NEWS ROUND-UP Wu lauds agents to sell S America
Lee Hayhurst
lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk
The trade support that has underpinned Wendy Wu Tours’ success to date will be vital as it strives to become the UK’s biggest operator to South America, according to the company’s founder.
Speaking as the operator
marked 20 years in business last week at its 2019-20 brochure launch, Wendy Wu said the firm and its agent partners “cannot do without each other”. Wu vowed the operator would
“take the fear out of selling South America”, having introduced the region in brochures for 2019, just as it had “successfully done for China and Japan”. “Travel agents and us, we
are together,” she said. “We are
Saga to christen Spirit of Discovery in revamped Dover port
Saga Cruises will christen Spirit of Discovery in Dover next July. The 999-passenger ship
will be the first vessel to be christened in Dover following completion of the first two stages of a £250 million redevelopment project at the Kent port. Saga Cruises chief executive Robin Shaw said: “Our cruise
WENDY WU: Founder says ‘agents add so much value for operators’
absolutely the closest partners; we cannot do without each other. “Those partnerships have
brought us to where we are today and will drive our growth in the next 20 years. “I do not think tour operators will ever not need travel agents.
ship is going to be a real statement of small and bespoke. Our ship is a one-off.” Saga’s second new-build,
Spirit of Adventure, which will launch in summer 2020, will be “completely different” in terms of design, Shaw said. Spirit of Discovery’s sold-out maiden voyage around the British Isles will sail from Dover on July 10. Saga recently announced it
was to move to all-inclusive cruising from 2020 (Travel Weekly, September 20).
“Anyone who thinks they won’t
is short-sighted because travel agents add so much value for tour operators and their customers.” Wu recalled that when the firm set up in the UK in 1998 there was “widespread fear” among agents about selling China, even among
established agency groups such as Bath Travel, now part of Hays Travel. “Over the last 10 years we have made China more accessible to all travel agents and now none are scared of selling China,” added Wu. She said this success meant
Wendy Wu Tours today faced greater competition because agents were now comfortable selling other operators to China. But Wu said she was confident
she would be able to repeat the success in South America based on her company’s approach of using local experts, focusing on unique experiences, training agents and making tours easy to book. As an example, she cited solar eclipse tours to Chile in July 2019, which she said offer guests unrivalled views of the two-and- a-half minute phenomenon and transport on a chartered aircraft.
Hotelplan UK poaches ‘experienced’ manager Franklin from Mark Warner
Inghams’ parent company has poached Julie Franklin from ski rival Mark Warner to be its head of agency sales. Franklin, who has been agency sales manager at Mark Warner for three and a half years, will oversee Hotelplan UK’s agency sales teams for its Inghams, Esprit Ski, Ski Total and Santa’s Lapland brands. She will join the operator
SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY: Will be named in redeveloped Dover port next summer
10
travelweekly.co.uk 27 September 2018
in November, reporting into commercial director John Mansell. Franklin’s appointment follows the departure of group head of sales Simon McIntyre, who left earlier this month to join online agency Iglu in a new role as general manager for ski. Mansell said: “With her
wealth of experience in agency sales and tour operating, as well as her passion for travel, Julie
FRANKLIN: Will oversee sales teams for Hotelplan’s four brands
is a great appointment for us. “Having a dedicated individual
with her skill set in the role means our agency relationships will continue to go from strength to strength.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
