Travel advisors who want to pair business education with product knowledge need look no further than the Travel Institute's new Certified Travel Associate Immersion Program.
The program enables advisors to prepare for CTA certification while experiencing a product or destination.
The first Immersion Program was held earlier this month, when 15 advisors set sail on the Rhine River aboard AmaWaterways' AmaStella.
While on the ship, participants took part in live learning, peer-to-peer discussion and proctored certification testing while experiencing the cruise and port destinations throughout.
For their CTA certification, the advisors covered topics like ethics, communication, sales, marketing, itinerary planning, travel insurance, cruise, all-inclusive travel and escorted trips.
The Travel Institute said it plans to expand the program with more supplier partners.
"When advisors come together around professional education, the conversations become richer, ideas are exchanged, practical insights are shared and advisors challenge and learn from one another," Travel Institute vice president Guida Botelho said. "They also build relationships that extend beyond the classroom. That combination of structured education, peer learning and shared experience is difficult to replicate in a traditional training environment."