What Pilgrim Tours does

Pilgrim Tours and Travel, Inc. is a privately held wholesale group travel agency founded in 1987 and headquartered in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, that designs and operates scheduled and custom group tours with a primary focus on Christian pilgrimage, heritage, and faith-based travel. The company sells scheduled retail departures to 14+ destinations — including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Turkey, Italy, England/Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Costa Rica, Iceland, the United States, and Canada — and also builds custom itineraries for organizational group leaders across alumni associations, performing arts groups, sports teams, and international study programs. Tours are sold as land-only packages with optional group airfare, 4-star-or-higher accommodations, professional tour directors, local guides, and motorcoach transportation; add-on revenue is generated through group air ticketing ($20 domestic / $60 international fees per ticket) and optional travel insurance (Odyssey at 7.95% and Odyssey with Cancel Anytime at 10.85% of tour cost).

The technology backbone is deliberately traditional: industry-standard reservation and ticketing systems, Wufoo-powered booking and quote forms, a content website, social media presence on Facebook and Instagram, and an email newsletter; there is no mobile app, no API exposure, no proprietary software platform, and no AI or machine-learning capability. Distribution runs through three channels — direct retail bookings via phone, email, and web; qualified travel agents on commission; and a dedicated Group Tour Planner team serving organizational buyers — with target customers described as mid-market and enterprise groups (churches, alumni bodies, schools, performing arts ensembles, sports teams) and average group sizes of 30-35 persons, occasionally reaching 40-45.

The business model is sales-led and transactional: one-time tour-package purchases priced at roughly $2,999-$3,999 per person double occupancy (with early-booking discounts and single supplements), supported by a $300 per-person deposit and final payment 60-120 days pre-departure depending on tour type. The company carries $2 million of professional liability and $1 million of errors-and-omissions insurance, holds long-standing memberships in the National Tour Association (NTA), IATA, and the Better Business Bureau (A+), and is led by Tim Spacek (CEO/CFO), Tim Nyce (President), and Matt Long (COO), with approximately 20 staff across scheduled tour, group tour, group/mission airfare, and operations functions.

Name

Pilgrim Tours

Legal name

Pilgrim Tours and Travel, Inc.

Website

https://pilgrimtours.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pilgrim Tours is a privately held, Morgantown, Pennsylvania-based wholesale group travel agency founded in 1987 that designs Christian pilgrimage tours and custom group itineraries to 14+ international destinations for churches, alumni associations, performing arts groups, sports teams, and study programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Group Travel and Tour Operator Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Group Travel (Church/Mosque/Temple) Organizers (THAKAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Christian Pilgrimage & Holy Land Tour Operators (THAKAHAB), Pilgrimage & Faith-Based Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAH), Religious & Sacred Sites Tours (THAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Group tour packages
• Pilgrimage travel services
• Christian heritage tours
• Wholesale travel agency
• Bible lands tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Morgantown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tour Package Sales: Revenue generated from selling wholesale group tour packages including land arrangements, accommodations, transportation, and guided tours. Tours are offered as land-only or full package including airfare.
2. Group Airfare: Special contracts with airlines for group air travel provide savings passed on to customers. Air ticketing fees of $20 domestic and $60 international per ticket.
3. Travel Insurance: Travel protection plans offered as optional add-on to tour bookings, with Odyssey Plan at 7.95% and Odyssey with Cancel Anytime at 10.85% of tour cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pilgrim Tours is a wholesale group travel agency that designs, packages, and operates scheduled and custom group tours to international and domestic destinations, with a specialization in Christian/Bible-lands pilgrimage and heritage itineraries. Offerings include land arrangements, 4-star or higher accommodations, motorcoach transportation, professional tour directors, local guides, optional group airfare contracts, and travel insurance add-ons.

Product overview

Pilgrim Tours is a wholesale group travel operator specializing in faith-based and heritage tours to international destinations. The core offering consists of Scheduled Tours with fixed departure dates and Group Tours for custom private groups. Scheduled Tours include destinations such as Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Turkey, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Costa Rica, Iceland, and North America. The company also offers Christian Tours/Fellowship Tours with spiritual emphasis, Mission Trips for church groups with ministry planning resources, and add-on services including Group Airfare contracts, travel insurance plans (Odyssey Plan at 7.95% and Odyssey with Cancel Anytime at 10.85%). Tours are operated as land packages with optional airfare, featuring 4-star accommodations, professional guides, and motorcoach transportation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scheduled Tours Retail group tours with fixed departure dates to international and domestic destinations including Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Turkey, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Costa Rica, Iceland, the United States, and Canada. Includes land arrangements, 4-star+ accommodations, motorcoach transportation, professional tour directors, and local guides.
• Group Tours Custom-designed group travel packages for organizations including alumni groups, performing arts groups, Christian groups, sports teams, and international study programs. Tailored itineraries, private departures, and dedicated group tour planners.
• Christian Tours / Fellowship Tours Spiritually-focused group tours combining historical, cultural, and biblical sites with devotional teaching. Marketed to Baptist, Evangelical, and traditional Bible-believing Protestant audiences.
• Mission Trips Church group mission travel packages with planning resources, missionary coordination support, and ministry-focused itineraries for short-term mission teams.
• Group Airfare
• Travel Insurance (Odyssey Plan) Travel protection plan covering trip cancellation, interruption, emergency medical ($50,000), emergency evacuation ($250,000), baggage loss/delay, and trip delay, priced at 7.95% of tour cost.
• Travel Insurance (Odyssey with Cancel Anytime) Enhanced travel protection plan allowing cancellation for any reason, covering up to 80% of trip cost, priced at 10.85% of tour cost.
• Highlights of Ireland 8 Day Tour Scheduled retail tour visiting Dublin, Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, Burren Region, Kilkenny Castle, and St. Patrick heritage sites in Northern Ireland.
• Christian Heritage England & Scotland 10 Day Tour Scheduled tour covering London, Hampton Court Palace, Westminster Abbey, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, York, Edinburgh Castle, St. Andrews, and Stirling Castle with Christian heritage focus.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average group review rating of 9 out of 10 based on post-tour questionnaires

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Tour Association (NTA)coreOthersLong-standing membership in the leading group travel association promoting excellence in product and conduct in North America. NTA membership requires maintaining standards of ethical conduct and provides access to industry resources and networking.
• Better Business BureaucoreOthersAccredited business with A+ rating demonstrating commitment to ethical business practices, transparency, and customer satisfaction standards.
• IATAcoreOthersInternational Air Transport Association membership providing airline ticketing authority and industry accreditation for air travel operations.
• TrustpilotminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThird-party review platform where Pilgrim Tours maintains a review profile for customer testimonials and ratings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• EF Tours (Education First): EF Tours is a large, established player in educational and group travel globally, offering tours for schools, alumni, and organizations to international destinations. While it does not specialize in faith-based travel, it competes with Pilgrim's international study, alumni, and group segments.
• Collette Tours: Collette is a long-established guided tour operator offering scheduled group tours to international destinations including Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. As a larger incumbent with broader audience reach, it competes for general group travel customers but does not specialize in the faith-based segment where Pilgrim Tours leads.
• AAA Travel: AAA Travel is a broad travel agency and tour operator serving members with scheduled group tours, cruises, and custom itineraries to international destinations. It is a larger incumbent that competes for the same general group travel customer pool, though without Pilgrim's faith-based specialization.

Emerging players

• TourRadar: TourRadar is an online tour aggregator/OTA that distributes multi-day group tours from hundreds of operators, including faith-based and pilgrimage tours. It is an emerging distribution channel that may either complement or disintermediate traditional operators like Pilgrim Tours over time.

Direct peers

• Maranatha Tours: Maranatha Tours is a direct peer specializing in Christian heritage and Holy Land pilgrimage tours, including scheduled group departures and custom church group itineraries to Israel, Greece, Turkey, and Italy. It competes head-to-head with Pilgrim Tours for faith-based group travel customers in the U.S. market.
• Educational Tours (ETS): Educational Travel Services operates faith-based and educational group tours to international destinations, including the Holy Land, Europe, and beyond. It competes directly for the same church, school, and alumni group customers that Pilgrim Tours serves.
• Worldwide Christian Travel: Worldwide Christian Travel specializes in Holy Land and Biblical site tours for churches and Christian organizations, offering scheduled departures and custom group itineraries. It is a focused direct competitor in the Christian pilgrimage travel niche.
• Inspiration Cruises & Tours: Inspiration Cruises & Tours organizes Christian-themed cruises and land tours, with a similar faith-based group travel focus and multi-denominational reach (including Baptist, Evangelical, and Methodist audiences). It directly overlaps Pilgrim's cruise and fellowship tour offerings.
• Christian Tour & Travel: Christian Tour & Travel focuses on Biblical/Christian heritage tours with custom and scheduled itineraries for church groups and faith-based travelers, directly competing with Pilgrim in Holy Land and European Christian destinations.
• All-In-One Travel: All-In-One Travel provides faith-based group travel services including church group, alumni, and performance tours, with similar destination offerings and group booking models to Pilgrim Tours.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/travelpilgrimtours
• Instagraminstagram.com/pilgrimtours
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pilgrim-travel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pilgrim Tours