Travel and Tourism Sector Researcher TCI Acquired

US-based travel and hospitality sector marketing firm MMGY Global has acquired TCI Research, a European data intelligence group which specializes in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 2010 by Olivier Henry-Biabaud (pictured), TCI Research offers proprietary research products, including three separate TRAVELSAT solutions that benchmark tourism competition, monitor live and historical social media reputation data, and measure resident sentiment through both conventional surveys and the integration of curated big data. The company also provides the data and insights behind industry dashboards and reports for European destination management organizations (DMOs), including a 'Long-Haul Travel Barometer' for the European Travel Commission, and reputation analytics for the City Destinations Alliance (City DNA).

MMGY says the deal enhances its own travel intelligence capabilities while expanding its European footprint with offices in Brussels and Paris. The acquisition brings the total number of MMGY Global employees to more than 550 worldwide and expands its office count to twelve, with TCI's two offices added to existing locations in Austin, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York City, Washington, DC, and Whistler. Henry-Biabaud and long-time partner Emmanuel Meunier will remain with the now re-named MMGY TCI Research brand, with the former serving as Partner & Managing Director, and the latter as Senior Vice President, Europe.

Henry-Biabaud adds: 'Through the MMGY Global investment in TCI Research, we bring our clients unrivaled research solutions that can connect the dots for their data-driven decision-making. It is also a great fit for a boutique company made of international talents passionate about travel and data to team up with a large and respected global marketing firm that has always had data in its DNA.'

Web sites: www.mmgyglobal.com and www.tci-research.com .