$1 billion and growing; that is the shorthand description for the burgeoning faith-based travel and cruise industry in America. No longer a niche market, the world of religious travel has come into its own and is today considered one of the fastest growing segments by the World Tourism Organization. With more companies seeking to enter or expand their presence within the marketplace, one of the country’s most recognized faith-based tourism authorities, Kevin J. Wright, has launched the industry’s first religious travel market consulting group (www.religiousmarketconsulting.com).

A fifteen-year veteran of the industry, Wright introduced and led the very successful and high profile Religious Travel Division at Globus, the world’s leading escorted travel company. In 2005, he pioneered the concept of National Religious Travel Symposiums -- seminars designed for educating professionals about the lucrative and growing religious travel market (hosted by Globus).

An award-winning author, Wright leads a team of independent consulting professionals who will assist companies in marketing, selling and developing product for the 180 million-strong market segment. Recognized as the pre-eminent authorities in the faith-based travel and cruise industry, the consulting firm’s personnel have been interviewed by TIME Magazine, CBS Early Show, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Travel Weekly, Group Tour Magazine, Church Executive, and dozens of other major media outlets. The four major players of the group consist of Kevin J. Wright; Honnie Korngold, founder and president of Christian Travel Finder; James E. Wright, an international marketing consultant and former president and CEO of the Space Needle Corporation in Seattle, WA; and Christine Moore, founder and principal of Epiphany Media.

"Our three-fold goal for clients is simple and clear: Increase revenues. Generate publicity. Establish brand name recognition within the marketplace," said Wright, president of Religious Market Consulting Group. "Our team will assist companies in developing and executing a vision, strategy and action plan for entering or expanding one’s presence and sales within the Faith-based Market."

The Religious Market Consulting Group will target and work with every sector of the industry, including tour operators, cruise lines, tourist boards, consortiums, travel agencies, attractions, hotels, and motor coaches. Among their many services, Wright and his team will assist organizations with the following religious market opportunities:                
* Deliver business plans
* Develop positioning, branding, & messaging
* Perform market research
* Conduct sales & marketing audits
* Build brochures, videos & collateral material
* Facilitate strategic planning & marketing retreats
* Design products, services, & experiences commensurate with market
* Create advertising & promotional campaigns
* Execute sales campaigns (calling/telemarketing, personal visits, direct mail, email, tradeshows)
* Launch media campaign and generate publicity via niche, travel & news media
* Fashion faith-based market loyalty programs
* Represent companies in marketplace
* Identify, recruit & train company and sales personnel
* Senior level executive search
* Provide industry specific, market-focused seminars and business consultations for senior management (one or multiple days)

In addition to his consulting group, Wright will launch in January 2007 the first-ever association for the $18 billion industry.