Laura Powell has been an international travel industry and wellness tourism analyst and consultant for more than 30 years. She started her career at CNN. After helping to establish CNN International, she next developed CNN’s travel programming. She reported on travel for the network for five years.
After leaving CNN, Laura established a consultancy specializing in tourism and wellness. Over the years, she has worked with scores of destinations, public relations firms, hotel companies, and organizations. Clients have included the European Travel Commission; the Global Wellness Institute; the American Hotel & Lodging Association; the U.S. Travel Association; the World Travel & Tourism Council; Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Choice Hotels International; Destinations International; and the European Spas Association.
Currently focused on wellness tourism consulting, she works with destinations and hotel companies looking to develop and expand wellness tourism products. She also serves as a wellness tourism analyst for think tanks and consultancies. Project management roles have included Chief Content Developer for Wellness Travel University; Wellness Analyst for RLA Global; and Luxury and Wellness Editor for Skift.
As an industry thought leader, Laura speaks regularly at travel and wellness industry conferences. Recent speaking engagements include the European Spas Association Annual Congress; the American Society of Travel Advisor International Conference; the National Tour Association Travel Exchange; the New York and Washington, DC Travel & Adventure Shows; and several state tourism conferences.
Education Syracuse University, Summa Cum Laude, Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism University of Essex (England), Masters of Arts, International Relations Additional Studies at European University Institute, Fiesole, Italy