NEWS Coronavirus crisis: Asia specialists unveil raft of measures. By Juliet Dennis and Harry Kemble


Wendy Wu ramps up trade activity to ease virus impact


W


endy Wu Tours has ramped up trade support in an effort to maintain


bookings, as operators and cruise lines continue to amend itineraries in response to the coronavirus crisis. The China specialist is offering


agents who persuade clients due to go to China to delay or rebook an alternative destination with Wendy Wu, rather than cancel, an extra £40. Agents already receive a £50 Love2shop voucher for every February booking with the operator. Clients will also be offered a


£100 discount for rebooking for a later date. Wendy Wu Tours has also


brought forward the launch of a 14-day Philippines Discovery tour – its first foray into the destination – in a further attempt to offset the impact of coronavirus on bookings. The operator is planning to run


a Vietnam mega-fam in May and will offer staff new sales training to improve conversion rates. Call centre opening hours have been extended from 5.30pm to 8.30pm on Mondays to Thursdays.


John Warr fronts Wendy Wu Tours’ video message to agents


We are doing as


much as we can to incentivise agents to keep bookings


Wendy Wu, which has postponed


its China fam trip from March until the autumn, sent a video message this week thanking agents for their support. It is offering to speak to agents’ clients direct on the phone from their agencies or to send business development managers to talk to them face to face. John Warr, deputy managing


director, said: “We are doing as much as we can to incentivise agents to keep bookings.” He hinted that further new destinations would be announced, saying: “Watch this space.” Other operators, including The


Inspiring Travel Company and If Only, have introduced offers to promote other destinations in Asia such as Thailand and Malaysia. Kuoni, which has cancelled trips


to China until the end of April, is waiving its administration fee for amendments to bookings for Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. G Adventures has cancelled China


Quarantined at home: Aspire’s Hollie-Rae Brader on her brush with coronavirus


I’d been under the weather for a couple of days. But coronavirus didn’t cross my mind – until I realised from


watching the news that my husband and I had travelled on the same easyJet flight as the ‘super-spreader’ 12 days previously. Neither the airline nor British authorities had been in touch,


but the French department of health advised that I’d also been on the same coach to Geneva airport as the man with the virus. Then everything changed, with Public Health England and NHS 111 advising us to self-quarantine until we had been tested. The week got weirder, as did I (not leaving the house had


a strange effect on me). Paramedics in hazmat suits arrived at 2am one day to whisk us to hospital. All tests were done in the ambulance to avoid risk of spreading, should we be confirmed. I passed the time working remotely, eating leftovers, playing


Scrabble and watching Netflix. By day three, cabin fever had set in, and my husband was sick of me whinging about wanting to go outside. By day five, we’d run out of tea and juice, and resorted to wine (we could have drunk water, but wine made quarantine more bearable). On day six, we got the all clear – and I ran out of the house faster than I’ve ever moved.


CRUISE UPDATE: Cancellations and itinerary changes


O MSC Cruises has adapted Bellissima’s itinerary from the UAE to Japan, departing March 21, to miss out Keelung in Taiwan, Shenzhen and Hong Kong


O Princess Cruises has cancelled and modified sailings on board Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess and Majestic Princess


O P&O Cruises has removed all calls in Asia from its current world cruise on board Arcadia


O Celebrity Cruises has cancelled sailings in Celebrity Millennium’s Asia season and modified itineraries for Celebrity Constellation


O Royal Caribbean International has cancelled two Quantum of the Seas sailings from Singapore on February 15 and February 24


O Norwegian Cruise Line has pulled its Asia programme on Norwegian Spirit until December 7


trips to the end of March, while its National Geographic Journeys tours have been cancelled until May 31. InsideJapan has changed its terms


and conditions to allow clients to rebook for later in the year.


Hollie-Rae Brader is editor of T


12 20 FEBRUARY 2020


ravel Weekly’s sister title Aspire travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURE: Matt Sprake


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