It is with enormous pleasure that we announce that WildChina founder and travel expert Mei Zhang has made it onto the Travel + Leisure A-List yet again, making it the 9th year in a row!
But what is the A-List? and what has made Mei such a strong candidate for the last 9 years running?
According to the editors of the luxury travel magazine, the T+L A-List is a collection of the top travel experts and advisors throughout the world. To be selected as one of the 117 experts included is a great achievement. The advisors on the list are chosen because they have the ability to deliver “completely unexpected and unique itineraries with a deep and sensitive understanding of the target destination.”
Mei and WildChina Guilin Guide Stuart
When it comes to creating unique itineraries, Mei is a forerunner in the China travel sector, herself hailing from Southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Mei and our experience development team travel around China every other month to test out our newest programs and hotels; an enviable position, we know. For this reason, we can deliver luxurious and unusual adventures with confidence, staying in only the best accommodations on offer. What’s more, with most of our staff based in our Beijing office, we’re on the ground when you need us most.
Another aspect that the T + L editors consider when shortlisting the A-List is exclusive access. With over 18 years of experience exploring China, we have successfully built up a vast network of guides and experts, who have the connections to by-pass queues and enter areas normally closed to the public. Just one highlight of choosing to travel with WildChina is our new expert in Dunhuang, who is able to get us VIP access at the Mogao Caves, also known as the 1000 Buddha Grottoes- definitely something worth boasting about!
WildChina Dunhuang Expert Neil Schmid and the WildChina team
Of course, in this technological era, the travel industry has become more and more transparent with the growing importance of testimonials. That’s why T+L take into consideration client reviews on non-biased sites such as TripAdvisor. Take a look at our own TripAdvisor and it’s not hard to see why Mei has been a resident feature on the list for 9 years in a row. Only recently, we received comments describing traveling with WildChina as a “once in a lifetime experience” with guides that are “warm, knowledgeable, flexible and thoughtful.” You can’t argue with that!