Transat, one of the largest integrated tourism companies in the world and Canada’s holiday travel leader, is proud to acknowledge the appointment of Jean-Marc Eustache as an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec, announced today by Québec Premier Jean Charest.

Each year, the Ordre national du Québec rewards outstanding men and women who contribute in an exemplary way to Quebec’s development and its influence.

Mr. Eustache was selected by the Order for his distinguished entrepreneurial career. He was the main architect in the creation of Transat in 1987, and he has transformed it into North America’s largest international tour operator – and the world’s sixth-biggest – with 6,500 employees and 18 business units in eight countries.

Mr. Eustache has also contributed to the development of mass tourism and championed the promotion of Quebec and Canada as tourism destinations. He continues today to campaign for the development and recognition of the country’s tourism industry.

Mr. Eustache was inducted into the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame in 2008. Prior to that, he won the 2006 Grand Ulysse trophy awarded by Tourisme Montréal, Ernst & Young’s 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Quebec, and the 2000 Performance Award from the Réseau gestion de l’UQÀM. In 2000, the daily newspaper La Presse named him “CEO of the Year.”

The insignia will be presented officially on June 15 in a ceremony at the Parliament Building in Quebec City.

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, accommodation, destination services, and distribution. (TSX: TRZ.B, TRZ.A)