VISION 2000 ENJOYS SIX-MONTH SURGE IN GROWTH

Citing a stable economy, increased service capabilities, new corporate accounts and the acquisition of a major meetings and incentive company, the Vision 2000 Travel Group reports that it has enjoyed a $40 million surge in sales for the first six months of 2013. “We are seeing solid and consistent growth particularly on the corporate travel side,”says Stephen Smith, the company’s vice-president of marketing and communications. Vision 2000 is the largest Canadian-owned travel management company and is the sole Canadian shareholder in RADIUS Global Travel Solutions, one of the world’s largest travel management organizations. “We’re also seeing significant growth in our groups business thanks to our acquisition, in March, of Thomas Cook’s SM+i meetings and incentive division.”Vision 2000, which can trace its roots back 60 years, has also recently announced a new Safety and Security Suite with Guardian Level of service for its corporate travellers. The company is additionally enjoying robust expansion on its leisure travel side, notably in the luxury sector. “We’re very pleased to see that more and more Canadians looking for five-plus star experiences are trusting us with their travel plans,”says Smith, adding that Vision 2000’s position on the advisory boards of, for example, Four Seasons Hotels and Cunard, gives its travel advisors the inside edge on some of the most luxe vacation experiences in the world. The company has also been expanding its ranks and now employs almost 600 travel professionals across the country, including more than 150 independent travel advisors from coast to coast. In the past 12 months, Vision 2000 Travel Group enjoyed almost $600 million in sales.