With borders closed and people periodically entering lockdowns around the globe, PETA MCCARTNEY reports on how Australian Christian travel organisations have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic…
Sydney, Australia
Australians remain largely isolated from the rest of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has decimated the tourism sector, with poor vaccination rates and community outbreaks at home continuing to impact international travel.
Christian travel companies across Australia have either gone into a holding pattern while waiting to reopen their doors, have diversified with a range of stay-at-home tours, or remain hopeful of being allowed to take tour groups overseas by later this year, as their website offerings attest.
Pre-pandemic, a pilgrim lights a candle in a Holy Land church. PICTURE: Courtesy of Harvest Journeys.
The chance to once again dust off the passports all depends on advice from the Federal Government and national health officers about when and how to open borders.
For now, Australians remain stuck at home, with the overseas travel ban imposed in March, 2020, still in place – unless an exemption to travel is issued or you’re travelling to a destination that’s exempt from the ban, such as New Zealand or the Pacific island nations.
“COVID has changed travel. I don’t think COVID has killed travel, it has enhanced it. It is part of the dream to travel – something to aspire to. People cannot travel [internationally] now, but as soon as borders open, they will [come back to that higher purpose intent].”
– Selina Hasham, CEO of Harvest Journeys.
“There’s a ban on overseas travel from Australia. You can’t leave Australia unless you have an exemption from the Department of Home Affairs, or are travelling to a destination that is exempt from the ban,” the Smart Traveller website states.
“Our global travel advice remains at ‘Do not travel’ due to the health risks from the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant disruptions to global travel.”
Despite this, many Christian travel operators continue to advertise package tours ahead of performances of the Oberammergau Passion Play in Europe in 2022 – delayed by two years from its 2020 schedule – and guided tours to the Holy Lands and areas of Europe from later in 2021 and into early next year.
Olive Tree Travel in Melbourne is advertising a range of Catholic and Christian pilgrimage tours, as well as theological study tours on its website, to Greece, Jordan, Egypt, Israel and other countries in Europe, travelling from September, 2021, through to August, 2022.
Christian Pilgrimage, operating in Western Australia, lists tours such as ‘Jesus Footsteps 2022 Pilgrimage’ and the Oberammergau on its website, while Sydney’s Harvest Journeys has developed a range of national pilgrimage tours for its largely Catholic client-base which it will continue to offer once borders reopen.
Pilgrims share a meal at Nazareth Village prior to the pandemic, part of a recreation of life in the time of Christ. PICTURE: Courtesy of Harvest Journeys.
Harvest Journeys CEO Selina Hasham says COVID has meant people are rethinking travel and want to travel with meaning, rather than making what she described as “frivolous” trips.
“It’s similar to ecotourism. People want to travel for a higher purpose. There’s a spiritual outcome that is rewarding,” she said.
“COVID has changed travel. I don’t think COVID has killed travel, it has enhanced it. It is part of the dream to travel – something to aspire to. People cannot travel [internationally] now, but as soon as borders open, they will [come back to that higher purpose intent].”
While Harvest Journeys adopted domestic pilgrimages “to carry us over”, Hasham says they now plan to keep them in place because people have a desire to see and explore those local areas of spiritual importance.
This includes tours to Central Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania and a 10-night tour from Melbourne to Adelaide “In the footsteps of St Mary MacKillop”.
“While Australia may not have the explicit sacred sites that Europe or the Holy Land has, which offer the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Christ or float on the Sea of Galilee, there are sacred pathways to be discovered here,” Hasham said.
“It is not so much about the destiny or place, but about the journey. Our groups are all led by a chaplain, so our pilgrims have time for fellowship and prayers.”
Before the pandemic – Olive Tree directors, Debbie and Steven Green, in the Old City of Jerusalem with the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock in the background. PICTURE: Courtesy of Olive Tree Travel.
Olive Tree Travel’s founder and Director Steven Green recently had to cancel a tour to Israel planned for October.
“Up until recently we still had a glimmer of hope we might have a group tour to Israel, but only recently we have postponed because we know the border won’t open,” Green said.
The last tour group they sent to Israel didn’t even get the chance to disembark.
“We had one group who were about to land in Israel when it closed its borders so all those people who were not locals had to turn around and fly back to where they had come from. It was quite an ordeal.”
Since the pandemic hit, Green’s company has been busy with the “soul-destroying“ task of trying to gain refunds for its clients, while retaining staff in a new and challenging global environment.
“When borders shut down, there was a lot of work trying to get refunds for people who had booked trips, tours and accommodation,” he said.
“We were busy unravelling bookings and working out what the best course of action was. Trying to get money back from overseas suppliers.
“We relied on the goodwill of our suppliers. Sixteen groups were directly affected as well as others whose travel plans were in the pipeline.
“It was busy and unproductive and soul destroying in many ways, but we got good results from trusted partners and had generous clients who were willing to wait it out and see what happened.”
Green says he was also determined to find a way to retain his own workers.
“I’ve been adamant about keeping staff. I still have six staff on reduced hours; one person resigned and the others are supplementing their incomes with other work,” he said.
He’s achieved that by being proactive, flexible and creative about the types of tours his clients are offered
“We are trying to be relevant and offer clients spiritual, meaningful, inspirational, educational community-building experiences in Australia and NZ,” he said.
This includes spiritual journeys to the centre of Australia, pilgrimages from Dubbo to Bourke, discovering the nation’s early Christian history in Sydney [led by award-winning author Associate Professor Stuart Piggin], as well as plans for a similar historical tour for New Zealand’s North Island.
Author and historian Roy Williams with a group of Mr Eternity enthusiasts recalling the life and legacy of Arthur Stace in Sydney. PICTURE: Courtesy of Olive Tree Travel.
But Melbourne-based Selah has put its operations on hold for the next six to 12 months, with the loss of 15 jobs.
Owner Lisa Tarzia’s “passion” is organising international tours, study groups and pilgrimages, so made the decision not to focus on local, national and international (New Zealand) offerings after closing her former business, Mission Travel, just before the pandemic grounded flights and devastated the tourism sector.
“I saw other people doing that, but it isn’t my passion, and I have seen the impact that problems with lockdowns and the travel bubble have had on other operators [who have diversified],” she told Sight.
Selah’s focus, once travel restrictions ease, will be on international group tours, spiritual retreats and destination travel for Christians, including next year’s Oberammergau for which Tarzia bought tickets in 2016.
Meanwhile, as she awaits the Australian Government’s announcement on reopening borders, Tarzia has part-time work and is still working on getting refunds from airlines, hotels and other pre-paid bookings for Mission Travel’s clients more than a year after it closed in March, 2020.
“Escaping from the busyness of life and making an intentional choice to stop and go deeper in faith is what I want to create.”
– Lisa Tarzia, owner of Melbourne-based Selah.
“Each year we had to assess the viability of the business. Competition from the internet and the cost consciousness of mission travel organisations has always meant we operated on tight margins,” a statement issued by Mission Travel said at the time.
“To be able to keep my staff, support my family and ensure a sustainable business it became clear…Mission Travel is not profitable and must close. This decision was made with much prayer.”
In the 14 years of operating, Tarzia is proud and humbled that, with a mandate to “give away 50 per cent of profits”, Mission Travel was able to fund many worthwhile projects and individuals.
“I am proud that as a not-for-profit business, we were able to donate $A250,000 to important missions and causes to support the poor and vulnerable,” she said.
“This money went to the Syrian Refugee Crisis, supported Prison Ministry’s Fun with Mum program, bought a bus for homeless mission Nightlight Outreach in Brisbane, as well as allowed our clients to vote for various causes.”
Now she is determined to complete the refund process for clients who do not want the credits being offered by airlines and other travel providers.
“It is stressful work, but as a Christian it is the right thing to do for clients who may be too old to accept a credit for travel in the future,” she said.
A group on a Harvest Journeys tour in the Holy Land prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. PICTURE: Courtesy of Harvest Journeys.
On its website, Selah informs its clients that travel will likely never return to what it was prior to COVID-19.
“It’s a bit like changes that were made after the September 11 terror attacks – life changed forever.”
Hasham, Green and Tarzia all spoke of trying to achieve something deeper and more meaningful for their clients, of wanting to help their focus on spiritual learning, fellowship and gaining a stronger understanding of God and Jesus.
As Tarzia said, “Escaping from the busyness of life and making an intentional choice to stop and go deeper in faith is what I want to create.”
