VISION 2000 ACQUIRES TWO MORE AGENCIES

The Vision 2000 Travel Group has acquired two more agencies — St. Albert, Alta.-based Farlie Travel and sister agency Aussie Travel in Ottawa. “Farlie Travel is an incredibly well established agency with a highly experienced professional staff, a great mix of corporate/leisure and a firm client base. With them, we now have a gold-plated entrée into sports travel, thanks to owner John Farlinger’s background as a CFL player, and his hugely popular exclusive Grey Cup and other sports-related tours,”says Vision COO Brain Robertson. Both Aussie Travel, also owned by Farlinger, and Farlie Travel have enjoyed enormous success in promoting leisure travel, including a proven expertise in custom European travel, destination wedding and group travel as well as the Australia and South Pacific market. Farlinger, along with his wife Terri, plans to stay with the agencies in a consulting role. The acquisition brings Vision 2000’s bricks-and-mortar agencies up to 15. “We are extremely pleased to have our first location in Ottawa, plus we are now one of the largest travel companies in the Alberta capital region,”added Robertson. Last year Vision 2000 enjoyed $580 million in sales.