Virgin Voyages, a new cruise company by the global Virgin brands, will locate its new headquarters in Plantation, Florida. The company plans to create 300 new jobs.

Thomas McAlpin, President & CEO of Virgin Voyages said, “Virgin brands have a long history of raising the bar in every industry we enter. We are proud to bring that mindset to the South Florida community and introduce new jobs and business opportunities to the area.”

Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin said, “We basically decided, ‘Let’s have a blank sheet of paper, let’s create the kind of voyage company that we would like to go on,’ and that’s what we’ve done.”

Virgin Voyages cited the strength of Broward County’s diverse, educated and multicultural workforce, infrastructure, quality of life, proximity to major seaports and a competitive tax and business environment as strategic reasons for headquarters location. Virgin Voyages will be hiring a range of roles in different departments from Finance to Customer Care.

This project was made possible through partnerships between the State of Florida, the City of Plantation, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and Broward County.

Governor Rick Scott said, “I am proud to announce that Virgin Voyages has selected Florida to locate their new headquarters, which will create more than 300 new jobs for families in South Florida. As a top tourism destination, the gateway to Latin America and one of the most business-friendly states, Florida is the best place for Virgin Voyages’ new headquarters.”

“Broward County is the ideal location for Virgin to launch its new cruise line Virgin Voyages. Enterprise Florida’s Board of Directors are enthusiastic that Florida won this exciting new project,” said Peter Antonacci, CEO of Enterprise Florida, Inc.

VISIT FLORIDA President & CEO Ken Lawson said, “Virgin Voyages decision to open headquarters in South Florida is fantastic news for tourism in our state. At VISIT FLORIDA, we are marketing the diversity and beauty of our state to the rest of the world. By creating more opportunities for travelers from around the world to experience Florida, Virgin Voyages is helping us make Florida the number one global destination, and I look forward to their continued success.”

Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “Congratulations to Virgin Voyages on locating their new headquarters in the Sunshine State. South Florida is an excellent choice for growing a company, with its strong business community and robust workforce. We look forward to your success.” “Congratulations Virgin Voyages, we are thrilled to be home to a company with the great potential to reinvent the cruise industry under the iconic Virgin flag,” said Bob Swindell, President & CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.

Virgin Voyages’ first ship, of about 110,000 gross tons, will arrive at PortMiami in 2020. The ship will host more than 2,700 sailors and 1,150 spirited crew members. The first ship in the fleet will offer a range of Caribbean itineraries to ports that deliver Virgin styled and deeply social experiences.