Travel Acquisitions Group Seeks Mergers, Purchases

The recent acquisition of the Carlson Leisure Group (CLG) by the Travel Acquisitions Group (TAG), dealt a body blow to prophets of doom for the travel agency industry. A second blow is this week’s appointment of Lehman Brothers veteran J.D. O’Hara, who will serve as TAG’s new senior vice president of corporate development.

O’Hara will begin his new responsibilities immediately by seeking merger and acquisitions opportunities, according to Michael Batt, Chairman and CEO of TAG. Also revealed is TAG’s intent to foster expansion among existing TAG franchise agencies by investing in growth opportunities. TAG agencies include former CLG units.

O’Hara comes directly to TAG from Lehman Brothers, an innovator in global finance, where he advised clients and financial sponsors on mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, asset purchase/divestitures, and capital market transactions.

The former Carlson Leisure Group is now known as Travel Acquisitions Group (TAG) to reflect a forward-thinking growth-oriented core philosophy and culture. Travel Acquisitions Group was formed in January 2008 when travel and hospitality giant Carlson sold its Carlson Leisure Group to the management team led by Batt.

TAG has more than 1,700 travel agency locations, along with loyalty travel fulfillment and call centers, in the United States and Canada. TAG also manages numerous corporate, leisure and franchise travel operations throughout the United States under a variety of diversified brands.