Virgin Voyages will be conducting a series of face-to-face seminars for travel agent partners on the Australian eastern seaboard, kicking off at the end of April.
The First Mates Roadshow 2022 will be hosted by Shane Riley, Virgin Voyages’ Vice President of International Sales, and accompanied by Luke Day, Virgin Voyages National Training Lead, along with the local Travel the World Sales Manager in each city.
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The in-person events are scheduled to take place on the following dates and venues:
- 28 April 2022 – Brisbane, Emporium Hotel South Bank (7:30-9:30am)
- 28 April 2022 – Gold Coast, Events Cinema Robina (5:30-8:30pm)
- 2 May 2022, Sydney, Events Cinema George Street (5:30-8:30pm)
- 3 May 2022 – Melbourne, Kino Cinema (5:30-8:30pm)
To attend, RSVP on this link by 6pm AEST Wednesday 13 April 2022.
McAlpin responds to CDC ruling
The upcoming roadshow comes as Virgin Voyages’ CEO, Tom McAplin, welcomed the removal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) pandemic-related Cruise Travel Health Notices that have been in place for the past two years.
Speaking with CNBC in the US on Friday, McAlpin said: “We are glad to see the CDC is finally seeing all the hard work that the industry has put into it; that we have put into making cruising safe.”
“I think we’re ready for a boom in travel. People have been two years cooped up in their homes ready to get out and now they are excited.
“We’ve seen bookings skyrocket up 120% since January. We’ve had a record booking week just last week and we’re off to beat that record this week,” McAlpin said.
“Things are looking very promising for the industry and for Virgin Voyages,” the CEO of the adults-only cruise line said.
McAlpin’s comment comes as Virgin Voyages announced an extension of its 22% commission on sailings booked up until 30 April 2022.
Additionally, Virgin Voyages has extended its Mediterranean Voyage offer for new bookings made by 31 May 2022, offering up to $400 of onboard credit on select sailings between May 2022 and October 2022.
See www.firstmates.com for more information.