By Kate Holton
LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - British entrepreneur Richard
Branson will unveil the "Scarlet Lady" on Friday, a 60,000 tonne
cruise liner complete with a tattoo studio and yoga deck aimed
at drawing in a younger generation of holiday-makers.
Despite the unfortunate timing, with passengers on one ship
quarantined after hundreds caught the coronavirus and another
turned away by five countries over fears someone on board may be
ill, Branson sees cruises as a growth area.
With the Virgin brand already offering everything from
airlines to banking, TV, healthclubs and travel, he has set his
sights on a boutique hotel-style pitch.
"I have dreamed of starting my own cruise line since I was
in my 20s and I'm thrilled that moment has arrived," he said in
a statement.
"The Scarlet Lady is truly special and we've worked with
some of the world's most sought-after designers, artists and
architects to craft an extraordinary experience."
The launch date though comes at an undeniably awkward time.
The coronavirus epidemic, which originated in mainland China
and has killed more than 2,100 people, has taken a toll on
cruise operators as travel restrictions and the fear of it
spreading have also led to cancellations of trips in the Far
East.
Virgin Voyages will unveil the first of four ships in Dover
on the south coast of England before she sails on to the United
States for a maiden voyage around the Caribbean in April.
Demand for cruising holidays has leapt over the past decade,
with some 32 million passengers expected to set sail in 2020, a
figure that has almost doubled since 2009.
The United States is the biggest market for passengers, with
the Caribbean and Mediterranean the most popular destinations
for the leading cruise lines including Carnival, Royal Caribbean
and Norwegian.
Like other Virgin brands, Branson's Voyages line will target
younger tourists with spas, a gym, 20 restaurants, DJ sets, drag
queens and a vinyl store. Children are not allowed.
Apart from the virus, the cruise industry has also been
forced to address its environmental impact and improve its
cooperation with ports to prevent multiple ships from flooding
thousands of tourists into tiny coastal communities at once,
destroying their way of life.
Virgin Voyages says it is one of the first cruise lines to
use Climeon, a technology that generates electricity from the
heat of the ship's engine to reduce its demand for fuel, while
it will also purchase carbon offsets.
Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the Scarlet Lady
will host 2,770 passengers and 1,160 crew.
(Editing by Alison Williams)