Wu Kingdom News

04 Feb 2021

Great News - Oxford vaccine slows virus

Great news this morning suggests that the Oxford-AstraZenenca vaccine may have a "substantial" effect on reducing the transmission of the virus.

It means the jab could have a greater impact on the pandemic, as each person who is vaccinated will indirectly protect other people too.

Nearly 10 Million people have already been vaccinated in the UK, with news of vaccines to start rolling out here in Australia by the end of the month.

29 Jan 2021

More good news. New Novavax vaccine shows 89% efficacy in UK trials.

A new coronavirus vaccine has been shown to be 89% effective in large-scale UK trials and the jab is the first shown to be effective against the new UK variant.

The UK has secured 60 million doses of the jab which are expected to be delivered in the second half of this year, if approved for use by MHRA.

28 Jan 2021

Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine approved for use in Australia with rollout expected in late February

Australia's medical regulator has approved the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for provisional use, with the first doses set to be rolled out late next month.

Provisional approval of the vaccine is valid for two years. Two doses are required at least 21 days apart, with aged care and disability residents and workers, frontline healthcare staff as well as quarantine and border workers at the front of the queue. 

Positive news in moving toward borders re-opening and prime minister Scott Morrison said "Australians should take confidence in the thorough and careful approach taken by our world-class safety regulator.Our priority has always been to keep Australians safe and to protect lives and livelihoods. Today's approval is another big step forward for our community, particularly in the protection of our most vulnerable people."

21 Jan 2021

Solo Traveller Sale

Exclusive offer: Free Single Supplement.

Enjoy a room of your own and save up to $2,715! That's right, our new and exclusive offer guarantees you a room of your own at no extra cost! There are 50 tours on offer for travel in 2021 & 2022.

Choose from tours in Japan, Latin America, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, India, China and Oman. Rooms are limited on every departure so don't delay.

Book and travel with complete confidence with these extra steps we’ve taken for your peace of mind. See more on our dedicated Solo Traveller Sale page.

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18 December 2020

Early Christmas present....

Guess What?! We have an early Christmas present for you all, check out our brand new Whispers edition! 


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16 December 2020

News from New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND’S PRIME MINISTER HAS CONFIRMED THE COUNTRY’S NATIONAL CABINET HAS AGREED TO LET AUSSIES TRAVEL QUARANTINE-FREE TO NEW ZEALAND FROM EARLY NEXT YEAR.

Jacinda Arden has told a live streamed press conference live on Facebook that while an exact date hasn’t been announced for a two-way bubble, she has said it will be in the first quarter of next year.
 
Australia’s Health Minister, Greg Hunt, described Ardern’s announcement as “second half of the equation”, and said the federal government would “absolutely” approve the agreement.
 
“We consciously opened up Australia to people coming from NZ because their case numbers were negligible, and we knew there would come a time when our case numbers would give them confidence,” he said according to ABC News.
 
“Now this gives the chance for New Zealanders [and] Australians to visit New Zealand … without having to quarantine.
 
“IT’S THE FIRST STEP ON A RETURN TO INTERNATIONAL NORMALITY.”

11 December 2020

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine rollout in United Kingdom sees countries around the world up preparations

Just a week ago, no certified vaccine existed for COVID-19. Now, after a flurry of developments, there are a host of vaccines being rolled out throughout the world.
 
The UK got the ball rolling, and Russia quickly followed. The United Kingdom jumped ahead in the global race to begin mass inoculation against COVID-19 when it gave emergency use approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
 
The National Health Service gave top priority to vaccinating people aged over 80, as well as frontline healthcare workers and care home staff and residents.
 
The UK's vaccination program officially began on Wednesday, with 90-year-old grandmother Margaret Keenan given the first dose. The UK expected about 800,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be administered at 70 hospitals over the following few days, just a week after the drug's approval.
 
In Australia, a local vaccine candidate is out of the running. Australians told to 'be realistic' about COVID-19 vaccine
 
Australia's low COVID-19 infection rate means the population will have to wait patiently for a March rollout, experts say
 
The Federal Government has deals with Pfizer, Novavax and Oxford University/AstraZeneca, but has stood firm on its original plan to deliver vaccines in March 2021.
 
A decision on an Australian-approved vaccine is expected at the end of January.
 
Governments around the world had booked hundreds of millions of doses of the Sanofi-GlaxoSmithKline shot, including the EU, United States and Britain.

8 December 2020

Wendy speaks to the BBC

Wendy is invited by the BBC in the UK again to hear her unique insight into the impact of coronavirus on the tourism industry.

Hear how Wendy Wu Tours weathered the initial impact of the outbreak and how we are seeing a surge in bookings following the recent positive vaccine news.

2 December 2020

COVID Vaccine News

9 November 2020

Exciting News!

First Covid vaccine offers 90% protection!

Reports in this morning are that the first coronavirus vaccine can prevent more than 90% of people from getting Covid-19.

The developers - Pfizer and BioNTech - described it as a "great day for science and humanity". Their vaccine has been tested on 43,500 people in six countries and no safety concerns have been raised.

The companies plan to apply for emergency approval to use the vaccine by the end of the month.

8 November 2020

Travel solo but never alone

We have reserved selected departures of some of our most popular tours exclusively for customers who prefer to share their wonderful holiday experiences with a readymade group of like-minded solo travellers. Plus you will enjoy these extra features
- No single supplement
- Smaller group sizes
- FREE return Australian chauffeur transfers from home to the airport^
- FREE airport lounge pass (available in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane airports only)^
- Complimentary cocktail on arrival at your destination
Take a look at the tours here that we offer with dedicated Solo departures

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2 November 2020

Machu Picchu re-opens!

Encouraging news from Peru. Machu Picchu, the 'Lost City of the Incas' has reopened after nearly eight months of closure.
Numbers will be restricted to just 675 tourists a day, about a third of what you could have expected before the pandemic.
See it on our new Treasures of South America Tour. Book for 2021 or 2022.
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1 November 2020

Book with confidence

Our Book With Confidence guarantee has been introduced to provide you with peace of mind when booking with us so that you can enjoy every moment of your holiday.
1. Low deposit, secure your place with a low deposit of only $99 per person for most tours.
2. Extended payment terms, won’t need to pay your final balance until 75 days prior to departure. If any tours or special offers require payment sooner, our Reservations team will notify you at the time of booking
3. No risk payment, in the event that your tour is cancelled due to government travel restrictions you can be confident that any payments made are safe:
100% of deposits paid will be kept as credit towards future travel with us and Final balances paid within 75 days of departure can be refunded in full.
4. Free Amendment to your tour, one free amendment up to 75 days before departure should your plans change for any reason.
5. Your safety is our priority. Every tour features our pioneering Travel Safe protocols.

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21 October 2020

Japanese Government Considers Opening Borders

The Japanese government is considering opening its borders for foreign tourists in time for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next year, according to Economic Revitalisation Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura.

Nishimura said that as the government considers how it should relax strict travel bans on foreign visitors in time for next summer, it will also strengthen its airport quarantine and coronavirus testing measures.

Rumours from sources close to the Japanese government are that such a roadmap may include a trial period which could begin in April 2021.

1 October 2020

Exciting News in the race to find a cure for Covid 19!

Dr. Josef Penninger, a University of British Columbia Life Sciences Institute Director who helped discover an enzyme and develop a drug to stop the spread of SARS more than 20 years ago, is using that knowledge to fight COVID-19. The promising findings of his first clinical trial of his new treatment were recently released in the Lancet Medical Journal.
The patient, a 45-year-old woman in Vienna who was on a ventilator due to severe COVID-19 symptoms, showed improvement shortly after receiving the drug known as APN01.
In one or two days, the virus disappeared in her blood system and also in her lungs. She developed perfect immunity from the virus. She is now back home and healthy.
This encouraging news comes on top of a recent WHO report that announced that there are now 7 COVID-19 vaccines in the final stage of trials before approval for general use, including 4 in China which hopes to officially launch the vaccine at the end of December 2020.

20 September 2020

Take a Journey through Japan with Wendy Wu Tours in 2021

Check out our Japan article in well-known travel publication, International traveller for everything you need to know about japan travel.



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26 September 2020

Taj Mahal Re-opens

Encouraging news from India.

The incredible UNESCO world heritage site had been closed down for visitors since 17th March but has now re-opened. Robust new measures are now in place to ensure everyone's safety including limiting daily visitors to just 5,000. You could expect 70,000 a day pre lockdown!

Order you copy of our new India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan Brochure

22 September 2020

Singapore Clean quality mark for assurance

The SG Clean logo is given to places that meet the country’s new heightened sanitation standards and hygiene practices.
SG Clean is a quality mark awarded to high-traffic locations such as shopping malls, hotels, tourist attractions, conference venues, schools and transport nodes. As of 1 August 2020, more than 20,000 individual premises have been certified SG Clean across Singapore.

For more information on Singapore's SG Clean initiative including a full list of Singapore's SG Clean-certificated premises visit https://www.sgclean.gov.sg/

14 September 2020

New Brochures 2021-22

Our brand new brochure collection is out now. For 2021 and 2022, featuring new tours, new destinations and our book with confidence guarantee. You won't want to miss them, you can download them online or order by post.

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9 September 2020

Tokyo Olympics will go ahead

The Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, John Coates, confirmed that the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will definitely go ahead next year. A resounding endorsement of the influential committee's confidence that the country will be safe in 2021.

He said "These will be the Games that conquered Covid, the light at the end of the tunnel."

4 September 2020

2021 Japan Brochure and Business Class Upgrade Offer

Check out our brand-new Japan brochure for 2021/22 Japan with 2 new tours, solo tours and much more.

Plus you can upgrade to Business class for just $999pp return on selected group tours for 2021. Find out more about this offer.

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