Therefore, we are so excited to partner with the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA)—a global network of hotels, resorts, retreats, tour operators, travel advisors, and others in the global wellness tourism industry—along with Anne Dimon—co-founder and president/CEO of the WTA and owner/editor of TraveltoWellness.com—to create The Travel Institute’s Wellness Travel Specialist Course, which is unlike any in the industry today.

Combining subject matter expertise and education know-how, the course incorporates tips from senior wellness travel advisors, insight from industry suppliers, and best-practice training content and tools from The Travel Institute, delivered via its interactive e-learning platform. The course is supported and sponsored by highly regarded industry stakeholders, including BodyHoliday Saint Lucia, Canyon Ranch, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau, Waldhotel Health & Medical Excellence Lake Lucerne, and IMG, a leader in travel insurance.

Agents taking the course will gain both practical information on wellness travel terminology, trends, buyer profiles and a wide range of wellness products, as well as actionable advice from industry insiders on making wellness travel a successful business segment. The real differentiator is that this course is truly an A-Z, start-to-finish resource for agents, focusing on the how-to, implementable business planning steps around sales, marketing, branding, and more. This course will guide agents in applying their new knowledge to convert leads into real bookings.

We are excited to give you a peek at the depth of knowledge of this course by giving you an excerpt from Lesson 1. We learned something, too… Wellness travel does not mean only Spa or Yoga.

Common Wellness Myths 

Myth #1:  It’s all about the spa and yoga.
If you mention the term wellness travel to 10 people, six of those people will probably be thinking “spa.” While the sector has, in the minds of many, been long associated with spas, it is starting to move away from that automatic response. While it’s true that a massage or other treatment certainly can enhance any wellness retreat or vacation, a spa treatment is not mandatory. Today, the wellness travel big picture is more about food, fitness, and nature.

Myth #2: It’s the same thing as medical tourism. 
Thanks to continuing advances in science and technology, we are seeing wellness tourism and medical tourism edge closer together with offerings that fall under the banner of “preventative medical testing.”
Many people do confuse the two. According to the WTA, wellness tourism is being more proactive with one’s own health and wellbeing, while medical tourism is being more reactive, referring to treating a medical condition or providing procedures that are more invasive, such as surgery.

Myth #3: It’s only for the wealthy. 
While wellness as a travel theme most often is considered to fall under the luxury category of travel, it is moving toward becoming available in other budget categories and truly should be available to all.

Learn more in lessons 2 through 6 and add Wellness Specialist to your credentials this year!