More than ever, the world of business travel agencies is undergoing consolidation. The takeover of CWT by American Express GBT, which brought together the market's No. 1 and No. 2 players, has set the ball rolling. Among the major American TMCs, Direct Travel is advancing a little further in the world by announcing the takeover of the British TMC ATPI, giving rise to a group generating a volume of over 6 billion dollars in travel per year.
" We will join forces to offer a compelling alternative to mega-agencies for international travel across all our geographic markets and business sectors "said Ian Sinderson, CEO of ATPI. The two companies have been business partners for almost a decade, but their positioning and markets are very different.
While Direct Travel concentrates on North America and corporate travel, ATPI has developed its footprint in Europe and Africa, with a particular focus on the energy and mining, marine, media and sports sectors, with ATPI managing the Canadian Olympic team's trip to the recent Olympic Games.
" ATPI is a leader in international travel management and has a strong relationship with Direct Travel, making it an ideal partner to strengthen our efforts to deliver exceptional service on a large scale. "said Christal Bemont, CEO of Direct Travel.
The merger with ATPI will enable Direct Travel to extend its geographical coverage, as ATPI has numerous offices around the world, including its headquarters in Manchester and London, as well as offices in Rueil Malmaison and Nice in France, Amsterdam, Singapore, Bombay and Dubai, and also in Africa, where ATPI is present in 29 countries, including Benin.
In return, ATPI will benefit from the technological expertise of TMC, which was acquired in 2024 by a pool of investors led by Steve Singh, co-founder of Concur and more recently of the start-up Spotnana. " The merger will also help accelerate the international roll-out of Avenir: Travel Edition, Direct Travel's next-generation platform designed to meet the needs of business travellers. (NLDR: and based on Spotnana technology)provide real-time information to travel managers and create added value for travel suppliers "says the press release announcing the acquisition.
