Transat A.T. Inc. is an international, vertically integrated tour operator with nearly 20 business units in 8 countries. The company is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[2]
History
Transat was founded in the early 1980s by Jean-Marc Eustache, Lina De Cesare and Philippe Sureau as Trafic Voyages. The company was a wholesaler specializing in travel from Québec to France.[3]
In 1987, the company, which had been renamed Transat, was listed on the stock exchange through an initial public offering that generated $8.25 million. The company used the proceeds to establish its own airline, Air Transat, and to embark into a series of acquisitions in order to solidify its position as an outgoing tour operator in Canada and France, as well as to develop new destination markets.[3]
In 1988, Transat expanded its presence in retail distribution considerably with the acquisition of an interest in the franchisor Consultour.
The company had broken into the French market very early on with Vacances Transat (France), the largest tour operator offering travel to Canada, and soon expanded within France, the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe.