In the grand tradition of planning vacations to places where people have met their tragic ends—Pyramid of Giza, Auschwitz, the ruins of Pompeii—one of the oldest forms of tourism is taking the continent by storm. In a seemingly faithless climate, where secular media has questioned and swayed the very core of religion, comes a uniquely growing trend that could be beneficial to Africa’s collective economy. Whether you are seeking spiritual enlightenment or a contingency to discover the religious and often lesser known sites, faith-based tourism is growing in numbers. The journey to finding oneself, sharing one’s belief or receiving providence is not as affordable as should be the case. Many a traveller have saved for months and even years to embrace the spirit behind one’s faith. Mission-based, humanitarian trips such as World Race have contributed to hundreds of travellers each year touring to countries like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Kenya. For 11 months, groups of young and impressionable travellers move from country to country, feeding the homeless, building shelters and sharing their beliefs. Per person, this 11 month crusade to inner peace costs a staggering USD$19,200 which is fund raised socially. Some churches in Nigeria, West Africa can hold over 200,000 worshippers and, with their supplement business empires, constitute a significant section of the economy, employing tens of thousands of people and drawing in large amounts of tourist dollars. But how much of the half a trillion GDP they make up, is difficult to determine, since the churches are,…
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