Wendy Wu Tours is to focus on the Indochina market with the launch of its first stand-alone brochure for the region.
The escorted tours specialist has launched Indochina September 2009 to December 2010, covering Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Nine escorted group tours of between 10 and 28 days are included in the programme; four are new.
Wendy Wu Tours managing director Laurence Hicks said the brochure appeals to “the slightly more cultured market, that will want to do something more historical and organised” than the traditional backpacker market.
He predicts 1,000 passengers will next year travel on this Indochina programme, which offers personal tours as well as escorted tours.
Hicks said the company is working closely with the trade. The operator works proactively with agents in running events such as client nights, where the company takes customers to a Chinese restaurant and presents the details of its product. Wendy Wu also offers agents an overbranding service on its marketing brochures, where the agent can send out a mailing to clients.
Hicks added: “With the way the industry is changing, no longer can we rely on people walking into the shop and grabbing a brochure. What we are about is turning commercial agreements into relationships.
“I don’t think the niche operators engage with the agents in the way we do.”
The operator has also launched new training intiative for agents, wuniversity.co.uk, which has five modules, covering information on Wendy Wu tours, China and Indochina.