COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 561510

Travel Agencies

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

46companies1872–2000founding years44still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedChina Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd.
1872
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedKuoni Travel Holding Ltd.
1906
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAttica Enterprises S.A.
1918
FoundedKarstadt Quelle AG
1920
FoundedOdakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
1923
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedS.A.C.I. Falabella
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedJohnson Publishing Company, Inc.
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedGefco SA
1949
FoundedLiberty Travel, Inc.
1951
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedSime Darby Berhad
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAmbassadors International, Inc.
1967
FoundedGrupo Eroski
1969
FoundedSelectour SA
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
FoundedEmpresas Almacenes Paris S.A.FoundedFirst Choice Holidays PLC
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedNavigant International, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedCarlson Wagonlit Travel
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedExpedia, Inc.
1996
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1872 · Hong Kong
China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd.
China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1872 · Hong Kong
China Merchants International Holdings Co., Ltd.
Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd. →
Active · founded 1906 · Switzerland
Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd.
Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd. →
Active · founded 1906 · Switzerland
Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd.
Attica Enterprises S.A. →
Active · founded 1918 · Greece
Greece's Attica Enterprises S.A.
Attica Enterprises S.A. →
Active · founded 1918 · Greece
Greece's Attica Enterprises S.A.
Karstadt Quelle AG →
Defunct · founded 1920 · Germany
Karstadt Quelle AG is the product of the 1999 merger between German retail powerhouse Karstadt Aktiengesellschaft and…
Karstadt Quelle AG →
Defunct · founded 1920 · Germany
Karstadt Quelle AG is the product of the 1999 merger between German retail powerhouse Karstadt Aktiengesellschaft and…
Finnair Oyj →
Active · founded 1923 · Finland
Based in Helsinki, Finnair Oyj is the national airline of Finland and the fifth oldest airline in the world.
Finnair Oyj →
Active · founded 1923 · Finland
Based in Helsinki, Finnair Oyj is the national airline of Finland and the fifth oldest airline in the world.
Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1923 · Japan
Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1923 · Japan
Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
S.A.C.I. Falabella →
Active · founded 1937 · Chile
S.A.C.I.
S.A.C.I. Falabella →
Active · founded 1937 · Chile
S.A.C.I.
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1942
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc., is the world's largest African American-owned publishing company.
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1942
Johnson Publishing Company, Inc., is the world's largest African American-owned publishing company.
Gefco SA →
Active · founded 1949 · France
Gefco SA, based in Courvevoie, France, is one of Europe's leading logistics groups and one of the top ten in the…
Gefco SA →
Active · founded 1949 · France
Gefco SA, based in Courvevoie, France, is one of Europe's leading logistics groups and one of the top ten in the…
Otto Versand (GmbH & Co.) →
Active · founded 1949 · Germany
While Otto Versand (GmbH & Co.) is the world's largest mail-order company with subsidiaries and affiliates in Europe,…
Otto Versand (GmbH & Co.) →
Active · founded 1949 · Germany
While Otto Versand (GmbH & Co.) is the world's largest mail-order company with subsidiaries and affiliates in Europe,…
Liberty Travel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Liberty Travel, Inc.
Liberty Travel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Liberty Travel, Inc.
Sime Darby Berhad →
Active · founded 1958 · Malaysia
Sime Darby Berhad is the largest conglomerate in Malaysia and one of the largest in southeast Asia.
Sime Darby Berhad →
Active · founded 1958 · Malaysia
Sime Darby Berhad is the largest conglomerate in Malaysia and one of the largest in southeast Asia.
Ambassadors International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Ambassadors International, Inc., is a leading provider nationwide of strategy, software, and services for meetings and…
Ambassadors International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Ambassadors International, Inc., is a leading provider nationwide of strategy, software, and services for meetings and…
Dallah Albaraka Group →
Active · founded 1969 · Saudi Arabia
The Dallah Albaraka Group is one of the leading, privately held conglomerates in Saudi Arabia.
Dallah Albaraka Group →
Active · founded 1969 · Saudi Arabia
The Dallah Albaraka Group is one of the leading, privately held conglomerates in Saudi Arabia.
Grupo Eroski →
Active · founded 1969 · Spain
Grupo Eroski is the distribution arm and the largest part of Spain's powerful cooperative group Mondragon Corporacion…
Grupo Eroski →
Active · founded 1969 · Spain
Grupo Eroski is the distribution arm and the largest part of Spain's powerful cooperative group Mondragon Corporacion…
Selectour SA →
Active · founded 1970 · France
Selectour SA is France's leading network of independent travel agencies.
Selectour SA →
Active · founded 1970 · France
Selectour SA is France's leading network of independent travel agencies.
Empresas Almacenes Paris S.A. →
Active · founded 1973 · Chile
Empresas Almacenes Paris S.A.
Empresas Almacenes Paris S.A. →
Active · founded 1973 · Chile
Empresas Almacenes Paris S.A.
First Choice Holidays PLC →
Active · founded 1973 · United Kingdom
Having escaped a hostile takeover attempt by larger rival Airtour Plc, and at the same time seeing the collapse of a…
First Choice Holidays PLC →
Active · founded 1973 · United Kingdom
Having escaped a hostile takeover attempt by larger rival Airtour Plc, and at the same time seeing the collapse of a…
Accor S.A. →
Active · founded 1983 · France
Paris-based Accor S.A.
Accor S.A. →
Active · founded 1983 · France
Paris-based Accor S.A.
Navigant International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Navigant International, Inc.
Navigant International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Navigant International, Inc.
Carlson Wagonlit Travel →
Active · founded 1994
With more than 3,000 offices in more than 140 countries, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) is the second-largest travel…
Carlson Wagonlit Travel →
Active · founded 1994
With more than 3,000 offices in more than 140 countries, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) is the second-largest travel…
Expedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
Expedia, Inc.
Orbitz, Inc. →
Active · founded 2000
Orbitz, Inc.
Orbitz, Inc. →
Active · founded 2000
Orbitz, Inc.
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