The term Genealogy sounds more like a term  which belongs in a laboratory than in the Tourism and Hospitality ecosystem.

      Genealogy tourism which is also referred to as Root tourism is a subset of tourism where the tourist travels to the place of their ancestors in order to reconnect and experience their culture and way of life and quite literally walk in the footsteps of their forefathers.

      Cashing in on the trend, lot of cruise lines and airlines are collaborating with genealogy research companies to design customised tour packages. 

Some of the most popular companies offering such tours include:

• National geographic
• NEHGS and NGS (genealogy societies)
• Cunard
• Ancestry.com

The curiosity of finding your roots drives people to pursue these trips and with time and resources the hospitality companies are doing all they can to make the experience comfortable and affordable.

       You can travel to your ancestor's country and with the help of professional genealogists you can find your ancestor's Town or village, search the local archives and Parish registers and if you are lucky even find some distant relatives.

     The most popular destinations for such trips are predominantly European countries such as Ireland, Scotland, Germany, France, Canada, England, Spain, Netherlands and Italy.

If interested DNA testing to reveal more specific data is also offered by some organised genealogical trip operators. In fact the availability of cheap DNA testing has caused the boom in this particular sector.

Conclusion: A Genealogical trip changes you as a person and broadens your perspective whether it is only because of curiosity or for honouring your ancestors, it sure is worthwhile.

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