Virgin Voyages announced the launch of its new “Annual Pass” program starting in 2025, alongside news that it would become the “first cruise product to accept cryptocurrency.”
According to a recent blog post, the company will accept Bitcoin (BTC) as payment for the new service, with a standard upfront fee of $120,000 plus taxes applied per individual cruise. There’s no indication as to when or if Virgin Voyages will consider expanding its cryptocurrency options to include stablecoins or Bitcoin competitors.
Annual Pass offers unlimited cruises over the course of a year on a limited, first-come-first-served basis. The company said the offering was conceived after the success of its “Season Pass” program, which was aimed primarily at remote workers.
Per Virgin Group founder Richard Branson:
“What started as a sought-after ‘work from sea’ concept with our Season Pass has evolved into something even more special. Now, Sailors can jump aboard any of our ships, across an endless variety of exciting destinations for an entire year. We’re offering unlimited opportunities for adventure in a way that has never been done in cruising before.”
Bitcoin on the high seas
The implementation of the world’s most popular cryptocurrency by transaction volume, Bitcoin, into the Virgin ecosystem could serve as a flare for the travel industry.
Related: RWA tokenization in the travel industry — Interview with Camino Network
Numerous organizations in the travel industry have explored cryptocurrency and blockchain transactions for products and services, but Virgin Group’s implementation through its cruise line venture has the potential to grab the attention of crypto whales — those with enough digital asset holdings to afford a single-push expenditure in the six-figure range.
While it doesn’t quite offer the yachts and Lamborghinis lifestyle espoused by some of the crypto world’s popular influencers, Virgin’s Annual Pass comes with double-occupancy access to a “Sea Terrace cabin” with a private balcony and extras such as laundry service, internet access and a $100 bar tab per voyage.
Cozying up to the crypto community’s entrepreneurs, upper management and independently wealthy could serve as a bullish indicator for cross-industry collaboration going forward.
Magazine 5 incredible use cases for Based Agents and Near’s AI Assistant