English Wall

“Do not be afraid to come to the Holy Land; there is no risk for pilgrims”: this is the call made by Maurizio Soffientini, technical director of Sogevi Tour, the travel agency which gives operational support to OFTAL, the Catholic Organisation that has been promoting trips to the Holy Land for years. Religious tourism was badly affected by the crisis in the Middle East and experienced a sharp decrease in the number of pilgrims. According to Soffientini “summer departures to Israel and Jordan were characterised by a drop in the number of faithful. This is because the turmoil in the Arab world discourages pilgrims. During the summer season, we had to cancel the August pilgrimage, while in October we maintain two trips but with a reduced number of pilgrims”. A situation that does not cause great concern at the moment, because trips to the Holy Land have always followed a fluctuating pattern. “This is the trend, so we have to find the strength to move on without panic”. OFTAL trusts in a prompt recovery and joins in the appeal made by the Custody: “The Holy Land is a safe destination, pilgrims enjoy the respect and attention of the local people and do not run any risk. We have to bear in mind the great importance of pilgrimages for the survival, even economic, of the Christian community in the Israeli and Palestinian territories”.

© www.agensir.it - october 4th 2011