Agencies and Websites for 21st Century Pilgrims

In light of the growth of religious tourism, travel agencies have not hesitated to include tour packages to iconic destinations such as the Vatican, the Holy Land, Lourdes, or Fatima. Aside from specific events like the death of John Paul II, which brought nearly two million pilgrims to Rome and filled agency display windows with last-minute offers, there are companies in the sector that have chosen to specialize in this theme. An example is Vincit Travel (www.viajesvincit.com), established in 1944 with this very purpose and boasting a department exclusively dedicated to religious tourism. The Madrid-based HPS (www.holyplacesinspain.com) offers, among other services, pilgrimages to Fatima, Lourdes, Santiago de Compostela, Zaragoza, and Loyola. Meanwhile, the Polish agency Marco der Pole (www.marcoderpole.com.pl) features among its major offerings a 23-day pilgrimage through the main religious centers of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, as well as a ten-day journey that follows in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II across his homeland.

To find travel information or plan visits, there is no better resource than the website Catholic.net (http://es.catholic.net/turismoreligioso), which offers extensive information on pilgrimages, shrines, and other Christian events. And whether out of curiosity or interest, you can learn about the most sacred sites of other religions and cultures at www.sacreddestinations.com and www.sacredsites.com with just one click.