Craig Carter of Worldview Travel is over the Moon for Space Travel. Carter Selected by Virgin Galactic to Become an Accredited Space Agent in North America.

CANNES, FRANCE (December 7, 2006). “Fly me to the moon” is no longer a romantic notion, it’s a request that Virtuoso travel consultant CRAIG CARTER of WORLDVIEW TRAVEL will soon hear. Today Virgin Galactic, proudly announced the travel consultants who will train to become “Accredited Space Agents” – the first and only consultants in North America allowed to reserve seats aboard Virgin Galactic’s suborbital space flights and is among an elite group of 45 consultants selected for this unique accreditation process

When Virgin Galactic was ready to bring their pioneering travel venture to the North American market, they recognized the important role that travel agents would play in the sales process and they sought to work with just one agency network – Virtuoso – whose consultants are renowned for selling experiential travel. In August, Virgin Galactic named leading travel company, Virtuoso, as their exclusive retail travel group for North America. Since then, the two organizations have been working together to match the right consultants with this unique program, vetting applications from 120 would-be Space Agents.

“Given the interest and caliber of the applicants, limiting the program to 45 participants was our greatest challenge,” said Carolyn Wincer, Head of Astronaut Sales for Virgin Galactic. “As a Virtuoso consultant, Craig Carter embodies the adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit needed to represent Virgin Galactic. His passion for space travel, combined with his talent for selling unique experiences, makes him an ideal candidate for this new level of space tourism.”

As a part of this select group of consultants, Carter will go through a comprehensive education program in his quest to become an “Accredited Space Agent.” Training will take place in early 2007 and, once accredited, he can begin reserving seats, with the first flights launching in late 2008. Overall, Craig will make a five-year commitment to the program, which includes marketing and sales support in addition to training.

“Travel is about making dreams a reality and for many, especially Baby Boomers who were impressionable children when man first walked on the moon, going to space is the ultimate dream come-true,” says Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso. “By becoming an ‘Accredited Space Agent,’ Craig continues to set himself apart, reinforcing his position as an innovator in the life experience business.”

To date, the world has seen fewer than 500 astronauts, but with the launch of Virgin Galactic spaceflights that will soon change. Together with Virgin Galactic, Virtuoso’s “Accredited Space Agents” are poised to turn the dream of going to space into a reality for their clientele. The once-in-a-lifetime experience includes Astronaut training, ‘G force’ acclimatization and a sensational spaceflight lasting over two hours. At $200,000 per ticket, Virgin Galactic’s flights are a mere fraction of the $20 million price tag associated with other commercial space tourism. And while Virgin Galactic’s technology makes space travel more attainable for the general public, it takes a talented and skilled luxury travel consultant to sell a trip to space.

Wincer says of the group, “Virtuoso was our first choice for the U.S. As a Virtuoso member and a leader in luxury travel, we knew Carter would understand and embrace this new opportunity. He possess’ three key assets that make him an ideal ambassador for Virgin Galactic: he’s at the forefront of exciting trends in travel; he is adept at selling exceptional experiential travel; and, he has a roster of clientele that are ideal candidates for space travel.”

About Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is a company established by Richard Branson's Virgin Group to undertake the challenge of developing space tourism for everybody. It will own and operate privately built spaceships, modeled on the history-making SpaceShipOne craft. These spaceships will allow affordable sub-orbital space tourism for the first time in our history. Virgin Galactic will run as a business with the sole purpose of making space travel more and more affordable to people throughout the world. They will reinvest funds made over the first few years back into the business striving constantly to lower prices.

Virgin Galactic Three-Day Experience

After three days of exciting preparation, bonding and training, passengers will board the spaceship, which climbs to 50,000 feet while attached to a specially designed carrier aircraft – an intrinsically safer way to launch than vertically from the ground. From here, the spaceship releases from the carrier and climbs vertically, reaching the speed of sound in 10 seconds and around four times the speed of sound in under 30 seconds, all while powered by a clean and safe hybrid rocket motor.

Traveling at over 3,000 miles an hour, the G-force surge will push the would-be astronauts back into their seats as they head into the black sky and a maximum altitude of about 75 miles above the earth's surface. When the rocket motor shuts down, everyone on board will experience the silence of space and the magic of weightlessness. They will be able to see the curvature of the earth and 1,000 miles in any direction. They will also see the atmosphere protecting the earth.

Passengers will experience the wonder of weightlessness before the spacecraft returns to earth, passing back through the atmosphere without a heat build-up thanks to the unique wing feathering technology, and making a normal runway landing.

About Virtuoso

Virtuoso is the industry’s leading leisure travel network. This by-invitation-only organization comprises more than 6,000 elite travel specialists in 22 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,000 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations. More than 300 independent travel agencies receive sales, marketing and technology support, as well as exclusive services and products, as a result of their membership in Virtuoso. The network’s member agencies generate over $3.8 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. Their relationships with the finest travel companies – 400 of which are exclusive to Virtuoso – provide the network’s affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. Virtuoso is also the exclusive travel provider for World Elite™ MasterCard®. For more information, please visit www.virtuoso.com.

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