Wendy Wu’s John Warr: 'This is the perfect time for travel agents to reskill'

The operator is running daily webinars for agents on destinations including Japan, India, Sri Lanka and Latin America, as well as destination quizzes, with around 40-60 agents tuning in to watch them each time.

“I appreciate it must be really hard for agents at the moment – they are being battered psychologically day in and day out – but they also need to think about the future and help themselves by reskilling,” says Warr, who also urges agents to get in touch with clients now to check in with them and inspire them to travel again.

“It’s especially important to check in with clients who showed an interest in travelling next year to see where they’re at,” he says.

The operator has also started creating webinars for agents’ customers on Zoom and Microsoft Teams, which agents can then share via a website link that can be sent out in their agency newsletters or via email. These are proving popular, with one webinar on India watched by 100 viewers. The operator is able to create these bespoke as per agents’ customer demands.

“It’s a great way for agents to engage with their clients and we’re able to offer prize giveaways as an extra incentive for customers to tune in,” says Warr.

The operator is also creating bespoke webinars for group travel, which agents can share with any groups they book travel for.

For agents already receiving enquiries, the operator has set up an online appointment service via Zoom.

“The world has been shaken up so we’re all having to think differently and innovate,” he explains.

The webinars are available for agents to watch on the Wendy Wu Agent Friends Facebook page, or they can email Warr directly to ask for webinar links at John.Warr@wendywutours.co.uk