Transat A.T. Inc., one of largest integrated tourism companies in the world and Canada’s holiday travel leader, is today celebrating 20 years in the business, during which it has joined the ranks of the planet’s leading international tour operators, with annualized sales in excess of $3 billion, 6,000 employees in eight countries, and products in more than 60 destination countries.

“We are still a young and extremely vigorous company, and intend to continue accompanying our customers on their discovery of the world’s great destinations, and our shareholders on the conquest of new markets,” said Jean-Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat A.T. Inc. Mr. Eustache, the company’s co-founder along with Lina De Cesare, President, Tour Operators, and Philippe Sureau, President, Distribution, continued: “Our team members are world champions as well, making up a family of experts who, in many cases, are highly proficient in a complex line of work, and among the best at what they do. Day-in, day-out, each and every one of our employees makes a vital contribution to our progress – showing rigour, passion and determination. The Transat success story is above all their success story.”

Quebec tour operator Trafic Voyages became Transat on June 11, 1987, with an initial public offering of $8.25 million that enabled the organization to regroup as a major tour operator and set up its own airline, Air Transat. The carrier, specializing in holiday travel, is today among the world leaders in its category. Transat’s market capitalization now exceeds $1 billion. From $23 million in 1987, its annual sales grew to over $1 billion by 1997 and $2 billion by 2001, reaching $2.6 billion in 2006 thanks to dynamic internal growth and several acquisitions.

Today, the company works with thousands of suppliers – among them hotel chains, air carriers, vehicle rental agencies, incoming tour operators and cruise operators – including almost 2,000 in Canada alone, developing products that enable tourists to visit more than 60 countries on five continents, departing mainly from Canada, France and the United Kingdom. Transat also sold close to a quarter-million travel packages to Canada during 2006, in some 50 countries.

The company’ 20th anniversary celebrations have included the rollout of a vast communications campaign aimed at customers, travel agencies as well as employees, under the banner “What a World!” Tour operator brochures, the Air Transat in-flight magazine and travel agencies are among the vehicles for the campaign, spotlighting the scope of Transat’s product offering, which today encompasses locales as varied as Greenland, Tanzania, Chile and Norway.

“People are travelling more and more. Activity on the international tourism market is expected to double by 2020,” Mr. Eustache noted. “As a tour operator, we will be there to serve our customers well, deliver them the products they’re looking for, and meet their expectations as responsibly as possible. That’s quite a challenging agenda, given that our market remains fiercely competitive and we face various types of pressure. But our job is to provide people who place their trust in us with the memorable experience they are seeking – and we are resolutely focused on that objective”.

Transat A.T. Inc. is an integrated international tour operator with more than 60 destination countries and that distributes products in over 50 countries. A holiday travel specialist, Transat operates mainly in Canada and Europe, as well as in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Mediterranean Basin. Montreal-based Transat is also active in air transportation, destination services and distribution. (TSX : TRZ.B, TRZ.A)