More than 200 delegates, sponsors, hosts and speakers gathered August 6–8 in Branson, Missouri, for the 2024 Going On Faith Conference operated by the Group Travel Family. The meeting of faith-based travel planners and destinations has been held annually since 2006 and returned to Branson, where it held its inaugural event 18 years ago.
Among the highlights of this year’s conference were an evening at Sight and Sound Theatres for its current production, “Queen Esther;” a fascinating account of the Green Book Experience with speaker David Jackson; and two days of marketplace appointments between travel planners, tour operators and destinations. Conference host Explore Branson arranged an opening ice cream social, and sightseeing tours of notable landmarks like Aquarium at the Boardwalk, Lake Taneycomo with Branson Duck Tours, the Titanic Museum and the area’s heralded outdoors with Branson’s Pink Jeep Tours.
“Queen Esther” tells the Old Testament story of Esther, a Jewish woman drawn into the Persian Empire. Her faith never wavers as she rises to become the king’s wife despite their cultural differences. The opulent production takes place in the massive Sight and Sound Theatres complex built high above the Branson skyline.
“Explore Branson’s team was amazing,” said Jennifer Ferguson, general manager of the Going On Faith Conference. “Yvonne Long has been instrumental in managing our delegates’ experience here, and we cannot thank her enough. I want to recognize Mike Pitman as well for his gracious hospitality to host all our delegates at ‘Queen Esther.’ Sight and Sound Theatres was a remarkable visitor experience for all of us.”
“The fact that Branson started with ‘The Shepherd of the Hills’ many years ago set the tone for our destination as family-oriented, faithful to our Midwestern values,” said Yvonne Long of Explore Branson. “It’s our basis, our foundation. Now that we have attractions like Sight and Sound Theatres and are devoting an entire month to honoring our veterans, we’ve established ourselves as a faith-based destination. The addition of the new Truth Traveler attraction next year gives us a great new faith-based reason for people to come.”
Delegates were housed at the Hilton Branson Convention Center in downtown Branson, and on-site events and meals took place at the adjacent Branson Convention Center. Major meal or event sponsors for the event included The Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, Cincy Region, Chateau on the Lake Branson, Explore Branson, Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks, Great Passion Play, and Sight and Sound Theatres.
At the closing luncheon, Nancy Willhoite of BB Riverboats appeared on behalf of the Cincy Region to invite all delegates to attend next year’s Going On Faith Conference in that area, August 6–8, 2025.
To register, visit gofconference.com.
What Travel Planners are Saying
“We launch our tours from our local church, but we have nonmembers who come along. It’s a ministry. People find new friends every time we go. We’re doing the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum this year. We include Georgetown’s Horse Country as part of that trip. We’re taking a group to Huntsville, Alabama, to tour the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. We’re also taking a group to Charleston, South Carolina, and will include a harbor cruise, Patriot’s Point and several historic homes.”
Nick Nichols (and Diane)
Nick’s Travel Group, Fayetteville, Georgia
“We’re coming here to Branson in November. Next month we have 42 going on a 10-day tour of Colorado, Utah and New Mexico that includes three trains. We’re also doing a seven-day tour to North Carolina. We’ll do Mt. Airy, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Earl Scruggs Museum. We have 22 confirmed now and are looking for 10 more. We’re starting over since COVID because the good Lord says go.”
Lavanda Woosley
Woosley Tours, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
“This conference is great! In January, I’m taking 25 to New York to see the Rockettes, a Broadway show, a Tea Around Town sightseeing tour and other things. I have women from 15 to 85 going. We’re doing a Mediterranean cruise with MSC for a week and adding five days in Paris. I’ll have 45 male and female travelers on that. After this event, I’m doing Branson! This will be my first bus tour, and I hope to have 55. Sight and Sound was amazing, and I’m putting the trip together while I’m here.”
Tonya Matthews
Starstuff Travel by Tonya, Monticello, Mississippi
“We’re a very outdoors-oriented group. We’re doing Floatzilla, a kayaking event on the Mississippi River. We describe ourselves as a ‘leaderless group of common adventurers.’ We’ll also do kayaking on the rivers near Gulf Shores, Alabama. I have a church group as well, and we’ve been to Branson and saw ‘Noah’ at Sight and Sound Theatres.”
Tricia Turner
Expeditions by Tricia, Mountain Home, Arkansas
“We’re leaving after the conference for a 14-day trip with 33 people to England, Scotland and Wales. In October, we’re taking over 40 to Marietta, Ohio. In November, we’re doing Lancaster, Pennsylvania, including Sight and Sound Theatre, with 45 people. We’re also doing a church trip that month to Colonial Williamsburg with 40-plus. Then in November, we’re taking 25-plus on a Douro River cruise in Portugal.”
Jerrilee Holtzapple
Let’s Go Travel, Troy, Ohio
“We took 40 to Switzerland in June. We did Lucerne, Bern and parts of northern Italy. We’ve got a fall foliage trip to Vermont in October with 43 on it. I was a music minister and began taking members on trips and found I enjoyed it. In March, we took 30-plus to Memphis for six days, and we’re taking a group to Myrtle Beach in November with U.S. Tours. We’re taking 32 to Paris shortly after the Olympics and will do a nine-day AMA river cruise on the Seine from Paris to Normandy.”
Gary Downey
Heaven Bound Tours, Kingwood, Texas
What the Travel Industry is Saying
“We see a trend working in favor of group travel right now. Since COVID, many travelers place more value on professional expertise on the ground when they arrive for a trip. Due to the uncertainties COVID created, guided travel with local tour directors who can manage anything that comes up is a selling point. Travelers want that peace of mind. I’ve also discovered that many university groups are just now beginning to travel again. When they do come back, they’ll come back strong like everyone else has.”
Jim Edwards
Collette, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
“We’re seeing many more affiliated groups right now than per capita tours sold to the public. Churches, banks, family reunion groups, etc., that share a common interest are stronger for us right now. We’ll have about 500,000 guests this year for ‘Queen Esther’ and maybe 100,000 for our Christmas show. We are a ministry. In 2025, I’m projecting north of 700,000 for our production of ‘David.’ Roughly 25% of our attendance is from groups.”
Mike Pitman
Sight and Sound Theatres, Branson, Missouri
“We operate primarily in the western U.S. and Alaska and are very strong with national parks. Our guaranteed departures have grown since COVID due to our high level of service, including a professional guide that takes care of 8-12 people. I’d say our best demographic is people who are 50-75, well-educated and moderately active. They’ve done a lot of the West with us already, so now we’ll take them to places like Glacier, Oregon, Joshua Tree and Death Valley.”
Shawn Horman
Southwest Adventure Tours, Cedar City, Utah
“We’re delighted to be hosting next year’s conference. We have a great hotel and conference center at the Marriott Airport, and I can’t wait to host them on BB Riverboats. We’ve always been popular with groups. We’re in our 45th season, and we do 600 coaches a year. Our business went on steroids when the Ark Encounter opened. Next October, we’re hosting America’s River Roots, a celebration of river cities on inland waterways. The riverboats and sternwheelers coming in will be a spectacle for any group.”
Nancy Willhoite
BB Riverboats, Covington, Kentucky
“We’re running far ahead of last year. We’re investing in major improvements in our sound system that will be in place in 2025, and we have a lot of promotional support from Eureka Springs and Branson, too. Many of our groups are coming over from Branson. We’ll have 160 groups this year. Youth groups have exploded. So have church and school groups.”
