith gathering throughout the world for purposes ranging from worship to celebration to education to business and much more.

Because faith-based travel is an important segment of travel and especailly African American travel, CliqueTravel will highlight christian cruises and christian vacations amoung our content in the Guides section as well as any other christian related travel.