Viva Israel: Tour bringing Elvis fans

A photograph promoting the film Jailhouse Rock depicts singer Elvis Presley.

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.