The Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) has relaunched as a for-profit organisation by Robin Ruiz, founder and CEO of Wellness in Travel and Tourism (WITT).

The WTA was dissolved in May due to financial issues, but Ruiz now owns the organisation. She also serves as its president and CEO.

The organisation was first incorporated as a not-for-profit in the US in January 2018 as a global network of operators and practitioners in the wellness tourism industry. It has since shaped the wellness tourism sector by conducting industry research, creating specialist wellness travel training courses and publishing a glossary of wellness tourism terms.

The organisation is relaunching now as a for-profit organisation. It will unite industry leaders and develop the WTA’s endeavours from advocacy and education to collaboration and events.

Members will receive an expanded range of benefits, new educational offerings and the opportunity to collaborate in industry initiatives.

“The WTA has been a beacon in wellness tourism – and its voice is still needed,” said Ruiz. “This relaunch is a recommitment to changemakers who see travel as a force for wellbeing. I intend to honour the WTA’s legacy, build on its foundation and reintroduce it as a space for new voices, ideas and a vital resource for the industry’s future.”

Anne Dimon, the co-founder and founding president of the WTA, will remain an adviser during the transition and serve on the forthcoming WTA Advisory Board.

“We had several companies express interest in reviving the WTA,” said Dimon. “But Robin’s passion, mission-driven leadership and success with WITT made her the natural choice to carry the WTA forward for members and the industry.”

Robin Ruiz’s WITT

Ruiz is the CEO and founder of Wellness in Travel and Tourism, an independent organisation composed of hospitality, wellness and travel specialists.

Last year Spa Business reported that WITT had created a wellness certification for hotels and resorts, which offers reassurance to customers that a property genuinely prioritises guest wellbeing.

Founded in 2022, WITT’s mission is to raise the bar in wellness travel and hospitality by setting rigorous standards.