Toronto/Montreal/Denver, September 26, 2017 – Direct Travel, a leading provider of corporate travel management services, today announced that the company, along with Vision Travel, has joined forces with ATPI, a global leader in travel management to form Direct ATPI Global Travel.
This new brand in the marketplace creates a global organization with a value-centric focus on providing flexible corporate travel solutions to mid-market corporations with a presence in North America and elsewhere in the world. The union was solidified through reciprocal, equal investments between both companies.
“Direct ATPI Global Travel is perfectly aligned to service any company that requires scalable, personal service on a multinational basis in North America and the rest of the world”, says Ed Adams, CEO of Direct Travel. “We are committed to delivering high-end flexible solutions to mid-market clients and believe this new organization accelerates our global growth strategy and underscores our commitment to deliver innovative and differentiated services to clients in our respective markets”, he added.
A joint governing board and leadership structure has already begun coordinating the day-to-day operations, maximizing potential and ensuring seamless service to multinational corporate clients. Vision Travel’s Brian Robertson will sit on this board. Direct Travel will continue to operate under its existing brand in the US, and Vision Travel will similarly operate in Canada under its existing brand. Vision Travel, which joined forces with Direct Travel earlier this year, will continue under the leadership of Brian Robertson and Joel Ostrov. ATPI will operate as such in its global locations and will continue to run its specialized Sports Events and Energy and Shipping divisions separately.
Together, Vision Travel, Direct Travel and ATPI represent over $7 billion in sales, having 160+ locations in more than 50 countries, and draw upon over 4,500 team members worldwide to service clients.
Andrew Waller, Chief Executive Officer, ATPI Group adds, “I am delighted by the opportunity this creates for our mutual clients. The combination of the two companies under shared ownership creates a unique and unrivalled global proposition which enables us to provide a single offering for our products and services.”
Direct ATPI Global Travel offers high-touch service, consistently delivered across the globe, with control and operational ownership in every market.
“The combination of Direct Travel and ATPI makes sense for our business,” says Brian Robertson, President, Vision Travel (Ontario-West). “It means providing better opportunities for clients to consolidate travel between the North American market and the rest of the world – balancing local expertise with the benefits of global economies of scale”, he adds.
The alignment of technology platforms will integrate global products in the area of profile databases, travel data reporting, safety and security programs and travel portals, giving clients a seamless and efficient global solution.
“We are excited about what this means for our clients,” says Joel Ostrov, President, Vision Travel (Quebec East). “It provides them with the benefits of increased buying power and more choice across a single organization, together with technology expertise and insights from all over the world.”
The focus of the organization will be on continuously driving unrivaled, end-to-end value for global travel clients in North America and across the globe.
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About Vision Travel
Vision Travel is an established leader in travel management in Canada, employing 725 travel professionals. We have been providing a full range of corporate, meetings & incentives, leisure and loyalty travel services from coast to coast since 1953.
Our team is committed to a more personalized and responsive approach to the business of travel. This is achieved through customer service, exceptional value and trust. For more information about Vision Travel, please visit www.visiontravel.ca.
About Direct Travel
Direct Travel, Inc. is a leading provider of corporate travel management services. The company has been providing travel management services for over 40 years, working with clients to develop highly customized travel programs. By leveraging both the expertise of its people and innovative solutions, Direct Travel enables clients to derive the greatest value from their travel program in terms of superior service, progressive technologies, and significant cost savings. Direct Travel has offices in over 60 locations across North America and the UK, and is currently ranked 15th on the Travel Weekly Power List. Direct Travel is also a prominent member of Virtuoso, the world’s most prestigious luxury travel network. For more information about Direct Travel, please visit www.dt.com.
Additionally, Direct Travel offers full-service performance improvement solutions, including meeting and event management, group incentive travel and individual recognition solutions through its wholly owned subsidiary Creative Group, Inc. An industry leader, Creative Group has been honored with the CMI 25 Award, which recognizes the top 25 most influential meeting and incentive management companies in the US each year since the award’s inception in 2007. The company is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois and maintains offices in Detroit, Denver and Appleton. Creative Group was acquired by Direct Travel in 2015. For more information about Creative Group, please visit www.creativegroupinc.com.
About the ATPI Group
The ATPI Group is a global leader in travel management and booking technology for corporate, shipping and energy businesses, and a leader in sports and corporate event management, with wholly owned offices and network partners in over 100 locations worldwide. For more information about the ATPI Group, please visit http://www.atpi.com.