Private Trade Winds Inc., in conjunction with The Travel Institute is offering a free webinar for those interested in learning more about selling Villa Travel to luxury vacationers.

Private Trade Winds, Inc. is leading the charge in defining the term ‘villa rental’ in the travel industry, an accommodation in the luxury segment that has previously gone uncharacterized.

One such way of doing this is by writing and implementing the first Villa Specialist Course through The Travel Institute, a Certification offered through the Lifestyle Specialist Program. Those choosing to take the course – primarily Travel Agents, Real Estate Agents and Developers – will become aware of the various types of villa rentals available today, and most importantly discern between a vacation rental and a Five Star Villa Vacation.

“Private Trade Winds, Inc. knows villa travel, and we’re highly motivated and eager to share our knowledge with the travel community at large,” said Irene Aviles, Founder and President of Private Trade Winds, Inc. “As new villa rental companies emerge, itÂ’s important that fundamental guidelines are in place, and this begins with appropriate education.”

Throughout the course offering, participants will receive statistics from The State of the Villa Report, a survey conducted by The Harrison Group and commissioned by Private Trade Winds in 2009 to follow the trends in Villa Travel. Tactics and strategies are covered to fully equip Agents in selling villa product, and 10 Continuing Education Credits (CEU) will be earned upon successful completion of the course.

“This is a great opportunity for travel counselors to learn more about this highly profitable and sometimes misunderstood specialty market.” says Patty Noonan, CTC, The Travel Institute’s director of sales.

The Travel Institute in cooperation with Private Trade Winds is offering a free webinar January 19, 2012 at 3:00 EST/12:00 PST to provide more in depth information on what can be gleaned from taking the course, and how it can increase profitability for Agents who wish to sell Villa Product and specialize in this rapidly growing niche market. The free webinar and the course are open to the public and webinar registration can be accessed at thetravelinstitute.com/training-resources/webinars/