JERUSALEM (JTA) — Some Elvis fans will be making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land rather than Graceland.
The Elvis Presley Holy Land tour in May 2013 will take 100 Elvis fans on a traditional tour of Israel that will include a stop at the Elvis Inn in Abu Gosh near Jerusalem, a diner cum shrine to "The King."
The connection between Elvis and Israel appears to be his love of gospel music. Though gospel music does not come from Israel, “Elvis fans, a good majority of them, are church people, so it’s a good fit,” Brian Mayes, co-founder of Israel Theme Tours and an entertainment publicist, told The Associated Press. “A large portion of fans are evangelical: Christian, Catholic, Jewish. The Holy Land is an interesting destination for them.”
Three gospel singers who performed with Elvis will accompany the tour. Elvis won three Grammys for his spiritual recordings.
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