EFFECTIVE July 1, Wendy Wu Tours and
Club Med entered a unique supplier
partnership that will enable travellers
to try two very different products as
part of one trip. The relationship is
a sign of the rapidly evolving trade
climate, industry players say, in which
stakeholders have to find creative
ways of doing business.
Wendy Wu Tours is already well
established as a touring brand for
Asia but was looking to grow its
sales in the family market, says Alet
Steyn, gm of Wendy Wu Tours SA.
Olivier Hannaert, md of Club Med SA,
says because the company wanted
to expand its market share of South
Africans travelling to China, the
partnership was a no-brainer.
In the past, a relationship like
this would never have been
considered, says Annemarie
Lexow, sales and marketing
manager of Travel Vision. She
says in a trade environment
where trends no longer seem
to exist and businesses have
to review their strategies every
six months, the collaboration is
a creative way of tackling tough
economic times. “We target
the same client; what’s the
point of reinventing the wheel?
Let’s come up with a great
deal where we can all benefit.”
Annemarie says Travel Vision
is exploring something similar
through a partnership with
a travel agent consortium,
which will offer clients
packages that include both
good value airfares and land
arrangements.
“More families are looking
for new experiences that
include fun and adventure
and give their children a wider
understanding of the world,”
says Alet.
“The time when clients spent
one week at the beach is
done,” says Olivier. He says a
Club Med client survey held
three months ago revealed
that travellers’ curiosity had
peaked and they wanted to
see as much of the globe
as possible in one trip.
Although this is the first time
the company is launching
something like this in the
SA market, Club Med has
introduced similar offerings in
other markets.
Paulo De Oliveira, ceo of
Pentravel, says clients are
looking for more immersive
experiences and the
partnership caters for those
wanting to combine an
experiential holiday with a
resort stay.
However, Andrew Stark, md
of Flight Centre Travel Group
SA, says although this may be
a unique partnership between
suppliers, travel agents have
been combining different tour
op products for years. “It’s
a clever collaboration and if
it offers the client what they
want – that’s a good thing.”
He says it becomes tricky if
the wholesalers start playing
in the intermediary space, as
issues around documentation
and responsibility for the client
become complicated.
Through the partnership,
travellers can book Wendy
Wu’s fully inclusive guided
tours or private tours in Japan
and China, with an extension
to stay at an all-inclusive Club
Med resort. With Club Med’s
Sri Lanka product, clients can
extend their stay at Kani resort
in the Maldives
Currently these tours are
only available through Wendy
Wu and rates are offered on a
request basis, says Alet.
