Wendy Wu Tours is raising agent commission to 15% to encourage online bookings in October.
The move by the China and Asia specialist operator marks a “substantial change” in its commission structure as rates have previously be been variable.
The operator is also increasing commission it pays to agents by 0.5% from January 2018 to mitigate against any credit card charges incurred by agents under the EU’s new Payment Services Directive 2.
Global sales director, John Warr, said: “Trade support is vital to Wendy Wu which is why we’re taking this move to increase commissions during October for online bookings.
“We want our agents to experience just how easy and quick it is to book any of our holidays, including the business upgrades, online on our dedicated agents’ website.”
Speaking further on the operator’s decision to increase commissions to offset the ban on credit card fees, Warr said, “We know that agents work in a competitive environment and so whilst the EU’s Payment Services Directive 2 is good news for consumers the impact on agents, who can no longer pass on card fees to customers, will be considerable.
“Agents are our livelihood and so it’s imperative that they are protected by us from this new legislation and can run their businesses profitably.”