In a move to broaden its subscriber base and drive new e-commerce revenue streams, the Wall Street Journal launched its own online travel agency, WSJtravel, on Jan. 28 with an inventory of planned trips to 50 destinations around the world, backed by a team of 25 seasoned travel counselors.

It’s the "third leg of the stool," WSJtravel CEO Chris Froelich said in describing the venture. Since the Journal was bought by News Corp. in 2007, two other high-end branded ventures have been introduced: WSJwine, a mail-order online wine club, in September 2008, followed last November by WSJstore, which offers Journal-branded merchandise, jewelry and accessories.

In the planning stages for about eight months, WSJtravel "will let travelers experience a destination from a completely new viewpoint," Froelich said. "Package content is based on the travel content in the Wall Street Journal as well as the insight we gained from 24 focus groups we conducted before the launch, with people telling us what kind of trips they wanted and the level of service they expected."

Froelich spent 14 years with American Express as vice president public sector, handling gold- and platinum-card members.

Before that, he was a partner with his brother Brian in BPF Travel in Parsippany, N.J., which grew to be the fourth largest corporate travel agency in the U.S., with 118 offices in 22 states, before it was acquired by American Express in 1985.

He described the WSJtravel customer as "a niche-market, sophisticated, high-level traveler" and the product offerings as "a wide mix of destinations and prices, but not at the low end."

Headquartered in Iselin, N.J., with a corporate office in Princeton, N.J., and operations handled by Advanced Travel Center, WSJtravel is backed by a team of travel counselors, many of whom hail from American Express. Each brings more than 20 years’ experience in the travel industry to the venture, Froelich said.

Counselors are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day at (888) 975-8747.

Bill Silvermintz, vice president of marketing for WSJtravel, described the enterprise as a brand extension of the Wall Street Journal. Advanced Travel Center, he said, was developed solely to handle the operations for WSJtravel.

Froelich said that Advanced Travel Center plans to establish similar co-branded partnerships "with other entities looking to establish unique and high-quality travel services and clubs."

WSJtravel’s initial destinations include Africa, Australia, Europe, Vietnam, South America and California.

The lineup of 50 itineraries, some of which offer departures as early as March, will be expanded within months to include more than 100 destinations, including the Caribbean and Hawaii.

Ski, golf and family themes also will be targeted.

Froelich is optimistic about meeting his goal of $100 million in business in five years, based upon "the experience of our staff, our training, backgrounds and knowledge as well as the name recognition and trust factor that the Wall Street Journal brings to this venture."

WSJtravel offers two levels of vacation experiences, Froelich said. Its WSJtravel Signature packages offer what the company calls a "unique combination of destinations, activities and sensory experiences."

For example, one nine-day air-and-land escorted package, priced from $5,699, features accommodations at a 1,000-year-old castle in Tuscany owned by a rare-book dealer who will offer private viewings of rare texts.

"Food is a highlight of our 12-day Vietnam trip, where our guests will literally go into the fields, work on a farm and dine with locals as part of the itinerary," Froelich said. This trip is priced from $4,299, including air and land.

The nine-day California winery trip, another Signature package, features top restaurants in the Napa Valley and access to private vineyards and wineries not usually open to visitors. The land-only price starts at $1,999 per person, double.

While WSJtravel Classic Vacations offer more straightforward sightseeing itineraries, both levels offer a mix of independent and guided tours, including one of Paris that also features travel through the Loire Valley in a chauffeur-driven antique Citroen or a Mercedes six-seater van.

"There is booking capability on our website, but we learned in our focus groups that most customers ultimately want to talk to and book through a travel counselor," Froelich said.