Virgin Voyages reaches more than 1,000 First Mates in January

Wednesday, Feb 11, 2026 0

Virgin Voyages has started the year with a major UK trade push, reaching more than 1,000 First Mates (travel agents) in January through a nationwide programme of store visits, head office takeovers and in-person training sessions.

The UK sales team connected directly with 1,063 agents, visited 101 stores and delivered activity across 58 locations. They also hosted dedicated sessions and takeovers with key head office partners and agency groups.

The January engagement drive formed part of Virgin Voyages’ continued investment in agent support, with a focus on product training and incentive awareness during Wave booking season.

Alongside the high level of trade engagement, trade specific booking performance also showed strong momentum.

January performance highlights include:

Travel agent revenue per cruising day is up 25% year on year, reflecting growing recognition of the value delivered through the line’s inclusive offering.
Average selling value of each voyage is up 18% year on year, with 10-night Caribbean voyages proving particularly popular.
Caribbean demand has doubled year on year, and now represents 42% of all UK trade bookings versus 21% at the same point last year.

Elsewhere, trade incentives also saw standout engagement in January. The enhanced First Mate Loot incentive – whereby the trade can earn £30 per booking, six times the standard reward, across all products on sale through 2027 – generated significant engagement, with 65% of agents applying it to bookings made during the period. The incentive has been offered alongside the returning Bring on Bimini fam trip incentive, launched in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, which gives UK First Mates the chance to win a place on a hosted Virgin Voyages familiarisation trip to the Caribbean.

SJ Walker, Virgin Voyages’ UK director of sales, said: “January has been all about showing up for the trade – in store, at head offices and face to face with First Mates across the UK. Reaching more than 1,000 agents in a single month is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of. Just as importantly, the quality of bookings coming through is rising, with longer sailings and higher-value trips becoming the norm. That’s good news for our First Mates, good news for Sailors and a strong signal for the year ahead.”

Virgin Voyages’ trade incentives – including Bring on Bimini and the enhanced £30 First Mate Loot reward – run through to February 26, 2026. To enter, travel agents must log every booking via firstmateloot.co.uk.

For more information, visit firstmates.com or contact the Virgin Voyages sales team.