Former XL Leisure Group brand Travel City Direct has revived by new owners Virgin Holidays.
The direct-sell tour operator, which specialises in budget family holidays to Florida, begins operations today after a gap of four months following XL’s collapse in September last year.
It is offering prices from £399 per person for 14-nights at Masters Inn Maingate, based on four sharing, in Orlando, Florida, from March 1, including scheduled flights from Gatwick.
Last month Virgin Holidays announced it had bought the customer database and trademark of Travel City Direct, which has been trading for 12 years.
A new Travel City Direct brochure has already been sent to existing customers and its website is back up and running, while a dedicated team of staff has been created to take bookings.
Although the brand will compete with Virgin Holidays on price for Florida holidays, a spokeswoman said the two brands had different customer bases. She said the move was unlikely to have a significant impact on the trade despite fears some agents may lose former Travel City Direct customers they had gained as a result of XL’s collapse.
Marketing director Andrew Shelton said: “Just as Virgin Holidays Florida offers value in the array of extras, including hotel choices, concierge service and our V Room at Gatwick, the return of Travel City Direct as part of the Virgin family ensures that Florida remains accessible for all with a simple but affordable option to suit appropriate budgets. The timing, given the current economic climate, couldn’t be better.”