What’s your typical week?

I usually spend four days on the road covering the west of the UK, from Oxford to Carlisle and west of the M1. There are a number of challenges (apart from traffic jams, rush hours and parking), including playing the fuel lottery – finding fuel when you’re down to 10 miles, and keeping my boot in order – there are brochures, flyers and banner stands everywhere!

How big is your sales team?

There are four of us on the road: Karen Milward mirroring me to the east of the M1, Mark Harris in the south including South Wales and John Booty for the whole of Ireland and Scotland.

And what’s on the radio?

Little China Girl and Big In Japan – naturally!

What’s in your car?

I have my cuddly panda strapped in the back seat!

What snack keeps you going on the road?

I always carry emergency Cadbury’s chocolate – Twirl, Star Bar or Buttons specifically. But I’m always happy to share the sugar rush with my agents – I even went as far as baking a cake to celebrate Karen Allen at Aspen Travel’s birthday!

What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever done as part of a sales visit?
I made my agency visits with a life-size cardboard cut out of Matt Damon... (He was in The Great Wall film recently, hence the link to China, rather than me being a celebrity stalker!)

Who would be your ideal driving companion on a long journey?

It’s got to be the ultimate car share legend that is Peter Kay. He’d keep me entertained and we could sing along to some 80s and 90s classics.

What’s your favourite alcoholic drink?

I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite! It depends on my mood and the weather.

What’s the best question a travel agent has ever asked you?

Have you seen the Great Wall of China from space? We do get training trips now and again but expenses won’t quite get me beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, unfortunately!

What’s the most lost you have ever got?

I struggle to find my way out of multi-storey car parks and service stations so I always have to allow extra travel time.

Which is your favourite destination that your company sells and why?

I love Sri Lanka and India. The Kerala & the Southern Highlights trip is the next Wendy Wu Tour for me, however I do fancy trying our Costa Rica tour too – all that coffee and chocolate definitely appeals!

What messages do you try to convey during visits?

I always talk about our USPs, and the fact that we include visas and process them for free. Plus we have guaranteed departures and offer tours beyond Asia too. There’s always an offer to shout about and having been an agent myself, I can relate to agents. I like to get to know more about them, their business and how we can help generate sales.

What’s your advice for agents who don’t currently sell your product but are keen?

Use our expertise: we are the specialist tour operator for Asia. Book in some training to learn about our diverse and fascinating destinations. A top tip would be to recommend our best-selling tours; this is something we cover in training so that agents know the go to tour that they can recommend with total confidence. Wendy Wu Tours is a trade-friendly supplier so contact your regional business development manager – we are all keen to work with, advise and support agents.

Get in touch: email philippa.baines@wendywutours.co.uk