04 Jan Wellness Travel: Interview with Anne Dimon

Wellness Travel: Interview with Anne Dimon

I’ve been going to the Travel & Adventure Show for years. This year I was given the opportunity to interview Anne Dimon, the Program Director of the Travel & Adventure Show’s new Wellness Travel Experience.

1.  Tell me about yourself. How did you get involved in the travel & wellness industry?

I’ve been working as a travel journalist for 20 years.  I became interested in wellness travel because that is how I like to travel myself plus, as a journalist, I noticed way back in 2004 that wellness was a growing industry and would soon spill over into travel. I created the online magazine and resource site named Travel to Wellness, which caters to wellness-minded people who are looking for their next wellness adventure.

2.  What should a person look for in a travel & wellness vacation?

Wellness travel is travel that allows the traveler to maintain, promote or kick-start a healthy lifestyle. It should include options for healthy food and fitness activities, and beyond that one can add other activities to suit their own goals and particular interests – spa treatments, meditation and yoga classes, hiking and other outdoor activities, educational components and other elements of wellness living.

3.  Tell me about new Travel & Wellness Experience at the Travel & Adventure Show.

Wellness travel is one of the fastest growing travel sectors in the industry.   The Travel and Adventure show has been around for 14 years.  It made sense to introduce a section that is devoted to travel and wellness for people who are interested in this type of travel.

The wellness stage made its debut this year in Washington DC on January 20, 2018.  Chicago is the second city to showcase a panel of men and women who work in the travel and wellness industry. Upcoming shows will be in Los Angeles and Denver.  In Chicago and Denver, I will be hosting a panel of experts from the wellness travel industry.

4.  Who are some of the speakers appearing on the panel in Chicago February 10, 2018?

Joining me in Chicago at 11:15 am-Noon on the Savvy Traveler Theater are:

Robert Jeffers, Health & Wellbeing Leader, Body Holiday;

Davina Bernard, Director of Wellness, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise;

Carla Minsky, Communication Specialist, Sundara Inn & Spa

Each speaker will give you information about their retreats and how it fits a particular personality.  We will also be discussing how a consumer can find a vacation that is best suited for them.

5.  Tell us what you have in store for people who stop by your booth at the Travel & Wellness booth.

Attendees that stop by our booth can select a card that can provide them with their inspiration and motivation for the day. A representative from Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise will be handing out information about their eight retreats being offered in 2018. Someone from Sundara will be providing an aromatherapy experience.  Also, a Body Holiday expert will be there with information about their wellness offerings in St. Lucia.

6.  Tell us about the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA).

According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism travel is a $500 plus billion global industry and growing. In 2017 a group of us thought It was time to have an association that gives credibility to the industry. That is when we created the Wellness Tourism Association.

The Association currently has 19 members and is growing.  The members of WTA are consumers, hotels, resorts, retreats, destination spas, tour operations, wellness travel companies, travel advisers, wellness practitioners and educators and media.  The WTA made its debut in Washington DC in January at the Travel & Adventure Show.

If you are looking for tips and suggestions on how to include wellness into your next trip, or find the right fit for a next wellness vacation you can stop by the Wellness Tourism Association booth at the Travel & Adventure Show, January 12-13, 2019, at the Donald Stevens Convention Center.   https://travelshows.com/shows/chicago/

You can also contact Anne via www.traveltowellness.com.

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