| A travel agent specialist course on medical and wellness travel is under development by The Travel Institute and Well-Being Travel, with an anticipated launch date at the end of the first quarter of 2013.Well-Being Travel, a resource for medical and wellness tourism (and a sister company to Travel Market Report), is providing guidance and resources for the course, including creating key learning objectives.The Travel Institute, an international nonprofit organization that educates and certifies travel professionals, is responsible for writing and administering the course, creating an online test and certifying success candidates as Well-Being Specialists. Course details The online course will be offered in a series of modules, some of them focused on travel for medical procedures, including the legalities and risks. Modules will also cover the wellness/health vacation market, including resort, spa and cruise wellness vacations. Travel to medical spas or for holistic health reasons will also be addressed. The course will include interactive exercises, images, audio, graphics and testing. 35 percent annual growth The time is right for a course that enables travel sellers to take advantage of a lucrative niche, said Anne Marie Moebes, executive vice president of Well-Being Travel. “Health and wellness tourism is a multibillion-dollar industry that continues to grow,” said Moebes, citing a recent study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions predicting an annual growth rate of 35 percent for outbound medical tourism. Partnership advances agent education The partnership between Well-Being Travel and The Travel Institute brings together the required elements for furthering agent education on wellness travel, Moebes added. “While Well-Being Travel provides the necessary resources for traveler sellers to be successful in this market, The Travel Institute has the expertise and clout to launch a stellar program,” she said.⨠Patty Noonan, CTC, director of sales for The Travel Institute, praised Well-Being Travel as an “innovative and forward-thinking organization that shares our same core values: to create and maintain a single standard of excellence that sets travel sellers apart and keeps consumers coming back. “We look forward to a long, successful relationship.”Discounted rate Travel sellers can register for the specialist course at a rate of $89; members of Well-Being Travel can register at a discounted rate of $69. For more information, visit Well-Being Travel. |
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