Virgin Voyages will open HQ in Plantation, Florida
New cruise startup Virgin Voyages will put down roots in Plantation, Florida.
The line has selected the Fort Lauderdale area suburb as its headquarters and pledged to create about 300 jobs there.
The company also promised to pump $15.9 million in the local community, it said.
The company currently employs a workforce of 76.
"We basically decided, ‘Let’s have a blank sheet of paper, let’s create the kind of voyage company that we would like to go on,’ and that’s what we’ve done," Virgin Group founder Richard Branson said in a statement.
The unveiling was attended by Florida Gov. Rick Scott and VISIT FLORIDA President and CEO Ken Lawson, who said: "Virgin Voyages decision to open headquarters in South Florida is fantastic news for tourism in our state. By creating more opportunities for travelers from around the world to experience Florida, Virgin Voyages is helping us make Florida the number one global destination, and I look forward to their continued success."
A joint venture with Bain Capital, Virgin Voyages is expected to launch its first of three ships in 2020 on kid-free cruises out of Miami.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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