Status: We could not confirm this association is currently active (checked October 2026). The official tourism portal still lists it but has no confirmed contact details, and the latest news we found dates from 2022.
The Religious Tourism Association of Timor-Leste (Associação Turismo Religioso Timor-Leste, abbreviated ATR-TL or ATRTL) is an interfaith organisation that promotes religious and pilgrimage tourism. Its members come from Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu and Confucian (Kong Hu Cu) communities. It was registered in July 2021 and launched at Dili’s Immaculate Conception Cathedral in October 2021, with support from USAID’s Tourism For All project.
Activities reported
- 2021: received a government grant to start work after registration
- January 2022: set aside funds to research religious tourism sites in Ainaro, Ermera, Manatuto and the Oé-Cusse special region
- 2022: its chairman, Father Angelo Salsinha, called for rules to protect religious tourism sites, and the association announced plans to train tour guides
Sites for faith-based travellers
- Cristo Rei, the hilltop statue east of Dili
- Mount Ramelau, with its statue of the Virgin Mary on the summit and an annual pilgrimage
- Historic churches across the country, plus mosques and temples in Dili
Contact
No contact details are confirmed on the official listing. Contact the Ministry of Tourism and Environment through timorleste.tl for current information.
Sources
- Faith-Based Tourism Association listing on timorleste.tl (checked October 2026)
- UCA News: Timor-Leste launches religious tourism association (October 2021)
- Tatoli: ATR-TL to research tourist attractions in three municipalities and RAEOA, 9 January 2022
- UCA News: Timor-Leste urged to preserve sites for religious tourism (2022)