Denver-based Direct Travel has acquired strategic partner ATPI, creating a business handling more than $6 billion in annual total travel volume. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The travel management companies began working together in 2017 and described the deal as a ¡°natural progression¡± of their collaboration ¡°rather than a response to the industry¡¯s movement towards large-scale consolidation¡±.

Direct Travel was itself acquired last year by an investment group led by Steve Singh, whose portfolio also includes travel tech platform Spotnana, meetings management specialist Troop and payment and expense provider Center.?

In a statement provided to BTN Europe, Direct Travel and ATPI said: ¡°This acquisition is about growth ¨C expanding our geographic presence, enhancing our capabilities, and positioning us for future success,¡± adding that it is now one of few global agencies with a presence in more than 90 countries ¡°and the ability to serve clients and suppliers on a truly global scale¡±.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Manchester, UK, ATPI was ranked the eighth?largest business in Europe¡¯s Leading TMCs 2025 report, with around €1 billion in sales last year. It specialises in the corporate, marine, energy, sports and group travel sectors.

The companies said they do not anticipate any redundancies as a result of the acquisition and the ATPI brand ¡°will be kept intact for now¡±. They added: ¡°The senior exec team within ATPI remains the same across the cabinet, MDs and business line heads¡± and the integration of the two TMCs will ¡°occur in phases to ensure a smooth and thoughtful transition¡±.

The union will also accelerate the international roll-out of Direct¡¯s Avenir Travel Edition platform which is built on Spotnana technology.

¡°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,¡± said Christal Bemont, CEO, Direct Travel.

ATPI CEO Ian Sinderson added: ¡°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.¡±

Travel technology provider TripStax, which was spun out of ATPI in 2022, is part of the acquisition and will continue to operate as an independent business unit within Direct Travel.

Recent weeks have seen a number of TMC acquisitions pushed through, including the completion of American Express Global Business Travel's purchase of CWT,?ATG¡¯s acquisition of CWT¡¯s German operations, and the acquisition of Key Travel¡¯s European operations by Trip.Biz and its North America business by Globespan Travel Management.