LAKELAND, FL – (March 27, 2023) – Leading faith-based travel brand ETS today announced the appointment of faith-based travel expert David Welch to the role of Vice President of Business Development.
Welch is a Certified Travel Industry Executive and brings with him a rich background in faith-based group travel with particularly in-depth experience in the Holy Land. From 2016-2022, Welch served as the Executive Director of LU Send, the centralized hub for student, faculty, and alumni travel and international education at the world’s largest Evangelical university: Liberty University.
He holds a Master of Arts degree from Tel Aviv University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. Welch also circumnavigated the globe with Semester at Sea (Spring 2005). He is a citizen of both the US and Israel, and lived in Israel from 2008-2011, serving in the Israel Defense Force’s Foreign Cooperation Unit. In 2011, Welch returned to the US, working in both risk management and the faith-based travel sector between 2012-2016.
“I am beyond thrilled to serve our extraordinary ETS team and facilitate ‘delight’ in communication and experience for the consortia, travel advisor community, and clients we serve.”
“We are fortunate to have someone of David’s caliber in this key role,” said James Ridgway, CEO of ETS. “His vast background and experience in faith-based travel make him a valuable asset not only to our company, but also to our travel advisor partners and group planners. He will provide us with a decisive competitive edge in garnering new groups and increasing our share of the faith-based travel segment.
About ETS Tours
Established in 1974, ETS has led over 350,000 people on Faith Based trips over nearly 50 years of business. In addition to the Holy Land, ETS offers Faith Based cruises following the Journeys of Paul, Marriage and Women’s retreats at sea, Fellowship cruises, European Tours, River Cruises and more. ETS has served thousands of pastors and churches throughout the U.S. and abroad. Many denominational leaders have seen the difference a tour to the Holy Land can make in their clergy members and have organized annual tours with ETS. To learn more about how to tap into the $50 billion faith-based travel segment, visit www.ETStours.com, call 1-800-929-4387, or email [email protected].