“Fly me to the moon” is no longer a romantic notion, it’s a request that 45 adventurous travel consultants will soon hear. Virgin Galactic, in conjunction with Virtuoso, will train travel consultants to become “Accredited Space Agents” – the first and only consultants in North America allowed to reserve seats aboard Virgin Galactic’s suborbital space flights.

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. “The Virtuoso consultants we selected embody the adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit needed to represent Virgin Galactic. Their passion for space travel, combined with their talent for selling unique experiences, makes them ideal candidates while ensuring their sales success with this new level of space tourism.”

This select group of consultants will go through a comprehensive education program in their quest to become “Accredited Space Agents.” Training will take place in early 2007 and, once accredited, agents can begin reserving seats, with the first flights launching in late 2008. Overall, participants 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 ‘Accredited Space Agents,’ these consultants will continue to set themselves apart, reinforcing their position as innovators in the life experience business and living up to our slogan: We Orchestrate Dreams.”

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 North America. As the leaders in luxury travel, we knew Virtuoso’s members would understand and embrace this new opportunity. Their consultants possess three key assets that make them the ideal ambassadors for Virgin Galactic: they are at the forefront of exciting trends in travel; they are adept at selling exceptional experiential travel; and, they have a roster of clientele that are ideal candidates for space travel.”