Northstar Travel Group, Travel Weekly's parent company, has partnered with publishing group Organic Spa Media to launch Wellness Travel University, a wellness-focused e-learning platform for travel advisors.
Wellness Travel University, which went live Sept. 7, was created to better help the travel advisor community sell wellness travel, an industry segment estimated to be worth $212.7 billion as of last year, according to Northstar and Organic Spa Media.
The Wellness Travel University program will reside on Northstar's Travel Agent Academy portal and be available in two formats. The first format will feature branded, sponsored courses, while the second will comprise a more in-depth, six-module course designed by Organic Spa Media's team of experts, including Melanie Smith, an associate professor and researcher from Budapest Metropolitan University's Institute of Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality.
The Wellness Travel University platform will also offer resources like a wellness travel and tourism glossary, e-books focused on wellness travel destinations and other wellness travel-related content.
As part of a second phase of the platform's launch, Wellness Travel University plans to add a travel advisor referral program. Through this program, consumers who are planning a wellness vacation will be able to search by zip code in order to find Wellness Travel University-certified advisors.
Northstar and Organic Spa Media will collaborate on promoting Wellness Travel University to the advisor community, with plans to make "elite access" to the platform available to the travel advisor audience of Northstar's retail brands, including Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, Travel Pulse and Agent@Home.
Organic Spa Media publishes Organic Spa Magazine, produces the biannual Experience Wellness & Travel media event franchise and owns the Live Well Membership, Shop Beauty online and Wellness Travel University brands.
In a statement, Anthony Carnevale, senior vice president and group publisher for Northstar Travel Group, said that with the wellness travel market "exploding," Wellness Travel University's rollout will "ensure our audience has access to the highest level of education and information that will help them grow their businesses."
This was updated Sept. 7.