Virgin Blue forms venture with Zuji

Low cost carrier Virgin Blue has formed a strategic venture with online travel company Zuji to expand its Blue Holidays division.

Following the formation of the venture, Zuji’s Travel Partner Network (TPN) division will manage the Blue Holidays online booking website and operations, while flight options will continue to be provided by Virgin Blue and its sister carriers Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue.

The plans for Blue Holidays include a relaunched website and a substantially increased product range initially including hotel accommodation in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, car hire, insurance, transfers and tourist attractions and activities.

On opportunity to work on the Blue Holidays business, offering new website tools and features to facilitate customers booking holiday packages online, Zuji TPN’s general manager of Partnerships, Chad Howard said, “Besides our core online travel web sites throughout the Asia Pacific, ZUJI’s travel partner network division provides third parties with access to our online travel innovation and know-how.”

Terming Zuji TPN as an ideal partner, Virgin Blue chief executive, Brett Godfrey, said, “Blue Holidays was launched by Virgin Blue in June 2003, and after its initial success we are ready to dramatically lift its product range and positioning.”

“Just as we proved with our air fares, we believe high quality packaged holidays need not be expensive, and that a ready market exists among internet savvy consumers,” said Godfrey.