That’s how I feel about all travel, but this is the ultimate. Seeing things from a new perspective is my motivation and everyone who has been to space has says it is life-changing. I love travel because it takes you out of your comfort zone, opens your mind and helps you grow as a person. I was never a space fanatic or a thrill-seeker. It will all be done by lottery once Branson and his family have taken the inaugural flight, so it remains to be seen where I’ll be in the line-up. I am considered a “Founder Astronaut”, meaning I’ll be among the first 84 passengers to experience a flight. What motivated you to buy a ticket for the inaugural Virgin Galactic flight? We know the inspiration, commitment to customer experience, and the drive that Richard Branson puts into his companies, we felt confident that he would lead the charge in commercialising suborbital space tourism flights for the common traveller. Long before Virgin Galactic was started, we had enjoyed successful relationships with Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Limited Edition properties. We are certainly aware of Blue Origin and Space X, though Virtuoso does not share a relationship with either of them. Is Virgin Galactic the only company you will be working with? What about Blue Origin and Space X? Virgin Galactic itself is also very good about creating these opportunities. Making the decision to participate in something so cutting edge and unknown requires education and trust, which is why tapping into travel advisors was the perfect way to reach the right kind of potential passengers.ĪSAs who have sold tickets have been able to keep clients warm during the waiting period by designing other trips that build on the spirit and enthusiasm of space travel. This isn’t a product where you just take out an ad. Part of that training included ways for these ASAs to market themselves to existing and prospective clients. They thoroughly reviewed each candidate, hand-selected them and began training. When we started working with Virgin Galactic, the team opened up an application process for travel advisors within our network to become Accredited Space Agents (ASAs). How will you be marketing, pricing and packaging these kinds of experiences? This is exciting stuff and how often can you say you were on the forefront of something so historic? We knew we wanted to partner with Virgin Galactic to give our clients a way to explore and fulfill this dream. Early on we recognised space tourism as something extraordinary, not only for the thrill of travelling to outer space, but for what it could mean for travel in general. We’ve had a preferred partner relationship with Virgin Galactic since 2006. What is Virtuoso’s relationship to space tourism? As an Accredited Space Agent, Virtuoso is authorised to sell Virgin Galactic tickets to the public but Upchurch himself is to be one of the first on board. Globetrender speaks with Matthew D Upchurch, chairman and CEO of Virtuoso, about why space tourism is soon to become the ultimate bucket-list experience for the wealthy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |