Montreal, Qc, Canada, May 1, 2006
Transat A.T. Inc., one of the world’s largest integrated tourism companies and Canada’s holiday travel leader, has finalized its acquisition of Thomas Cook Travel Limited’s Canadian travel agency network for an amount of $7.4 million. The transaction involves 190 travel agencies, 124 of which are franchised and 66 owned, operating under the Thomas Cook and Marlin Travel banners, as well as 22 foreign exchange offices, 19 of them located in the travel agencies.
“This acquisition strengthens our presence right across Canada, particularly in Ontario and the West,” said Jean-Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat A.T. Inc. “More than ever, we are able to optimize the distribution of our products via traditional travel agencies as well as the Internet to meet client expectations.”
The Thomas Cook Travel Limited acquisition makes Transat the country’s largest retail distributor of holiday travel products, with about 430 outlets. Transat’s affiliated distribution network in Canada includes 102 Club Voyages agencies, 62 Voyages en Liberté agencies, 53 TravelPlus agencies, in addition to 22 tripcentral.ca agencies, the exit.ca online agency and now the 190 Thomas Cook and Marlin Travel agencies.
About Transat A.T. Inc.
Transat A.T. Inc., with its head offices in Montreal, is an integrated company specializing in the organization, marketing, and distribution of holiday travel. The core of its business consists of tour operators in Canada and France. Transat is also involved in air transportation, value-added services at travel destinations, as well as in distribution through travel agency networks. Transat is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:TRZ.B; TRZ.RV.A).