26th April 2007
Welcome to the latest instalment of the Virgin Holidays What’s
On a helpful summary of our latest holiday news, new brochure launches corporate
information and corporate social responsibility updates.
Caribbean
Caribbean Brochure Launch – 26th April
Virgin Holidays’ hotly anticipated 2008 brochure is set to launch on
the 26th of April. With the Caribbean fast becoming the choice of families
looking to escape for the holiday of a lifetime Virgin Holidays is offering
free kids places and kids prices up to 16 years in selected hotels. Couples
looking for a romantic getaway can receive £220 off per couple when booked
by 22 November 2007.
Travelife Awards
This year also marks the beginning of Virgin Holidays partnership with Travelife’s
sustainability awards. We have a great spread of sustainable hotels, with one
Travelife bronze award winner, Three Silvers and ten Gold! These resorts are
all clearly marked in the new brochure, giving customers the choice to make
an informed decision.
The 280 page brochure features holidays from £531 per adult for seven
nights in Barbados with premium Economy Upgrades starting from as little at £195
per person one way.
New Cuban Destinations
Cuba has a perfect mix of rich history, culture and beautiful white sandy
beaches, which is why we’ve decided to offer customers even more Cuban
destinations. 2008 sees the expansion of the Virgin Holidays Cuba program with
added hotels in Cayo Santa Maria, a virtually untouched islet, and Holguin, “the
most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen”, according to Christopher
Columbus!
Customers who book by the 31st of July 2007 for all departures to Cuba and
Jamaica will receive free car parking at Gatwick for the duration of their
holiday.
Taste of Adventure – Panama Experience
Holidaymakers travelling to the Caribbean can now combining mini experiences
and adventures with their Caribbean Beach holiday. The new Panama Taste of
Adventure package offers travellers the best of both worlds mixing relaxation
and excitement. This new experience is available starting in 2008 and includes
a boat trip on the Panama Canal, an aerial trip through the rainforest, and
a beach stay on Playa Blanca.
For more information please visit: www.virginholidays.com/brochures/caribbean or
phone 0871 222 0304
Florida
New
Brochure Launch – 26th April
Virgin Holidays 2008 Florida brochure is here and is the biggest one yet.
With a host of new hotels carefully selected by the Virgin Holidays team and
a larger selection of named properties in Orlando, there are a variety of holiday
packaged for everyone.
Aquatica Water Park
2008 also sees the launch of an exciting new theme park – Aquatica,
SeaWorld’s
Water Park giving visitors the chance to experience high thrill water rides,
up close animal experiences and white sandy beaches. The park’s signature
attraction plunges riders in clear tubes through a crystal-blue lagoon with
black-and-white Commerson’s dolphins. Guests feel as if they are flying
beneath the sea among these beautiful animals.
A three park Adventure ticket to Busch Gardens, Seaworld Orlando and Aquatica
costs £72 per per adult and £67 per child (aged 3-9 Years) and
can be booked in advance with Virgin Holidays.
The 2008 Florida brochure features holidays from £399 per adult for
seven nights in Orlando with premium Economy Upgrades starting from as little
at £195 per person one way. The new Florida brochure also features child
prices for children up to 16 years on trips to Miami and free kids places on
selected dates. As well, when customers buy an adult insurance package with
Virgin Holidays a free child insurance package is included at no extra cost.
With up to five flights per day, Virgin Holidays offers customers some of
the most flexible holidays to the sunny State.
For more information please visit: www.virginholidays.com/brochures/florida or
phone 0871 222 1232
USA & Canada
Chicago
Inaugural Flight
On the 23rd of April Virgin Atlantic launched a daily service between London
Heathrow and Chicago O’Hare Airport. The launch flight carried a group
of high profile media and VIP’s, including Sir Richard Branson over to
Chicago to enjoy the launch press trip.
Virgin Holidays offers a range of holiday packages to Chicago with prices starting
from as little as £715 for a seven night stay. Prices include Virgin
Atlantic flights from London Heathrow to Chicago on the new Virgin Atlantic
service.
For more information visit www.virginholidays.com/brochures/usa or
phone 0871 222 0306
Snow
Brochure Launch – 31st May 2007
The Virgin Holidays snow brochure is back and bigger than ever - offering
customers an array of exciting packages to North America and Canada. Customers
who book before the 30th of September will receive a £50 discount per
couple off a 2008 winter break for all Virgin Atlantic departures to Boston,
Los Angeles and San Francisco, between 01 Jan – 20 Mar 2008. In addition
when ski travellers to the US book either a fully inclusive or platinum car
hire package, free ski racks will be included with the vehicle.
For more information please visit: www.virginholidays.com/brochures/ski or
phone 0871 222 0308
USA & Canada Brochure
Launch – 26th July
Hot on the heels of the Snow brochure launch, the USA & Canada brochure
is set to launch on the 26 July. The new brochure will feature a larger selection
of packages to Chicago and many more exciting developments, soon to be released.
Worldwide
Nairobi
Inaugural Flight
Richard Branson visited Nairobi on 19th March to promote Virgin Atlantic’s
new services to the region which launches on the 01 June. It is expected that
the extra flights will bring a quarter more visitors to the region in the first
12 months of operation.
Virgin Atlantic also announced further plans about the upcoming route launch
including their support for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust through an onboard
collection and other initiatives which aim to raise as much as US$200,000.
Virgin Holidays offers customers a Masai explorer trip – a safari experience
visiting Kenya’s premier wildlife reserves. The eight day trip starts
in Nairobi and travels up to Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara and back to Nairobi.
Prices start from £1149 and are based on two adults travelling and sharing
a room.
Mauritius Inaugural Flight
On the 2nd of November Virgin Atlantic will launch a twice weekly service
to Mauritius. Surrounded by white sandy beaches Mauritius is a perfect holiday
destination combining peaceful tranquillity and wonderful spas with water sports
and luxury golf courses.
Virgin Holidays has a range of holiday packages to Mauritius with prices starting
from as little as £939. Prices include Virgin Atlantic flights from London
Heathrow to Mauritius on the new Virgin Atlantic service.
For more information visit www.virginholidays.com/brochures/worldwide or
call 0871 222 0307
Virgin Holidays News
Ellis Cain Jones joins Virgin Holidays as General Manager of Worldwide
Product
Virgin Holidays are pleased to announce the appointment of Ellis Cain Jones
as the new General Manager of Worldwide Product. Ellis joins Virgin Holidays
from Kuoni Travel where he worked as the Head of Worldwide Product. After graduating
from Coventry University with a degree in Civil Engineering Ellis began his
career with Thomson Holidays where he worked as a Holiday Representative and
Ski Guide in Spain from 1992-1995. Transitioning into marketing in 1996, Ellis
brings a wealth of knowledge and over 15 years of experience in the travel
industry to the organization.
Ellis’s extensive travel knowledge and skills are a valued addition
to the organization. As the new General Manager for Worldwide at Virgin Holidays,
his understanding of the industry has equipped him to direct the growth and
expansion of the worldwide program. Virgin Holidays worldwide holiday program
has grown extensively since its inception in 2002 and with the latest addition
of direct flights with Virgin Atlantic to Nairobi commencing on the 1st of
June, 2007 and to Mauritius commencing on 29th of October this year.
Virgin Holidays Appoints New Insurance Provider
Virgin Holidays are pleased to announce that starting on the 26th April 2007
their travel insurance product will be provided in association with Mondial
UK. Adult Standard Single trip policies will now include free cover for children
aged 17 and below. Coverage starts from as little as £40 per person for
a single trip, and £100 per person for an annual policy. Please contact
Virgin Holidays for more details and for further policy options.
Check-in Chill-out
Virgin Atlantic has launched the ability for passengers to print off boarding
passes from home. Passengers boarding passes can be printed off from home in
selected destinations where online check in is available and includes step
by step instructions on how to print off the boarding pass. On arrival at the
airport passengers can hand over their luggage at the ‘bag drop’ desk
and go straight through to the boarding gate, making travelling with Virgin
Holidays even more stress free.
Flight Extension – Glasgow to Orlando
Summer 2008 sees the launch of a Virgin Atlantic flight extension allowing
Scottish passengers to fly direct to Orlando. The service will operate on Fridays
and Saturdays for more details visit www.virgin-atlantic.com.
Virgin Holidays re-Launches Frequent Virgin Club
The Brand new Frequent Virgin Club launches on the 30th April and will provide
a new improved service for Virgin Holiday’s most loyal customers. The
club has been improved by researching what customers really want from a loyalty
club. New members can enjoy their choice of a complementary stay at an airport
hotel, free coach transfers or free airport parking. They will also be receiving
exclusive member offers. Members of the Frequent Virgin Club will also have
a dedicated team to deal with bookings and customer care, more details can
be found at www.virginholidays.com/fvc.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Virgin Holidays Title Sponsor of the Responsible Tourism Awards
Virgin Holidays are honoured to announce that they have assumed title sponsorship
of the Responsible Tourism Awards which will now be called the Virgin Holidays
Responsible Tourism Awards. Founded in 2004 the Responsible Tourism Awards
are jointly organised and managed in partnership with Responsible Travel, The
Times, World Travel Market, and Geographical Magazine, the magazine of The
Royal Geographical Society.
Entrants are nominated by readers from the participating publications and
judged by a panel of experts in the field. The awards aim to recognise individuals,
companies, and organizations in the travel industry that are making a significant
commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing
a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation.
The Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards are considered to be some of
the most coveted awards of this nature in the world and will be presented by
Virgin Holidays Managing Director Amanda Wills on World Responsible Tourism
Day, Wednesday the 14th of November, 2007 at World Travel.
For further information on the awards and about Responsible Tourism please
visit www.responsibletourismawards.com.
Responsible Travel.com
Virgin Holidays are pleased to announce that there are now 13 holidays featured
on www.responsibletravel.com,
a website dedicated to eco-friendly holidays, ecotourism, walking holidays & eco
places to stay from specialist operators. Several Virgin Holiday destinations
were recently awarded Travelife’s Gold, Silver and Bronze awards and
now feature on the responsible travel website, allowing customers to choose
sustainable holiday packages available from Virgin Holidays. Corporate social
responsibility manager, Rachel McCaffrey commented. “We are very excited
to be working with Responsibletravel.com and look forward to offering even
more sustainable holiday options to our customers in the future.”
Travelife Sustainability Awards
For the first time ever, Virgin Holidays customers will now have access to
information about which hotels are aligned with Travelife’s sustainability
criteria. The winning hotels are clearly marked in the new 2008 Caribbean brochure.
Further sustainability criteria audits will be carried out across the rest
of the Virgin Holidays destination programs over the coming years.
The winners are:
Travelife Gold Award Winners:
- Almond Beach Club, Barbados
- Almond Beach Village, Barbados
- Almond Casuarina Beach Resort, Barbados
- Hilton Tobago Golf & Spa Resort, Tobago
- Turtle Beach by rex resorts, Tobago
- Couples Ocho Rios, Jamaica
- Couples Sans Souci, Jamaica
- Sandals Grande St Lucian Spa & Beach Resort, St Lucia
- Sandals Halcyon Beach St Lucia, St Lucia
- Sandals Regency St Lucia Golf Resort & Spa at La Toc, St Lucia
- Laluna, Grenada (Small Hotels of the Caribbean)
Travelife Silver Award winners:
- Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada
- Couples Negril, Jamaica
- Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Jamaica)
Travelife Bronze Award winner:
- The Flamboyant Hotel, Grenada)
Richard Branson’s Global Warming Pledge
Sir Richard Branson has pledged that all profit from Virgin Holidays and the
rest of the Virgin Travel Group (estimated to be £3bn over the next 10
years) will be ploughed into research to develop energy sources that don’t
contribute to global warming. Virgin Holidays support this initiative and are
committed to helping combat global warming.
Contact:
Virgin Holiday Press Office
Phone: 01293 744 228
Email: press.office@virginholidays.co.uk
Website: www.virginholidays.co.uk/info/press/