largest travel companies in the world

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Top 20 most valuable travel companies in the world.

In this article, we will discuss the top 20 most valuable travel companies in the world. You can skip our detailed analysis of the global leisure travel market, and go directly to see the Top 5 Most Valuable Travel Companies in the World .

After being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, global travel and tourism continued its recovery in 2023. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) most recent statistics show that between January and September 2023, approximately 975 million international tourists traveled. Compared to the same period in 2022, this is a noteworthy 38% growth. Additionally, during this time, worldwide tourism recovered to 87% of pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, according to a report by the Brainy Insights the global leisure travel market was valued at $1.2 trillion in 2022. The market is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.8% from 2023 to 2032, reaching a value of $8.6 trillion at the conclusion of the predicted period. The main drivers of this expansion are the growing number of tourists travelling abroad and the rising standards of living of the general public. The rapid integration of big data analytics, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence in travel and tourism is another factor driving the sector. However, the report points out that the leisure travel market can be significantly impacted by geopolitical unrest.

In terms of market share by age group segment in 2022, the 22–31 years segment was in the lead with a share of almost 32%. The report also mentions that, with a 38.7% market revenue share in 2022, Asia Pacific emerged as the largest global leisure travel market. The expansion of the market is anticipated to be driven by the increasing disposable income in the region, particularly in China and India.

Building up on this, according to a global survey by Hilton and Ipsos of over 10,000 travelers from nine countries, the number one reason to travel in 2024 for most of the respondents was to rest and recharge with an emphasis on sleep. The survey also found that 64% of global travelers intend to prioritize leisure travel in 2024 by cutting back on other personal expenses.

On the other hand, travelers are focusing primarily on dining experiences while they budget for 2024, per Hilton. Exploration and adventure ranked second in importance among travelers (47%) after dining experiences, with Millennials and Gen Zers devoting a bigger percentage of their budget than other generations for these experiences.

Don’t Miss: Top 15 Luxury Travel Agencies in the World and 12 Best Travel Stocks to Buy Right Now

The survey further revealed that an astounding 80% of global travelers think it's essential to be able to plan their entire trip online, with 76% appreciating travel apps that reduce the friction and stress of travel. Additionally, it also highlighted that there has been a significant shift in the way individuals do business since the pandemic. Consequently, new trends like blended leisure have emerged, and over one-third of Gen Z and Millennial business travelers plan to extend their trips in order to take advantage of free time before or after work.

Having said that, today we will be taking at a look the top most valuable travel companies in the world which include Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: BKNG ), Airbnb, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABNB ), and Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR ) among others.

Our Methodology

For the purpose of this article, we started by compiling a thorough list of all travel companies in the world which come from a variety of sectors, including airlines, hotels, cruises, resorts & casinos and online travel agencies. We then narrowed it down to only include companies with a significant market share and geographical reach. This was achieved by carrying out an extensive analysis of numerous industry papers, financial reports, journals, and news articles.

Top 20 most valuable travel companies in the world have been ranked in ascending order of their market capitalization based on data from Yahoo Finance as of February 21, 2024.

Please note that companies like The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) have not been included because of their engagement in various industries.

By the way, Insider Monkey is an investing website that tracks the movements of corporate insiders and hedge funds. By using a consensus approach, we identify the best stock picks of more than 900 hedge funds investing in US stocks. The top 10 consensus stock picks of hedge funds outperformed the S&P 500 Index by more than 140 percentage points over the last 10 years ( see the details here ). Whether you are a beginner investor or a professional one looking for the best stocks to buy, you can benefit from the wisdom of hedge funds and corporate insiders.

20. MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM )

Market Capitalization: $13.83 billion

MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM), founded in 1986 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, owns and operates casino, hotel, and entertainment resorts in the United States and Macau. On February 13, MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) reported a Q4 non-GAAP EPS of $1.06 and a revenue of $4.38 billion, outperforming Wall Street estimates by $0.35 and $240 million, respectively.

Moreover, with a market capitalization of $13.83 billion as of February 21, it ranks among the most valuable travel companies in the world on our list.

19. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: UAL )

Market Capitalization: $14.25 billion

United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL), based in Chicago, Illinois, provides air transportation services to more than 210 destinations in the U.S. and more than 120 destinations internationally.

As of the end of Q4 2023, 43 hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database owned stakes in United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL), compared with 34 in the previous quarter. The consolidated value of these stakes is more than $858 million.

18. InterGlobe Aviation Limited

Market Capitalization: $14.36 billion

InterGlobe Aviation Limited, among the top travel companies in the world on our list, is an India-based company that is engaged in the airline business. It has a market cap of $14.36 billion as of February 21.

17. Singapore Airlines Limited

Market Capitalization: $14.77 billion

Singapore Airlines Limited, together with subsidiaries, provides passenger and cargo air transportation services under airline brands such as Singapore Airlines and Scoot. The company has operations in Europe, the Americas, West Asia, Africa, North Asia, Southeast Asia, and Southwest Pacific.

16. Air China

Market Capitalization: $15.02 billion

Air China, the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China and one of the "Big Three" mainland Chinese airlines, was founded in 1988. It is also a member of the Star Alliance, the biggest alliance of airlines in the world. The company had a total of 902 aircrafts as of June 30, 2023.

As of February 21, it has a market cap of $15.02 billion and is one of the most valuable travel companies in the world.

15. InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (NYSE: IHG )

Market Capitalization: $17.53 billion

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (NYSE:IHG), with operations in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Greater China, owns, manages, leases, and franchises hotels and resorts. Based in the United Kingdom, the company operates hotels under various brand names such as Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, Voco, HUALUXE, Crowne Plaza, Iberostar, EVEN Hotels, Garner, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Resort, avid, Atwell suites, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.

14. Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE )

Market Capitalization: $18.53 billion

Expedia Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE), founded in 1996, is a travel technology company. The company generated $2.89 billion in revenues in the fourth quarter of 2023, which beat analysts’ estimates by $10 million.

13. Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL )

Market Capitalization: $19.28 billion

Based in Miami, Florida, Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL) is a multinational cruise company that operates a fleet of cruise ships and offers various vacation and travel experiences to passengers. As of February 21, it has a market cap of $19.28 billion and is one of the top travel companies in the world .

Moreover, hedge funds like the company. The number of hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey owning stakes in Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL) grew to 41 in Q4 2023, from 33 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a total value of more than $1.48 billion.

12. Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV )

Market Capitalization: $20.20 billion

Founded in 1967, Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) is a passenger airline company offering scheduled air transportation services within the United States and in nearby international regions. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share on January 31, which was consistent with its previous dividend.

11. Galaxy Entertainment Group

Market Capitalization: $25.22 billion

Galaxy Entertainment Group, incorporated in 1987 and based in Hong Kong, is an investment holding company, which engages in the management of casino games and provision of hospitality and related services. It has a market cap of $25.22 billion as of February 21.

10. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL )

Market Capitalization: $26.11 billion

Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL), based in Atlanta, Georgia, offers more than 4,000 flights per day between more than 275 destinations on six continents. It is one of the biggest travel companies in the world .

The company generated $14.22 billion in revenues in the fourth quarter of 2023, which beat analysts’ estimates by $420 million.

Insider Monkey’s database of Q4 2023 indicated that 53 hedge funds owned stakes in Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL), which remained the same as in the previous quarter. The total value of these stakes is over $1.56 billion.

9. Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ: TCOM )

Market Capitalization: $27.03 billion

Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM), with over 45,100 employees and over 400 million members, is a travel service provider offering accommodation reservations, transportation ticketing, package tours, and corporate travel management. It was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China. The stock has returned 15.08% to investors on a year-to-date basis as of February 21.

In addition, Trip.com Group Limited (NASDAQ:TCOM) ranks among the largest travel companies in the world on our list.

8. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL )

Market Capitalization: $29.52 billion

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL), based in Miami, Florida, is a cruise operator that operates three famous cruise brands, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. As of February 21, it boasts a market capitalization of $29.52 billion.

As per Insider Monkey’s database of Q4 2023, 54 hedge funds held stakes in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL), up from 41 in the previous quarter. These stakes have a collective value of approximately $2.4 billion.

7. Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ: RYAAY )

Market Capitalization: $31.54 billion

Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY), parent company of Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Buzz, Lauda and Malta Air, is an Irish company that provides airline services. It connects over 240 destinations in over 40 countries. With a market capitalization of $31.54 billion as of February 21, it is among the top 10 most valuable travel companies in the world on our list.

In its fourth quarter 2023 investor letter, Oakmark International Fund stated the following regarding Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY):

“Ryanair Holdings plc (NASDAQ:RYAAY) (Ireland), a European ultra-low-cost airline, was the top contributor to the Fund’s performance this quarter. Ryanair released strong results for the first half of fiscal-year 2024 and was accompanied by an even stronger outlook, in our view. The company’s revenue grew 30% year over year, and average fares increased by 24% to EUR 58, driven by record demand and constrained capacity at European peers. Total passengers flown expanded 11% year over year to 105.4 million, and management is on track to maintain its target of 183.5 million passengers for 2024, depending on Boeing’s ability to meet its delivery commitments. Management is expecting full-year 2024 net income to be between EUR 1.85-2.05 billion ahead of the EUR 1.82 billion consensus estimate. The company’s strong free cash flow levels and balance sheet allowed Ryanair to reinstate a EUR 400 million dividend (35 cents per share). We spoke with CEO Michael O’Leary about additional uses for its excess capital and were happy to hear about an incremental EUR 1.5 billion return to shareholders starting in 2025. We continue to be optimistic about Ryanair’s future.”

6. Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS )

Market Capitalization: $39.98 billion

Founded in 1988, Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS) owns, develops, and operates various integrated resort properties primarily in the United States, Macau, and Singapore.

Hedge funds like the company. Insider Monkey’s database of Q4 2023 indicated that 48 hedge funds owned stakes in Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS), compared with 45 in the preceding quarter. The consolidated value of these stakes is nearly $2.5 billion.

Click to continue reading and see Top 5 Most Valuable Travel Companies in the World .

Top 10 Travel Companies in the World by Sales in 2020, Travel Industry Factsheet

The Current State of the Travel Industry

As economic prosperity rises all over the world, the top 10 travel companies in the world are contributing to stellar growth and driving critical innovation by leveraging technology in a modern travel industry.

How big is the travel industry? As the economy for travel and tourism becomes more lucrative for a global audience, the travel industry grows as well. The global travel industry has grown from USD 6.03 trillion in 2006 to USD 8.27 trillion by 2017, growing at a CAGR of 2.9% — making the travel and tourism industry one of the world’s largest industries in the world in terms of global economic contribution (direct, indirect and induced).

Discover who are the top 10 travel companies in the world by sales in 2020?
A complete ranking and breakdown of 20 of the top travel companies in the global travel industry right now.
Travel and tourism industry trends and stats you should know.

BizVibe is already helping the top travel companies in the world connect. Connect and track the latest news and insights from these companies.

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Travel Industry Trends and Stats

Convenient booking remains the biggest trend in the global travel industry.
Solo Travel: Leisure travel is no longer just a family affair.
The travel and tourism industry generated 10.4 percent of all global economic activity last year.
The travel industry is the second-fastest-growing sector in the world, ahead of healthcare (+3.1%), information technology (+1.7%) and financial services (+1.7%), and behind only manufacturing.
Last year, travel and tourism increased its share of leisure spending to 78.5 percent.
Three in five travel companies say they offer customer service via chat.

Top 10 Travel Companies in the World by Sales in 2020

Who are the top 10 travel companies in the world by sales as of 2020? The following is a list of largest adventure travel companies and top travel agencies ranked by sales generated in USD billion.

1. Expedia Group

What is the best travel agency? That’s a hard and subjective question to answer, but if you were to go by the best travel agency in the world in terms of sales, then your answer is Expedia Group. Expedia Group is an American online travel shopping company for consumer and small business travel. The company is mainly known for its travel fare aggregator websites where you can drop in and book all your travel needs from flights, car rentals, and even hotels. Expedia is also a metasearch engine to search up and plan your entire travel plans.

Expedia is a travel technology company that brought in sales of USD 99 billion last — making it the leaders in sales among the top 10 travel companies in the world on this list. In addition to the main expedia.com website, the company runs multiple websites from the best travel companies including Travelocity and trivago.

Founded: 1996
Expedia Group Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington, USA
Expedia Group Sales: USD 99 billion
Expedia Group Number of Employees: 24,000

Expedia Group Products and Services

Classic Vacations
Expedia CruiseShipCenters
Expedia Local Expert
Expedia Partner Solutions
Hotwire Group
Travelocity

2. Booking Holdings

Number 2 on this list of the top 10 travel companies in the world is the American company Booking Holdings Inc. The company is known for operating travel fare aggregator websites and travel and tourism search engines such as its flagship booking.com, as well as Priceline.com, Agoda.com, Kayak.com, Cheapflights, Rentalcars.com, Momondo, and OpenTable. Booking Holdings generated sales of USD 92.7 billion last year, with nearly 90% of its profits coming from booking.com and outside the USA. Book Holdings is truly a global travel company that is expected to continue generating stellar sales within the global market.

Booking Holdings Headquarters: Norwalk, Connecticut, USA
Booking Holdings Sales: USD 92.7 billion
Booking Holdings Number of Employees: 24,500

Booking Holdings Products and Services

Cheapflights

3. American Express Global Business Travel

American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) is 3 rd on this list of the top 10 travel companies in the world. GBT is a corporate management travel company operating under a 50% ownership stake from American Express. GBT is known as a business travel management company, major corporations use GBT’s services to manage corporate travel and meetings programs, providing services and support to business travelers.

Last year, GBT brought in sales of USD 33.7 billion — making it one of the top travel companies going by sales figures.

Founded: 2016
American Express Global Business Travel Headquarters: Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
American Express Global Business Travel Sales: USD 33.7 billion
American Express Global Business Travel Number of Employees: 17,400

4. BCD Travel

BCD Travel ranks 4 th on BizVibe’s list of the best travel companies by sales figures in 2020. BCD Travel is a provider of global corporate travel management and the largest travel company in the Netherlands. Currently, the company operates in over 109 countries and last year generated USD 27.1 billion in sales. BCD Travel’s parent company is BCD Group, a privately held Dutch company focused on travel services and corporate travel management.

Founded: 2006
BCD Travel Headquarters: Utrecht, Netherlands
BCD Travel Sales: USD 27.1 billion
BCD Travel Number of Employees: 13,800

BCD Travel Products and Services

Travel management
Travel consulting, meetings and events

5. CWT

Formerly known as Carlson Wagonlit Travel, CWT ranks 5 th on this list of the top 10 travel companies in the world by sales in 2020. CWT is a travel management company that manages business travel, meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions, and handles event management. The company is known for running a top tier B2B travel management platform, offering business travel, technology, and meetings and events management across 145 countries.

Last year, CWT generated sales of USD 25 billion — making it one of the top travel companies in the world in terms of transactional sales.

Founded: 1994
CWT Headquarters: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
CWT Sales: USD 25 billion
CWT Number of Employees: 18,000

6. Flight Centre Travel Group

6 th on BizVibe’s list of the top 10 travel companies in the world is Flight Centre, the largest retail travel agency in Australia. Flight Centre is headquartered in Brisbane and was founded in 1982. Flight Centre operates over 2,800 stores and offices under various retail and corporate brands in n Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Hong Kong, India, China, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Mexico.

Last year, Flight Centre generated USD 16 billion making it one of the top travel agencies in the world by sales numbers. 50% of the company’s sales come from leisure and 50% from business.

Founded: 1982
Flight Centre Headquarters: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Flight Centre Sales: USD 16 billion
Flight Centre Number of Employees: 20,600

7. Travel Leaders Group

Ranking 7 th on BizVibe’s list of the top 10 travel companies in the world is the Travel Leaders Group, a multi-unit travel industry company headquartered in New York City that has more than 7,000 company-owned, franchised and affiliated travel agency locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. The company has more than 52,000 travel agents worldwide and last year generated sales of USD 7.12 billion — making it one of the best travel agencies around. USD 3.73 billion in sales come from 52,000 hosted agents.

Travel Leaders Group Headquarters: New York City, New York, USA
Travel Leaders Group Sales: USD 12 billion
Travel Leaders Group Number of Employees: 4,000

8. American Express Travel

American Express Travel is a full-service global travel and lifestyle network and 8 th on this list of the top 10 travel companies in the world by sales. Last year the company generated sales of USD 6.27 billion. In March 2014, American Express announced that it signed an agreement to create a joint venture for business travel and spun off its corporate travel business like American Express Global Business Travel

Founded: 1915
American Express Travel Headquarters: New York City, New York, USA
American Express Travel Sales: USD 6.27 billion
American Express Travel Number of Employees: 5,000

9. Direct Travel

Direct Travel is a leading travel management company, DT creates personalized solutions through an agile approach to corporate travel, meetings & events, and leisure. The company ranks 9 th on BizVibe’s list of the top 10 travel companies in the world due to its stellar sales figures — generating USD 5.4 billion in transactional sales last year.

DT sells directly to consumers for corporate travel, meetings and incentives, group travel, and leisure vacations., with 87% of its sales coming from its business segment; 8% from leisure, and 5% from all other avenues.

Founded: 1980
Direct Travel Headquarters: Centennial, Colorado, USA
Direct Travel Sales: USD 5.4 billion
Direct Travel Number of Employees: 2,000

10. Corporate Travel Management

Rounding out BizVibe’s list of the top 10 travel companies in the world in 2020 is Corporate Travel Management, a global provider of innovative and cost-effective travel solutions spanning corporate, events, leisure, loyalty, and wholesale travel. CTM provides local service solutions to customers around the world, through a blend of CTM owned and operated offices and a network of independent partner agencies. Last year, CTM generated USD 5 billion in sales — making it one of the top travel companies in the world by sales numbers.

Corporate Travel Management Headquarters: Denver, Colorado, USA
Corporate Travel Management Sales: USD 5 billion
Corporate Travel Management Number of Employees: 725

This is BizVibe’s list of the top 10 travel companies in the world in 2020 by sales. These companies are changing the way businesses are pushing the boundaries in the global travel industry and are leveraging technology to push travel agencies and corporate travel management to new heights.

Reach out to the top travel companies on BizVibe today.

Top Travel Companies by Sales in 2020

The following is BizVibe’s complete ranking of the top travel companies in the world by sales figures in 2020. This list of travel companies are paving the way for success in the travel industry, connect with them on the BizVibe platform to track the latest news and insights from these companies.

The Future of the Global Travel Industry

What’s the future of the global travel industry? As economic prosperity rises throughout the world, the travel industry will be flooded by people from all over the world, and businesses are going to be at the forefront of this growth pushing their services to meet demand. Expect the top 10 travel companies in the world to continues pushing the industry to new heights. The main thing to keep in mind going forward as more people travel from all over the world is that the future will be about more travelers and easier to reach places

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Largest travel companies by market cap

This is the list of the largest travel companies by market capitalization. Only the top travel companies are shown in this list and travel companies that are not publicly traded are excluded. The ranking and the market cap data shown on this page are updated daily.

What is the market capitalization of a company?

The market capitalization sometimes referred as Marketcap, is the value of a publicly listed company. In most cases it can be easily calculated by multiplying the share price with the amount of outstanding shares.

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10 Largest Travel Companies In The World

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Travel, while rewarding, can also be stressful. With so many options for flights, hotels, and rental cars, and so many variables that can quickly go wrong, it’s all too easy for a relaxing vacation or a productive business trip to quickly become harrowing and unnecessarily expensive.

Because of this, individual travelers and companies who require their employees to travel have been hiring experts to plan trips and handle unexpected hurdles for them for decades.

Now, thanks to the internet, travel companies have shifted to also providing tools for travelers to book their own trips with the same access, discounts, and assurance they’d receive if they hired an agent to do it all for them.

If you prefer to have someone do it all for you, though, many of these organizations still provide live service via their travel agents as well.

There are a number of these travel companies around the world, and in this article, you’ll find a list of the top ten ranked by sales revenue in 2019.

Expedia Group Jobs ( Overview )

Booking Holdings Jobs ( Overview )

American Express Jobs ( Overview )

BCD Travel Jobs ( Overview )

Carlson Wagonlit Travel Jobs ( Overview )

Flight Centre Jobs ( Overview )

Fareportal Jobs ( Overview )

10 Largest Travel Companies in the World

Expedia Group . Seattle, Washington , U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $107.9 billion

Founded in 1996, Expedia Group is an online travel company that uses its online platforms to help travelers find flights, hotels, and other travel services without having to hire a travel agent . It has three business segments through which it serves individual customers, creates partnerships with businesses, and generates advertising revenue.

Expedia started out as a division of Microsoft. In 1996, Microsoft launched the website that is now Expedia.com as Microsoft Expedia Travel Services, one of the first online travel agencies. In 1999, Expedia was spun off into a public company.

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Booking Holdings . Norwalk, Connecticut , U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $96.4 billion

Formerly The Priceline Group, Booking Holdings was founded in 1997 with the launch of Priceline.com, an online travel website that used a bidding model for pricing. It then began to expand its portfolio by acquiring travel companies and changed its name to Booking Holdings in 2018.

Today, Booking Holdings operates through six brands: Dutch startup Booking.com, the company’s original Priceline platform, Singapore-based accommodation booking program Agoda, car hiring platform Rentalcars.com, travel search engine Kayak, and restaurant reservation provider OpenTable.

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American Express . Jersey City, New Jersey , U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $34.1 billion

American Express Global Business Travel (referred to as GBT) is an organization that works with businesses to help them organize and manage their travel programs.

GBT helps clients easily find the best deals, book flights, hotels, and meeting venues, manage the risk that comes with their travel programs, and support travelers as they go in case their flights get canceled, or they run into other snags.

Even though GBT started as a part of American Express and has kept its name, the company is now a joint venture between American Express and several other investors.

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BCD Travel . Utrecht, Netherlands

2019 Sales Revenue: $27.5 billion

Similar to GBT, BCD Travel offers travel consulting and management services to companies. BCD Travel operates in 109 countries and boasts a global client retention rate of 98%.

Founded in 2006, BCD Travel was born when BCD Group, a privately owned travel company that owns BCD Travel, purchased and combined TQ3 Travel Solutions Management Holding GmbH, The Travel Company, and WorldTravel BTI.

BCD Travel is based in Utrecht, Netherlands, but it also has its headquarter locations in Atlanta, London, and Singapore. It has one subsidiary, global meetings, and events agency called BCD Meetings and Events.

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Carlson Wagonlit Travel . Minneapolis, Minnesota , U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $24.8 billion

Originally called Carlson Wagonlit Travel, CWT is a travel management company that was founded in 1994. It serves businesses by providing business travel, meeting, conference, exhibition, incentives, and event management services.

These services are called CWT Energy, Resources and Marine, CWT Meetings and Events, CWTSatoTravel, CWT Solutions Group, and RoomIt by CWT.

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Flight Centre . Montvale, New Jersey , U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $16 billion

Flight Centre Travel Group is a travel agency that serves both leisure and corporate travelers. It was founded in 1982 in Sydney, Australia, and just 13 years later, the company opened locations in the U.K. and Canada.

FCTG arrived in the Americas in 1995 when it opened up a Flight Centre store in Canada, and it expanded into the U.S. in 2008 when it acquired Liberty Travel and into Mexico in 2015 when it acquired Koch Overseas de Mexico.

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Internova Travel Group. New York City, New York, U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $7.46 billion

Internova Travel Group was founded in 2008 and owns a variety of travel companies and agencies in over 80 countries. Its main markets are the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Mexico.

Internova owns over 6,000 travel agencies and represents over 65,000 travel advisors. Internova’s services include luxury leisure and premium corporate travel products, hosting, franchising, and meetings and incentives advisory.

American Express . New York City, New York, U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $6.93 billion

American Express Travel is an online travel booking platform that allows customers to plan and book their vacations. Unlike the similarly named American Express Global Business Travel, it is a subsidiary of American Express Company.

While you don’t have to have an American Express credit card to use these services, customers who have cards earn points on their purchases, and American Express Platinum cardholders avoid a variety of service fees and access bonuses such as vacation package discounts, dining credits, and room upgrades.

American Express Travel also offers live travel agents available 24/7 to help customers with any travel snafus or questions they may have.

Direct Travel. Centennial, Colorado , U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $5.8 billion

Direct Travel is a travel management company that focuses its efforts on middle-market customers. It offers corporate travel, meeting and event, and leisure travel services.

Founded in 1980, Direct Travel has over 60 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Since its founding, the company has acquired several leisure travel companies, one of which, Satrom Travel and Tour, Inc., became Direct Travel Personalized Experiences in 2016.

Fareportal . New York City, New York, U.S.A.

2019 Sales Revenue: $5.34 billion

While its services are travel-related, Fareportal is first and foremost a technology company. It has five travel brands that it powers through its software and flight booking technology.

Fareportal operates in North America, Europe, and Asia, offering online booking platforms for both leisure and corporate travelers, 24/7 trip booking services, and live travel agents available to help customers in a variety of locales and languages.

Fareportal partners with more than 600 airlines, one million hotels, and hundreds of car agencies to provide customers with the best options available.

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Leading travel companies worldwide 2022, by sales

Travel agencies worldwide

Travel management, leading travel companies worldwide in 2022, by gross sales (in billion u.s. dollars).

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¹ Booking Holdings and Expedia Group did not take part in the survey provided by the source. Data came from the groups' public financial reports. ² Estimate. Figures refer to global gross sales of travel products. The source only included companies generating at least 100 million U.S. dollars in travel sales, with a minimum of 15 percent of the sales volume in the United States. The companies also had to be the agent of record on the transaction from a supplier's perspective.

Statistics on " Travel companies "

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Online travel agencies (OTAs)

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Premium Statistic Number of aggregated downloads of leading online travel agency apps in the U.S. 2023
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Top 10 Tour Operators in the World in 2021 by Revenue

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China Tourism Group Duty Free Corp Ltd, Expedia Group Inc, The Walt Disney Co, TUI AG, and REWE Group are the top 5 tour operators in the world in 2021 by revenue. Cumulatively, the top 10 tour operators in the world employed a total of 598,239 people in 2021. In terms of the geographical split, 5 out of the top 10 tour operators in the world are based in Asia, while 3 are based in Europe, and 2 are based in North America. China Tourism Group Duty Free Corp Ltd (China Tourism Group), formerly China Tourism Group China International Travel Service Corp Ltd (CITS), is one of the leading tour operators in the world by revenue. China Tourism Group operates group and individual tours, business travel, sports activities, leisure tours, sightseeing tours, study tours, conventions, and special-interest tours. It also provides individual booking services and online tourism and travel agency services. It also invests in real estate properties for tourism business development. The company operates in China, Macao, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. China Tourism Group is headquartered in Beijing, China. The United States of America-based The Walt Disney Co is another leading tour operator in the world by revenue. The company reported revenues of $6,410 million with average revenue growth of 3.10% in the fiscal year ending 2021 (FY2021). It produces and acquires television programs, live-action films, and animated motion pictures. The company owns and operates theme parks and resorts, and television networks and channels; develops and publishes books, comic books, and magazines; sells products related to Disney themes, and delivers an English language learning curriculum for Chinese children. It owns and operates stores in North America, Europe, and Asia, and employs 190,000 people.

Leisure and Arts

United States of America

Subsidiary (of CITS Group Corporation Ltd.)

United Kingdom

Transport and Logistics

Subsidiary (of Kintetsu Group Holdings Co Ltd)

Subsidiary (of Apollo Global Management Inc)

Travel and Tourism

Covers major airlines, travel intermediaries, car rentals, and tour operators across geographies

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