The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
‘The five stans of Central Asia could be like a new China ...’
peers into the tea leaves and predicts the destinations to which we may turn
China specialist Wendy Wu has been hit hard as a result of the coronavirus, but she remains resolutely upbeat and is shifting her sights to territories yet to be explored.
WHERE WERE YOUR FIRST TRAVELS?
As a child I travelled a lot around China. My parents, both doctors, were based in Tibet and had good holiday allowances.
I was very lucky.
DID THAT INSPIRE WENDY WU TOURS?
In a way, yes. I moved to Australia in 1990 and after four years away planned a holiday back home. My partner had to back out at the last minute and with everything booked I put a small ad in the paper inviting someone to join a 28-day tour of China with highlights and hidden gems – and me as a free guide. I got so many calls and realised there were many well-travelled people who wanted to see China without the hassle. That’s literally how Wendy Wu Tours began.
TELL US ABOUT THE HIGHS AND LOWS
We soon became the largest operator to China from Australia. But Sars in 2003 meant we had to look beyond China at countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and Japan. Two years later I came to the UK and started with a stall at the Destinations travel show. I got a lot of interest and was interviewed on
Richard & Judy. People were curious about China and we could open it up to them. Earlier this year we won Best Long-Haul Specialist Operator at the Globe Travel Awards for the 10th year running. Then coronavirus struck.
WHAT IMPACT HAS COVID-19 HAD?
This has been far worse than Sars and came just as we were moving into the busiest season for trips to China and Asia. We had to repatriate thousands of people and cancel all holidays. Most of those due to travel with us have agreed to delay departures to next year or 2022; in other cases we have issued credit notes. But like Sars, this is forcing us to rethink. Travel is never going to be the same again.
HOW WILL TRAVEL CHANGE?
People will want to be safe. They will want to go to safe destinations and know all will be well. People will want operators to look after them. They will book even more holidays online rather than on the high street.
Wendy Wu
WHERE WILL WE BE ABLE TO FEEL SAFE?
Funnily enough, China will be one of the safest places on earth. It has made itself a fortress against the virus. Countries like South Korea and Taiwan have had very few cases and dealt with the virus very effectively. The five stans of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – also had very few cases and will be safe. Like China in the Nineties, they are little-known and seen as difficult and challenging. As with
China, we will seek to make them more mainstream and accessible.
WHAT ELSE WILL PEOPLE WANT?
People will still want to enjoy their holidays! That means they will have to be made to feel welcome. We will only send people into countries that want visitors to return.
WHERE WILL YOU GO FIRST AFTER THIS?
One hundred per cent China. I want to see what they have done with regard to tracing, tracking and social distancing. This will be a brilliant time to see sights without the crowds. The panda sanctuary in Chengdu used to get 45,000 visitors a day; now it is restricted to 5,000. You will see baby pandas being fed without anyone pushing you. It will be like travelling there 35 years ago.
Wendy Wu was talking to Adrian Bridge