Wendy Wu targets fourth record year Samantha Mayling


Wendy Wu Tours is aiming for a fourth successive record-breaking year, after reporting its best-ever sales in January. The specialist hailed agents’


support and will double the number of fam trips it runs to 10 this year due to their strong return on investment. Founder Wendy Wu told a Travel


Weekly webcast that last month was “phenomenal”. She said: “We have had the best January in the history of Wendy Wu Tours – internationally, all the offices – including the UK, which is leading the way. “The whole company grew 33%


and the UK is above that. That is thanks to all the agencies.” Gary King, head of trade sales,


forecast 2026 would be another record-breaker. He said his team saw “a brilliant performance across the whole country” and January sales were “beyond my wildest dreams”. The operator is also looking


at increasing its luxury offering in response to demand. “On 10 of our most popular


tours we’ve introduced three or four departures where customers can upgrade to a five-star hotel,” King said, adding the concept would be extended to more tours if successful. With its China programme, the


operator hopes to reach a wider range of clients thanks to the relaxation of visa rules for Britons. The UK government announced


last month that China plans to end the visa requirement for travel


New apprentice course to develop future managers


Juliet Dennis


A travel training company is on the lookout for 30 aspiring managers as it launches a fully-funded, accelerated apprenticeship course. AS Training announced the


Level 3 Team Leader course, running from March to October, as other travel firms marked National Apprenticeship Week (February 9-15) with events and a pledge to take on more apprentices. The course costs are covered by


Jet2’s Apprenticeship Levy pot for apprentices who are not eligible for full government funding. The course


6 12 FEBRUARY 2026


aims to enable new supervisors, assistant managers or team leaders in the early days of management to take their first steps into leadership and is eight months instead of 12 to fit around the peak sales season. AS Training managing director


Michelle Van Sprang said: “We want to make it easier for people to climb the ladder.” The launch came as Jet2


announced it is running a Skills for Life webinar for independent agency apprentices to learn about its products on February 12. Other companies holding


events this week included Virgin


Atlantic, which hosted students at its Heathrow engineering hangar, ran a virtual panel for schools with former apprentices and opened its training centre to showcase careers “in action”. Meanwhile, Hays Travel revealed


almost 2,000 people had applied so far for 268 apprenticeship places this year and Seaside Travel said it planned to take on more apprentices. Seaside, which has three apprentices, is running pop-up shops in local colleges where students make live bookings and are invited to visit its shops. Kate Dixon, training and


community senior manager, said: “I’d love to take on another three


We have had the


best January in the history of Wendy Wu Tours – the whole company grew 33%


under 30 days, although a start date has yet to be confirmed. Wu said the announcement


was a “very historic moment”. Recent new China tours feature


highlights, such as the Great Wall and Shanghai, and lesser-known attractions, such as the futuristic ‘cybercity’ of Chongqing and Zhangjiajie, said to be the inspiration for the film Avatar. Chongqing was on last year’s megafam itinerary and is featured


on several new tours including the China Wellness & Wisdom Retreat. King expects such tours to appeal to first-time visitors and return clients. “It gives us a slightly further


reach. [It could be for] somebody coming into one of the travel agencies or making an enquiry and saying, ‘I want to escape. I want to go somewhere that’s going to help my wellbeing’,” he said. King confirmed discussions


have begun for this year’s “amazing” megafam to China but the destination is currently under wraps.


Watch the webcast with editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley at travelweekly.co.uk


5


Apprentices at Hays Travel’s head office in Sunderland


apprentices this year, it’s a brilliant way to mould them into the ‘Seaside way’. They get to learn, have fun and gain a qualification at the same time.” Operators are increasingly


looking at ways to train apprentices. Contiki and the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers ran a fam trip to South Africa for young agents and apprentices last year (pictured on front cover). Rhianne Richardson, area sales manager for north and central England, said: “Contiki is for 18 to 35-year-olds, so we felt these agents were our brand’s customers and the


perfect ambassadors for our product.” › Special Report, page 10


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