Branson unveils Virgin Voyages
Virgin Voyages has been unveiled as the new identity of Sir Richard Branson’s cruise line.
Branson, who doesn’t like the word ‘cruise’, announced the name in Miami yesterday.
“The name cruise is pretty awful so I don’t like that. I don’t know why people call their companies cruise companies,” he told the press conference.
He said the brand has been based on feedback from consumers who said cruises were about ‘massive rooms and big buffets’ and making people feel like ‘cattle or sheep being herded on and herded off’.
“We think we can create something that is really fun,” said Branson.
The company has signed a ship building contract for three ships with Italian master shipbuilder Fincantieri.
The first will arrive in Miami in 2020, carrying more than 2,700 people and 1,150 crew.
It will sail a range of Caribbean itineraries to ports that ‘deliver unique and very social experiences’.
President and CEO Tom McAlpin promised: “This is anything but just another cruise or holiday, it will be a transformational experience delivering a very ‘Virgin style’ of adventure.”
Virgin Voyages, backed by Bain Capital Private Equity and Virgin Group, said it expects the multi-billion dollar financing package for the purchase of its three ships to be finalised shortly.
Virgin Voyages claims to be the first major cruise line to partner with Climeon, a clean energy innovator.
Climeon Ocean, a system that will transform low-grade energy into clean electricity, will be installed on all three of its ships.
Virgin said this would save an estimated 5,400 tons of carbon dioxide a year, per ship, which would take 180,000 trees 30 years to absorb.
The company has set up a new website, www.virginvoyages.com, alongside @virginvoyages on Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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