Minneapolis, MN – July 13, 2010 – ALTOUR – one of the largest and most respected independent travel agencies – has acquired Advantage Travel & Incentives, Inc. [dba Advantage Performance Network (APN) and Advantage Travel Management]. APN is located in Savage, MN, and was established in 1995 by Mary Sue Leathers, with a vision of bringing customer service back to the travel industry.

A strategic acquisition for ALTOUR, APN provides a range of travel and marketing services to corporate and leisure clients. On the travel side, APN plans and operates conferences, meetings and events for a variety of organizations. The agency’s corporate travel business assists clients in managing their day-to-day travel activity while achieving policy compliance and minimizing costs. On the leisure side, APN serves both corporate clients and retail customers. The agency’s marketing business is highlighted by a web-based performance improvement platform. Clients apply the technology to foster efficiency within employee, channel and consumer populations.

The company is led by a seasoned and fully engaged management team headed by Mary Sue Leathers, president and CEO, who puts her extensive travel background and expertise to work for clients in a broad array of industries. Leathers has received extensive recognition throughout her career, including being named the 2007 Woman Business Owner of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Woman Business Owners (NAWBO). Chris Lund leads the APN sales and marketing efforts for meetings and incentive travel, bringing a broad knowledge of travel and performance improvement solutions. Colleen Hagg oversees the company’s corporate and leisure travel management and business partnerships. The team works closely together to manage the day-to-day operations and is responsible for the company’s strategic direction.

APN will be integrating with ALTOUR’s Travel Authority (TTA) operations and together will provide a sales volume exceeding $900 million. “The business mix and utilization of technology for the corporate traveler will enhanced the service experience for both APN and TTA customers,” said Lee Thomas, president of TTA Operations for ALTOUR.

“APN is an excellent fit for ALTOUR,” said Alexandre Chemla, ALTOUR’s founder and president. “Mary Sue places a premium on customer service. She believes strongly that business is all about building successful relationships—with employees, customers and channel partners. APN strives to form solid relationships with its clients and maintains them by taking good care of their travelers and program participants,” Chemla added.

“The APN team is excited to take this next step in the evolution of our company,” Leathers said. “We look forward to becoming part of the ALTOUR organization, with the increased buying power and enhanced capabilities ALTOUR offers.”

ABOUT ALTOUR: Established in 1991, by seasoned industry leader Alexandre Chemla, ALTOUR has grown to become one of the most sophisticated and highly respected global leaders in the travel world today. With a travel volume of over $900 million, ALTOUR is among the largest agencies serving the luxury and mid-market travel niches today. It has 75 offices and more than 1,000 travel professionals throughout the United States and in Europe. Complementing its core travel management business, ALTOUR has developed a family of companies including Altour Limousine, ALTOUR Air, ALTOUR Travel Master, ALTOUR Incentive Management, and ALTOUR Management Technology. In 2009, ALTOUR signed a joint program with American Express Travel. The agreement is designed to strengthen and expand services for American Express U.S. Representative Travel Network and ALTOUR’s travelers around the globe. ALTOUR also acquired 12 American Express travel service offices geographically spread throughout the United States and The Travel Authority based in Louisville, Kentucky which offers a full array of services including corporate travel management, online travel, vacation travel stores, meetings and incentives and professional and collegiate sports fan travel. ALTOUR is ranked among the top two travel agencies in Los Angeles County by the Los Angeles Business Journal, where the company is also cited among “2010 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles.” ALTOUR is ranked within Travel Weekly’s Top Travel Agencies in the United States and ranked #14 on the 2010 Power List, and among the Top Travel Agencies in the UK by Buying Business Travel. For more information, please visit www.ALTOUR.com .