INDUSTRY CONSULTANTS: A working wellness tourism or hospitality consultant. Applicant reviewed on an individual basis.

RETREAT LEADERS & OTHER WELLNESS TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS: Applicants will be reviewed on an individual basis.

TRAVEL ADVISORS: Must already be promoting themselves as advisors to wellness-minded travelers  and already working with clients to help them plan their Wellness Travels and Wellness Vacations. A wellness section must be included on their web sites. 

WELLNESS PRACTITIONERS/EDUCATORS: To qualify for this category members must have some certification related to fitness or wellness, including yoga.

HOTELS/RESORTS: Any hotel/resort with a range of hospitality services where the primary purpose is “hospitality in general,” and NOT ”wellness” specifically, but the “hybrid” hotel/resort also offers significant support programs/options for the guest who is a wellness traveler (defined as someone who is traveling with wellness as the focus.)

The hotel or resort must offer accommodation, a range of hospitality services plus significant support programs/options for the wellness traveler.  These programs/options should include but not limited to, the following:

1. A menu of healthy food options available in one or more food outlets on a regular basis.
2. Year round fitness options (beyond just a gym) in the form of yoga classes or other wellness or fitness focused sessions. These may or may not be complimentary to guests.
3. Some accommodations that are deemed wellness focused – For instance: a quiet floor.
4. If the hotel / resort offers meeting space, there should be a program in place to offer delegates wellness options.
5. An in-house wellness initiative and/or packages promoted on the hotel/resort web site.

MEDICAL WELLNESS: A company with the primary business of medical (the care of patients, and services that respond to specific medical conditions or issues) will be considered for membership if they also offer multi-day retreats / programs and/or packages that are deemed to be more proactive/preventative than reactive. For instance, retreats/programs for sleep, stress management, medical testing for the early detection and prevention of certain medical conditions.

TOUR OPERATORS: A tour company with the main focus of offering nature-related fitness type activities – i.e. hiking, walking, cycling, kayaking, or other, non-adrenalin (i.e. mountain biking, surfing, downhill skiing) activities, plus also working with restaurants serving fresh, local, seasonal products, and offering at least ONE other wellness-focused activity such as agri-tourism, voluntourism, meditation, art “therapy” classes, healthy cooking classes.

TRAVEL AGENCIES: Must be already promoting themselves as wellness travel specialists and already be working with clients to help them plan their Wellness Travels and Wellness Vacations.

WELLNESS RESORTS/RETREATS: Any facility with accommodations and a range of hospitality services where the primary purpose is to provide programs and experiences for the Wellness Traveler. The Wellness Resort/Retreat is comprised of four primary elements: accommodations, a variety of wellness activities, healthy dining options and wellness-related facilities.

WELLNESS TRAVEL COMPANIES: Companies working in the wellness tourism space but not classified as tour operators.  Each will be assessed on an individual basis.

DMO/TOURIST OFFICE/CVB: The DMO / Tourism Office / CVB must have a wellness tourism strategy / initiative in place OR want to work with us (at an additional cost) to help them create a wellness tourism strategy / initiative.

HOSPITALITY BRANDS: A hospitality brand (eg. Accor, Canyon Ranch, etc.) must have an active brand-wide wellness initiative in the form of a clearly defined and deployed wellness strategy. The Corporate Brand would join as a member for the annual fee of $1,500 then its individual hotels under that same brand would be eligible to join, IF they meet the criteria, at a discounted annual rate.

Media companies and individuals will be qualified on an individual basis.

Partners may be persons, companies and/or organizations which are not directly engaged in the wellness tourism industry, but are interested in supporting and advancing the wellness tourism industry and supporting the work and standards of the WTA. Contributions of funds or in-kind value will be reviewed by the Board of Directors.  If you are interested in partnering with the WTA, please REACH OUT.