Wendy woos us with the wonders of the East

I’VE missed my telephone appointment with Wendy Wu and am slightly anxious after asking her to reschedule. I Googled her name and got Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, a martial arts film!

‘I had a meeting with the Disney people in Hong Kong, they were going to be opening up their Disneyworld out there and they mentioned it to me,’ says the original Wendy.

‘The actress who plays her is gorgeous, beautiful – I wish I was so stunning – and so sporting!’

Wendy, of course, as you can see for yourself does herself a dis- service. She is also charm personified and it is this quality and her great vision which has brought her from Tibet through Australia to running a global travel company which is making strides in Ireland and is already the biggest holiday provider to Asia from the UK.

Wendy had the Travel bug from an early age, living in Tibet, Shanghai and Jiangsu before going to university in Manchuria.

But it was while travelling in Australia that she fell upon the idea of selling tours of China.

That was 20 years ago and Wendy Wu Tours has become synonymous with exotic fully inclusive travel.

‘China is more open than it was and people are fascinated with Japan, India, South-east Asia.

‘The Great Wall is of course a Bucket List trip but we offer much more, The Forbidden City, the Terracotta Warriors a cruise for four nights on the Yangtze. And then there is Japan which is also very popular. Once you have seen the Cherry Blossoms you will never forget it. It is so beautiful.’

As well as the must-see sites, Wendy, a mum-of-two who lives in London offers her customers tailormade private tours which opens them up to remote countryside and the unique people of these regions. ‘It is a big growth area. We take care of you 24/7, we look after flights, attractions, cruises, everything.’

Spoken like a true Travel warrior and protector.