trip report VIRGIN TO CANCUN
Virgin Atlantic took a group of ‘VIP’ guests out to Cancun, Mexico, to celebrate the launch of its new service from London-Gatwick. Steve Hartridge joined the four-day fi esta
Virgin heads down Mexico way Virgin Atlantic is expecting to carry
75,000 passengers a year to Cancun, said CEO Sir Richard Branson. Speaking in the Mexican destination
after a special VIP flight to mark the airline’s new service from Gatwick touched down on July 7, he said that Cancun was one of the top five leisure destinations for UK travellers. “There are plenty of beautiful places but I believe Cancun is pretty unique in
Clockwise: Sir Richard Branson, dressed in Mexican attire, was joined on the wing of a Virgin 747-400 in Cancun by UK X Factor winner Alexander Burke.
Amanda Wills, Virgin Holidays MD; Manuel Díaz Cebrían, Regional Director, UK & Ireland, Mexico Tourism Board; and Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic CEO at a press conference in Cancun.
A swimming with whale sharks experience can be booked through Virgin Holidays’ resort teams in Cancun/Maya Riviera. The price is $199pp, and includes transportation, guide, port fees, equipment, life jackets, boat trip, marine fee, lunch, refreshments and taxes. Clients must have 'category two' travel insurance that 'permits' them to undertake dangerous sports/activities.
www.virginholidays.co.uk
offering an unbeatable combination of great beaches and major cultural sites at great value for money. And, unusually, it has an abundance of hotel rooms. “There are not many places where
you can wake up to see turtles nesting close to your hotel room and then swim with whale sharks in the afternoon,” said Sir Richard, who added that the Dominican Republic was one destination that could suffer from a
visitor drop-off now that Cancun was served by a second direct UK flight (BA also flies on the same route). Sir Richard, who spent three days at
the Occidental Royal Hideaway Playacar in Riviera Maya with his family and over 150 invited guests, visited area attractions like the Xcaret Adventure park and snorkelled with whale sharks. “Hosting Virgin’s inaugural event was an important milestone for Royal
Hideaway Playacar. It was an honour to be selected by Virgin and demonstrated its high regard for the property’s superb standards of service and product quality,” said Colin Pegler, Commercial Director UK for Occidental Hotels & Resorts. “It let a diverse audience experience
the resort for the first time,” he added. Virgin Atlantic flies twice a week to Cancun, with fares from £619pp.
www.virginatlantic.com
SHORTS...
• Cancun is Virgin Atlantic’s 34th route out of the UK. Next up, from October 28 2012, is the second coming of a London-Mumbai service.
• The Royal Hideaway Playacar (
www.occidentalhotels.com), which hosted Virgin’s VIP trip, replenished and expanded its beachfront in 2009 by adding 200 feet of white sand. The beachfront hosted Virgin’s opening night welcome party.
• The Riviera Maya and Cancun reported hotel occupancy increases of 3.1% and 8.7% respectively from January to May (year on year), says Mexico's Ministry of Tourism. UK visitors to Mexico were up six per cent during the same period.
New flight provides Mayan calendar boost Virgin’s new direct Gatwick-Cancun
service will help bolster a Caribbean programme that has been sluggish for Virgin Holidays in 2012. MD Amanda Wills said that while sales
to traditional regional favourites such as Barbados and Antigua were flat and down respectively, bookings to Cancun, which also acts as the gateway to the Riviera Maya, had already topped the 10,000 mark – that’s an 800% increase on the same time last year. “We’ve been selling Cancun for 15
years, with passengers arriving via Miami or from another Caribbean destination as part of a two-centre holiday. We’ve wanted this (direct flight to Cancun) for a long time and bookings show the demand is out there.” She added: “Cancun and the Riviera
Maya offer excellent value for money. It’s been a while since I was last here but what struck me immediately was the excellent service standards and warmth of the people everywhere.” Virgin Holidays’ Mexico programme
features 32 properties across most price ranges and 60% of the programme is all-inclusive. Excursions offered by the operator include visits to Mayan sites Chichen Itza and Tulum, adventure activities such as zip-lining at Xplor, catamaran rides and, a highlight for many, snorkelling among whale sharks. Seven nights at the five-star Royal
Hideaway Playacar start at £1,339pp, on an all-inclusive basis, for departures on September 2 2012.
www.virginholidays.co.uk
www.sellinglonghaul.com • July/August 2012 13 2012
Alexander Burke pictured at Occidental Royal Hideaway Playacar with Colin Pegler, Commercial Director UK for Occidental Hotels & Resorts
©SHAWN HEINRICHS FOR WILDAID
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