Engaged in a certification process with the international organization Travelife,
Transat France is the first French tour operator to obtain Travelife Partner status

MONTREAL, July 4, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Transat France, a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., is proud to have earned Travelife Partner status, the second level in a certification program created by the internationally renowned organization Travelife for tour operators and travel agencies. This stage recognizes the corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions implemented since 2008 at Transat France.

"We are truly pleased to have been recognized as a Travelife Partner," says Patrice Caradec, President and General Manager of Transat France. "Because of our teams' dedication, we have successfully provided proof of our initiatives in sustainable and responsible tourism. This major step is recognition of the values that inspire our organization and provides real encouragement for us to continue on the path to certification."

Devised in 2007 for the travel industry, Travelife certification is a partner program for tourism companies that wish to embark on the road to sustainability. World-renowned Travelife measures and seeks to enhance the social and environmental impacts of the travel and tourism industry through a multi-level certification system. With a set of benchmarks devised especially for tour operators and travel agencies, Travelife examines each aspect of operations using 10 focus areas, including environment, biodiversity, community relations and fair business practices, as well as working conditions, human rights and consumer protection.

Together with its own management and performance criteria, Travelife certification for tour operators and travel agents takes account of recognized sustainable development and CSR standards and guidelines such as EMAS III, ISO 14001, UNEP, GRI, GSTC, OECD and ISO 26000.

Becoming a model of social responsibility in the international travel sector has long been the Transat group's great ambition, Since 2008, Transat's brands in France have worked on this through an array of actions and commitments revolving around four pillars: the environment, communities, the workplace and the tourism market. After being declared a "Travelife Engaged" company in November 2013, the Transat France teams, with a focus on CSR, embarked on a broad self-evaluation and proof-gathering program, with the result that this past June, after meeting more than 50% of the benchmark criteria, Transat France moved a step further toward certification, earning the Travelife Partner label.

Transat France is guided in its certification project by ID-Tourism, a firm that represents the Travelife program for tour operators in France as part of a program backed by the European Union.

About Transat France
Transat France is a leading player in the French tourism industry, developing and marketing a comprehensive range of products under the Vacances Transat and Look Voyages brands. It also operates a network of some 40 travel agencies under the Look Voyages banner. Transat France is a business unit of Transat A.T. Inc., an integrated international tour operator with more than 60 destination countries and that distributes products in some 50 countries. Besides being a holiday travel producer, Transat is also active in air transportation, accommodation, destination services and distribution.

About Transat
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. Transat's firm commitment to sustainable tourism development is reflected in its multiple corporate responsibility initiatives (TSX: TRZ.B, TRZ.A).

SOURCE Transat A.T. Inc.