Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates, a franchise group of more than 500 U.S.-based agencies, has rebranded itself as Travel Leaders.
The new name reflects the sale of the Carlson Leisure Group (CLG) in January to the CLG management team, signaling the group’s loss of its associates program and the formation of the Travel Acquisitions Group (TAG). The new name also plays off a brand that TAG already owns — TraveLeaders — a $223.3 million Coral Gables, Fla.-based agency that it purchased in March. That agency’s name will now be changed to Travel Leaders as well.
Travel Leaders vice president of communications Steve Loucks said the company hopes all franchisees will eventually adopt the single Travel Leaders brand to achieve consistent branding across the network. TAG also plans to offer a financial assistance package to help franchisees pay for new signage. Currently, the majority of former Carlson Wagonlit franchisees do business using the Carlson name, but a minority has continued to use its original business names as well as the franchise brand.
The name change affects all TAG-owned, full-service agencies, including Carlson franchisees owned by the ProQuest Travel Group, a division of TAG. TAG’s Results, Cruise Holidays and SeaMaster Cruises franchises will not be affected and the name change does not affect travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel, which is still owned by Carlson Cos.
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