Register today for ASTA IDE Istanbul, Turkey April 19-22, 2010

ASTA Rates Increase March 1st, Register NOW and Save!

Attending this year's International Destination Expo will provide you with a unique opportunity to learn about the fascinating destination of Turkey. Featuring education that focuses on training you to become an expert and networking with local companies, IDE equips you with the skills to exceed your clients' expectations!

Gain certifications of your expertise in exciting new sessions such as ASTA's newest destination specialist course: Turkey, the Cradle of Civilization: a Walk through 10,000 Years of History.

IDE will also host a panel discussion, Discover How to Build a Thriving Faith-based Travel Program Centered on the World's Top Religious Sites in the Middle East and the Holy Land, featuring leading tourism representatives from Middle Eastern destinations. Don't miss this exciting event!

Discover How to Build a Thriving Faith-based Travel Program Centered on the World’s Top Religious Sites in the Middle East and Holy Land

Moderator: Kevin J. Wright, President - World Religious Travel Association
Panelists will include leading tourism representatives from Middle Eastern Destinations

Join Kevin J. Wright, president of the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA), and leading tourism representatives from the Middle East, for an unforgettable and unprecedented discussion on the world’s top religious and holy sites in this extraordinary part of the world. Furthermore, discover firsthand how to develop a thriving and diverse faith-based travel program centered on the great religious itineraries stretching across these ancient and biblically-rich lands such as Turkey, Armenia, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Palestine, and much more.

Not only will you be inspired and fascinated by the discussions, but just as importantly, you’ll return home equipped with the much-needed knowledge and strategies to immediately impact your faith-based travel program ... no matter whether you are new to religious tourism or a long-term expert. Best of all, this remarkable discussion and seminar will be held in Istanbul (Turkey) ... not only the very crossroads and place where “East Meets West,” but also where the history of faith and religion spans the millenniums.

Register NOW to receive 4 nights complimentary hotel stay* in Istanbul -- hurry, space is limited!

*Space is limited. Offer is first-come, first-served while supplies last.

Passport Health to Participate in National Influenza Week

National Influenza Week Started January 10, 2010

Baltimore- 1/12/10- National Influenza Week had been postponed from December until January due to vaccine unavailability. National Influenza Week is taking place from January 10, 2010 until January 16, 2010.

“Passport Health has responded to the CDC’s requests for a partnership and participating Passport Health locations plan to honor National Influenza Week by offering a 10% discount on Seasonal Influenza Vaccinations and H1N1 Vaccinations during the week of January 10, 2010 at participating locations,” said Fran Lessans, CEO of Passport Health, the largest provider of travel medical services and immunizations in the U.S.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each day of National Influenza Week will encourage a different at-risk group to receive the seasonal and H1N1 vaccination. This year’s CDC national schedule is as follows:

Day
CDC Focus
Tuesday, January 12
Those with a Chronic Illness
Wednesday, January 13
Children, Pregnant Women & Caregivers of Children >6 mo
Thursday, January 14
Young Adults (19-24 years of age)
Friday, January 15
Seniors

Seasonal influenza (Flu) can be a severe respiratory infection that is contagious and can lead to several missed days of work or school. On average there are approximately 36,000 U.S. deaths and 200,000 U.S. hospitalizations a year from seasonal influenza. As stated by the CDC, seasonal influenza is unpredictable and may be worse this year due to the 2009 H1N1 virus. “We are definitely not out of the woods yet with H1N1 influenza; and, seasonal influenza will not peak until late February.” Our message is consistent,” continued Lessans. “Get your flu shot.”

For more information on National Influenza Week and participating Passport Health locations please call your nearest Passport Health at 1-888-499-7277 or visit our website at http://www.passporthealthusa.com/.


Brianne Lacey
410-727-0556
Brianne.Lacey@passporthealthusa.com

Haiti Earthquake Mobilizes Relief Workers (Passport Health)

Haiti Earthquake Mobilizes Relief Workers
Donations, Volunteers Needed


BALTIMORE- 9/13/10—The most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Haiti’s history devastated parts of the island Tuesday. “We are saddened by the news and extend our condolences to those affected by this earthquake,” said Fran Lessans, CEO of Passport Health, the nation’s leading provider of travel medical services and immunizations. “Our priority right now is to make sure that Haiti Earthquake volunteers take adequate measures so that they do not succumb to illness,” she added. Passport Health keeps up-to date health alerts for all international volunteers.

Passport Health is encouraging everyone to help out any way they can. Passport Health (www.passporthealthusa.com) has added a link on their website to allow direct donations to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), an international medical humanitarian organization working in more than 60 countries to assist people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe. MSF’s clinics have been damaged by this earthquake and teams are setting up clinics to treat those who are injured.

According to a MSF senior staff member "the situation is chaotic.” Many medical centers and one major hospitals are not functioning."

“There is a great need for volunteers,” continued Lessans. “Precautionary measures to consider when entering areas affected by the Hatian Earthquake include:
• Up-to-date vaccinations:
o Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertusis (TDaP)
o Hepatitis A and B
o Typhoid Fever
o Water Purification Devices
o Wound Care Kits
o Anti-Diarrhea Prophylaxes, Medications, and oral rehydration solutions

“Passport Health will make recommendations for vaccines, portable water purifiers, and food, water and mosquito-borne illnesses for each volunteer. In these situations conditions are less than sanitary and we want to make sure no one gets sick while trying to help others. Clean water is an issue right now,” she concluded.

Passport Health is reaching out to all volunteer and relief organizations and is offering extended hours throughout their national network of clinics. Passport Health will also come on-site for departing volunteer groups.


Jorge Eduardo Castillo
Jorge.castillo@passporthealthusa.com
410.727.0556

Religious Travel Top Travel Trend for 2010 (USA TODAY)

The top ten travel trends for 2010
USA Today
By Laura Bly

Religious Travel ranks as Top 10 Travel Trend for 2010.

Read full story at http://bit.ly/USATODAYReligiousTravelTopTrend2010

A Year for Christian Tourism - The New York Times

A Year for Christian Tourism
by David Farley
The New York Times

Article opening: It’s shaping up to be an auspicious year for Christian tourism, thanks to two infrequent religious events in Europe.

Click here to read the full story: http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/a-year-for-christian-tourism/

Collette Vacations Breaks Its Oberammergau Record

Collette Vacations Breaks Its 1999 Oberammergau Record

Leisure Group Travel - Willowbrook,IL,USA

In spite of a struggling economy, Collette Vacations reports that it has broken its prior record, set in 1999, for number of tickets sold to Oberammergau’s Passion Play.

Group Tour Magazine interview with Cindi Brodhecker

Group Tour Spotlight e-Magazine
December 2009 Vol. 412
Read full article at http://www.grouptour.com/spotlight/detail.php?recid=455&issue=412

Strengthening fellowship and faith
Cindi Brodhecker of Ephrata, Pa., owner of Faith Travel Development & Consulting, helps operators and suppliers find their way in the $18 billion a year faith-based travel market. Plus, she just launched a new division called The Priscilla Woman’s Tours.

Group Tour Spotlight: Tell me about your background in tourism.

Cindi Brodhecker: I call travel my midlife crisis.

I was in accounts payable and on the accounting side in office management for different companies. I decided I wanted to do something different and contacted a friend that had a motorcoach company and started there.

Group Tour Spotlight: What did you do there?

Brodhecker: I was a group tour planner for motorcoach tours.

Group Tour Spotlight: So you know all about setting up tours.

Brodhecker: Oh, absolutely. From finding the rest stops every two hours to the meals and the accommodations and attractions. I started at the ground level. The first tour I did was the Wisconsin Dells. They started talking about Branson, and I had no idea where Branson was. I was new to the travel world but enjoyed it immensely and everything just kept growing from that point on.

I got to plan group tours on motorcoaches, I got to escort some of the tours, and from there I went into the international side of it and that’s where my passion really grew. I’ve been involved in the travel business for 18 years and always with a company that had a focus on tours for Christian groups.

Group Tour Spotlight: So when did you start your company, Faith Travel Development & Consulting?

Brodhecker: In February of 2007.

Group Tour Spotlight: What services do you provide?

Brodhecker: Faith Travel Development & Consulting was designed to assist people who had an interest in the faith-based travel market — on both sides of the fence, so to speak. Many years ago, I worked for a company and was reprimanded for being too helpful to what at that time was called the competition. And I realized that is what I really enjoy doing: to help other people realize what this is all about. So the consulting and development part of it started as a result of my networking and helping other people.

I call myself a facilitator. I can help the individual home-based travel agent understand what the faith-based market is and help them to reach out to their community and beyond to try to gather clients that would be interested in this travel market. I also can help tour operators that don’t have this type of program do the same thing — to develop it and help them market it.

I can also help the church or organization realize the value of what a travel program or a travel ministry can do for their church or organization. There are benefits on both sides, from growing the community to using travel as a means of fund-raising for projects.

On one side, I represent tour operators who are located in destinations that are important to the faith-based market. I represent a company in Turkey, a company in Greece, a company in Egypt, and through an operator here in the States I represent someone in Israel. So I do trade shows and represent their destinations and work within the U.S. market to give leads that are gathered at those trade shows to tour operators here in the States that actually can work those leads. On the Faith Travel side, I do not book groups or handle group reservations. I pass the leads on to companies that work with the people I represent. It’s unique. I don’t know of anyone else that is doing it. It saves the international operators funds because I can represent them at a show and they don’t have that travel expense. On the other side, I’m not competition to anyone in the States working with those operators because I pass the leads to them.

Group Tour Spotlight: Sounds like you’ve found a niche.

Brodhecker: It’s working.

A new venture

Group Tour Spotlight: Tell me about the new division you just launched at the World Religious Travel Association conference.

Brodhecker: The new division is called The Priscilla Woman’s Tours. It is based on the person of Priscilla from the book of Acts in the New Testament. It’s a company that will serve the ladies that want to travel — either women traveling together, women that want to travel and not be in a group of 10 percent ladies and 90 percent couples, which is the demographics of most of the tour groups. What I’m trying to create is a travel environment where women can feel comfortable traveling with other women and using the person of Priscilla as women of noble character, strong faith, and joy. The Web site is www.priscillawomantours.com.

It’s for women that may be widowed, may be single, may be divorced, may want to go somewhere with a girlfriend or a niece or a daughter, or their husband just has no interest in that destination and they just want to go and see. It’s designed for women of like faith to travel together. It’s not necessarily that all tours will be to destinations of the Bible, but it’s women who will travel together for fun, fellowship, and spiritual enrichment. There will be some times when a tour will be created — I’m using the phrase, Priscilla can invite her Aquilla, which was Priscilla’s husband in the New Testament.

Gigi Graham, the daughter of Dr. Billy Graham, will travel on some of our tours. An author, who is a 9/11 widow, will go with us. I have a performing artist who does drama and re-creates characters from the Bible or historical women in costume and will provide music.

Group Tour Spotlight: Why did you develop The Priscilla Woman’s Tours?

Brodhecker: I listened to people talk about how they like to travel. Through the years, as I have escorted many groups to many different places, sometimes the ladies will fit in very well. And sometimes I can see them pulling back a little bit. So through conversation of hearing a need and basically it was an idea that came to me one morning as I was preparing to meet a friend for breakfast. I thought, no, I’m not going to do that. But it was an idea that just would not leave me. It was something that I felt I needed to develop, and it spiraled from there.

I’ve gotten very, very positive comments from everyone.

Every tour will be built with a commission for travel people who want to sell into the tour. And we will create tours for women’s groups using the artist and contacts we have to make it very special for them.

Read the rest of the article at
http://www.grouptour.com/spotlight/detail.php?recid=455&issue=412

Cindi Brodhecker
Faith Travel Development & Consulting
The Priscilla Woman’s Tours
263 Ridge Ave.
Ephrata, PA 17522
(717) 733-1655
www.faithtraveldevelopment.com
www.priscillawomantours.com