China escorted tours specialist Wendy Wu Tours is in discussions that could lead to its product being made available through the GDSs.
Wendy Wu in talks with GDSs to make booking China easier
China escorted tours specialist Wendy Wu Tours is in discussions that could lead to its product being made available through the GDSs.
The potential development in its distribution strategy comes as it aims to enhance its e-commerce technology having appointed a specialist.
UK managing director Laurence Hicks said the intention was the new hire will make bookings easier for both customers and agents.
“He will also be helping us to improve our marketing; embracing social networks and media; and making our websites more user-friendly to give people the best journeys through the darkness that people perceive China to be.
“We are not selling through any GDSs at the moment but we need to make China a much easier product to book as it’s going to boom in the coming years.
“We need to make it much more accessible and give people much more choice. The escorted tours market is still very strong and solid, but there are other types of travel to China and as the largest specialist to the country – we need to find a way to help people book them.
“So we are exploring things with the GDSs, but tours are very different to what they currently feature and so we need the right platforms,” said Hicks.
Wendy Wu has announced Manuel Mascarenhas, European managing director of Wendy Wu Tour’s Chinese destination management company, Inbound China, has left the company to pursue other opportunities.
Mascarenhas had been in the role for a year following three and a half years as managing director of Wendy Wu Tours in the UK.
Inbound China will now be integrated into the Wendy Wu Tours business, under the helm of.
Hicks said Wendy Wu Tours sales in the UK were up 20% year on year, with revenue up 26%. Most business comes through travel agents.
