Salt Lake City-based Morris Murdock Travel has expanded its reach into the religious tourism market with the acquisition of LDS Travel Study, a leading provider of educational travel for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Both companies declined to reveal terms of the deal.

The purchase gives Morris Murdock Travel access to four dozen established tour directors and some 12,000 clients of LDS Travel Study, a company formed in 2004 after Brigham Young University closed its travel department.

Morris Murdock also increases its opportunities to take customers to another big religious event, one without LDS roots -- the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2010. LDS Travel Study had secured space to take eight tours to the Passion Play, which began in the German town in 1634 and now is restaged every 10 years.

"You have to buy these tickets two years in advance. That's one reason we started talking," said Douglas Wren, LDS Travel Study vice president. "Whether LDS or not, people will want to get into these Oberammergau Passion Plays. LDS Travel Study tours are not just for members."

But with its experienced cadre of tour directors, many of whom are retired BYU or LDS Church educators, LDS Travel Study catered to a sizable audience of Mormons interested in visiting LDS Church history sites, Holy Land sites in Israel and Egypt, and Central and South American locations inhabited by the ancient peoples who members believe wrote the Book of Mormon.

Its tours continued BYU's model of giving participants lectures, headsets that provide educational lessons and study materials.

"But we didn't have the reach of BYU. We felt we weren't reaching the market unless we teamed up with somebody larger," Wren said, adding that Morris Murdock Travel was a natural partner given the Murdock part of the company's original links to the LDS Church.

Becky Potts, Morris Murdock Travel president, also said LDS Travel Study should mesh easily into her company, which offers numerous religious-oriented tours through its escorted tours division.

"Both Morris Murdock and LDS Travel Study have been sending travelers around the world for more than 50 years," she said. "While we offer much more than just LDS-based travel, it's a niche market that we are strong in."

Jim Barsch, director of Morris Murdock Escorted Tours, said minimal changes will be made to the types of tours LDS Travel Study ran.

"We respect the way they run their tours and the unique product experience they offer," he said. "The educational aspect, the group closeness and the top-level tour directors will all stay the same."

Wren said purchase talks began a year ago, long before the economy crashed. He expects it to help Morris Murdock weather adverse economic conditions.

"There is a consolidation in the travel industry and we're all concerned about being able to fill our tours," he said.

mikeg@sltrib.com