Travel Institute launches CTA Immersion

The Travel Institute launched a new experiential education concept for travel advisors last week. Its Certified Travel Associate (CTA) Immersion Program combines professional education with travel experiences to help advisors build more successful businesses.

AmaWaterways served as the inaugural host. The river cruise line brought 15 travel advisors together aboard the AmaStella for a Rhine River cruise.

The program merges preparation for The Travel Institute’s CTA certification with facilitated live learning. It includes peer-to-peer discussion, firsthand product and destination experiences, and proctored certification testing. The immersion gives advisors a chance to apply professional concepts in a real-world travel environment. They learn alongside other industry professionals.

A Powerful New Dimension

This provides a "powerful new dimension to our professional training and certification programs," according to Guida Botelho, CTIE, VP at The Travel Institute. "When advisors come together around professional education, the conversations become richer," Botelho said. Ideas are exchanged. Practical insights are shared. Advisors challenge and learn from one another. 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.

Participating advisors completed their CTA preparation before arriving on board. During the immersion, facilitated learning focused on practical skills. Advisors discussed how to build and grow their businesses. Topics included professional ethics, communication, and sales. Customer-focused selling, marketing, and itinerary planning were covered. Travel insurance, cruise, all-inclusive travel and escorted trips were also part of the curriculum.

Investment in Shared Success

"We are incredibly grateful to AmaWaterways for partnering with us on this inaugural immersive experience," said Taylor Ruecking, president of The Travel Institute. He noted the vital role education plays in advisor success. Travel advisors are essential to connecting suppliers with travelers. They need both professional expertise and firsthand product knowledge. This knowledge lets them confidently recommend the right experiences for their clients. The Travel Institute is committed to providing high-quality education, certification and tools. This immersion demonstrates the power of bringing professional development, experiential learning, and product knowledge together.

"Travel advisors are essential to AmaWaterways and investing in their education is an investment in our shared success," said Ann Chamberlin, CTA, CTIE, senior director of accounts at AmaWaterways. Partnering with The Travel Institute gave the cruise line an opportunity to advance advisor education in selling its journeys. AmaWaterways is proud to support these professionals.

The Travel Institute plans to expand the CTA Immersion Program with more travel industry partners. Founded in 1964, the institute is an independent nonprofit. It is often called the gold standard in travel industry education and certification. The institute has awarded more than 30,000 professional designations. It also administers the Travel Agent Proficiency program for those entering the industry.