My Remarkable Trip to Biblical Armenia - Kevin J. Wright, President – World Religious Travel Association (WRTA)

“Remarkable,” “memorable,” and “enriching” are just a few words to describe my recent two-week trip to Armenia.  Although the primary purpose of my visit was business, in the end – I also became a tourist and religious traveler of Armenia.

What brought me to Armenia? In short, as the president of the World Religious Travel Association, I came to discover whether Armenia is the next great “untapped” destination of the 300 million traveler Religious Market. What is my answer now? It is a resounding yes. Only Armenia can offer faith-based travelers a religious history that begins with the first book of the Bible (Genesis), serves as the first country to adopt the Christian faith, and can claim being evangelized by two of Jesus’ apostles Bartholomew and Thaddeus. No other biblical or faith-based destination can boast such facts and highlights.  

During my time here in Armenia, I had the honor of meeting several dozen local tour operators, while also conducting several workshops – including one not only for travel industry professionals, but also one for Armenian tourism instructors. I also had the great pleasure of touring many of Armenia’s great religious, cultural, and historical sites; my travels stretched from Yerevan to Gyrumi to Noravank to Sevan to the UNESCO Heritage sites of Sanahin and Haghpat Monasteries. A personal highlight for me was visiting Khor Virap Monastery and viewing the biblical Mt. Ararat on a perfectly blue and sunny day. I will forever and always remember this very special day.

With the current and continued growth/expansion of the religious tourism industry, I look forward to watching Armenia evolve from a “lesser known” faith-based destination to one of the great biblical travel destinations. The only ingredient currently missing is “awareness.” As such, I look forward to sharing the great story of Armenia with the rest of the global faith-based travel marketplace.  And now with my visit to Armenia completed, I’m ready to get started!