Good news for families – Virgin Holidays is launching long-haul package holidays for single parents.
It’s a move to stop price discrimination, all too many holidays are based on two adults travelling with children. Single-parent holidays are being launched at 10 resorts across the Caribbean, including all four properties within the Elite Island Resorts Collection offering family friendly all-inclusive holidays.
The decision comes following research showing there are nearly two million Brits in single-parent families. The proposed single-parent holidays’ pricing could save families up to £1,000 depending on when they travel and choice of resort.
The current pricing structure of long-haul holidays is usually based on two adults sharing one room. A single parent travelling with one child meant the child would pay an adult rate. The new agreed pricing structure offers a reduction for the second occupant when they are a child.
The single parent family room rates are available from October 1 subject to availability.
As an example, if a single parent travelled with one child for a seven-night holiday over the May school holidays in 2018, they would save an average of £398 in an Elite Island Resort hotel.
Rosie Ferguson, CEO of family group Gingerbread said: “Families come in all shapes and sizes, and single parent families make up one in four families with children in the UK. But we constantly hear from single parents who find themselves ‘priced out’ of family activities.
“All too often we see tickets, deals and memberships that offer family discounts – but only for couple families. That isn’t just frustrating for single parents; it’s also short-sighted of businesses, which are ignoring two million potential customers. These new offers from Virgin Holidays show that they appreciate the value of single parent families, and we hope other companies will follow in their footsteps.”
Joe Thompson, MD of Virgin Holidays, said: “At Virgin Holidays we believe everyone can take on the world, and are proud to do our bit in helping single parents give their families the opportunity to explore some of the most exciting destinations across the globe. We have been a provider of long-haul holidays for 32 years and are proud to continue our evolution, so we stay fresh and relevant to modern Britain.”
Paula Whitehead, European MD of Elite Island Resorts, added: “We are a firm family favourite with UK travellers, as our all-inclusive stays offer free of charge activities for children of all ages – including watersports and a kids’ club activity schedule.
“Our families also love our free of charge ‘Caribbean Firsts’ like Caribbean FloatFIT, Silent Cinema, Colour Me Calm Club, Sleep School and Caribbean Choir workshops, so it was important to us to launch the first single-parent offering in the Caribbean. We’re very proud to challenge the status quo and work hard to ensure that all customers can experience our award-winning resorts.”
See www.virginholidays.co.uk/holiday-types/single-parent-holidays
