US-based corporate travel management specialist Direct Travel, Inc. has announced the acquisition of its long-time strategic partner, UK-based ATPI. The deal will create one of the world’s largest travel management companies as, together, the two companies expect drive over $6bn in annual total travel volume, including service across global corporate, leisure, events, and specialised travel sectors. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition of ATPI, is seen as a natural progression of the companies’ multi-year collaboration and should accelerate the international rollout of Avenir Travel Edition, Direct Travel’s next-generation platform offering travel managers real-time intelligence.
“ATPI has a commanding presence in the international travel management space and a strong history of collaboration with Direct Travel, making them a perfect fit to strengthen our efforts in delivering exceptional service at scale,” said Christal Bemont, CEO, Direct Travel. “This partnership represents a pivotal moment in reshaping managed travel, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions and a seamless experience for clients across a range of sectors and of all sizes and locations. Together, we will redefine what it means to offer The Perfect Trip on a global scale.”
“Bringing our two organisations together will enable us to better serve clients collectively, through the combination of our specialised services, innovative technologies, and highly skilled customer teams,” said Ian Sinderson (pictured), CEO, ATPI. “By bolstering our already strong position in travel technology and highly specialised travel support, we will combine to provide a compelling alternative to mega-agencies for global travel throughout our range of extensive geographic markets and business lines.”
As part of this acquisition, Direct Travel said it intended to further invest in expanding market reach. Direct Travel was itself acquired last April by an investment group led by Steve Singh and his Madrona Ventures group, whose portfolio includes meetings management specialist Troop.
Jefferies LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Perkins Coie LLP served as legal counsel to Direct Travel. Baird served as exclusive financial advisor to ATPI.
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Manchester, UK, ATPI employs approximately 2,500 people and has an operations network that spans across 100+ locations on six continents. Visit www.dt.com.
