QA
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By Sharon Hirschowitz
TOM M C ALPIN
President & CEO,
Virgin Voyages
106 ILHA
After a thirty-year career
with Royal Caribbean, Disney
and 6 years as President &
CEO of The World, Tom
McAlpin joined Virgin
Voyages in 2015 to lead their
latest venture onto the seas.
Sarah Evans, Partner of J
Public Relations, joined Tom
on stage at the International
Luxury Hotel Association’s
INSPIRE’17 summit in Miami
and asked him how Virgin
Voyages are planning to
shake up the cruise industry.
Tom’s overall message was
that the cruise experience
has become more generic as
ships have increased in size
and expanded segmentation,
appealing to a broader
demographic. Virgin Voyages
intends to be disruptive,
creating an experience for
a specific target market.
Feedback from customers
has told them that they want
an adult experience. Adult by
design, more sophisticated
and premium where they
can enjoy their trip with
people similar to them.
The announcement that
their ships would be geared
towards adult travelers has
received rave reviews and
piqued a lot of interest.