clarity portman travel

A portfolio of complementary industry leading travel companies

The group has 3 divisions: Business Travel, Luxury Travel, Sports Travel, with a number of businesses operating in each division.

Luxury Travel

Business Travel

Sports Travel

Building brands for the future in luxury, business & sports travel.

Based in the UK, Portman Travel Group is a technology-led travel sector specialist, with a portfolio of complementary travel companies. They specialise in acquiring and building global travel brands... to build brands for the future.

Interested? Let's get in touch.

Portman Travel Group has an active acquisition programme and is looking to invest for the long-term in travel businesses in the Luxury, Sport and Corporate Travel sectors, as well as in complementary Travel Technology businesses.

Acquisition of Portman Travel by Clarity Travel Management

The BDO Leisure team advised Clarity Travel Management on its acquisition of Portman Travel. The acquisition will double Clarity’s total transaction value to £400m and see it rise up the corporate travel TTV league to be the 7th largest provider in the UK.       

The merger brings together the best talent and experience from both businesses to create a new travel management company with increased buying power, international reach and expertise through a significant shareholding in Radius Travel, a broader base, market-leading technology and best-in-class service.      Pat McDonagh – CEO, Clarity Travel Management

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• Rangers Youth Soccer Tour
• St George’s Park Youth Soccer Tour
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• News & Updates

INSPIRESPORT ACQUIRED BY PORTMAN TRAVEL GROUP

Expansion continues following success of clarity sports and sportsbreaks.com.

Inspiresport Group Limited has today announced its acquisition by the Portman Travel Group.

Inspiresport are the industry leading sports development tour operator, offering unrivaled access to world class clubs, coaches and facilities to take young players of all abilities on extraordinary sporting journeys.

The deal will further establish Portman Travel Group’s expansion into the sports travel market following the successful launches in 2019 of Clarity Sports , which provides best-in-class team and business travel services for professional clubs across a range of sports, and sportsbreak.com , a sports travel experience operator aimed at fans and consumers.

Steve Butchart, CEO of inspiresport said:

“The team and I are very excited at the next phase of expansion of inspiresport under our new ownership, which will further enhance our position as market leaders in the school and club sports tour sector, but also accelerate our future development plans by opening up new partners and new sports to add to our current impressive portfolio.

“We’ve grown significantly over the last decade and, whilst the last year has been particularly challenging for the travel industry, to be able to complete this deal is testament to the underlying strength of our business and the hard work of all the team.

“We look forward to working with the Clarity Sports and Sportsbreaks.com teams to complement their activities within the business, and to continue to deliver the best-in-class sports development tours which inspiresport is known for.”

Pat McDonagh, CEO of Clarity Travel, said:

“ inspiresport has been a business that we have admired for a long time and this acquisition helps us build a very strong portfolio of offerings in this bespoke market.

“We are delighted that Steve and the team at inspiresport are joining us and we look forward to continuing the excellent work they have done over the years by progressing with partners, customers and colleagues, and expanding the business moving forward.”

Privacy Overview

Clarity Travel to Buy Corporate Travel Businesses Agiito and Evolvi

Justin Dawes , Skift

August 11th, 2023 at 3:46 PM EDT

Clarity Business Travel , a corporate travel agency based in the UK, plans to purchase two corporate travel businesses for £36.5 million ($46 million).

Capita , a publicly traded business IT company based in London, said Thursday that it plans to sell subsidiaries Agiito and Evolvi, pending regulatory approvals. 

Agiito is a management agency for corporate travel, meetings, and events. Evovli is a rail booking tool for travel management companies.

Clarity is the business travel and events division of the Portman Travel Group.

Clarity is expected to pay Capita £8 million ($10.2 million) in cash upon completion of the transaction, plus another £8 million 12 months later. Clarity is assuming working capital and debt liabilities, which makes up the difference between the sales value and the cash payments. 

The senior management teams and employees of Agiito and Evovli will remain as the companies transfer to the buyer, according to Capita. 

Revenue in 2022 for the two companies being sold was £31 million ($39.4 million), and profit before tax was £4 million ($5.1 million), according to Capita. Gross assets are valued at £76 million ($96.5 million).

Tags: corporate travel , corporate travel management , meetings , meetings and events , mergers and acquisitions

• Team Agiito
• Nov 15, 2023

The acquisition of Agiito and Evolvi is now complete!

Clarity, the Business Travel and Events division of the Portman Travel Group has today announced the completion of its acquisition of Agiito, one of the UK’s most respected Corporate Travel and Events agencies and Evolvi the B2B rail ticketing platform from Capita plc. The much anticipated deal, announced in August, has completed following National Security and Investment Act approval.

In a significant move for the industry, this strategic acquisition combined with Clarity and Brighter Events, amalgamates years of unparalleled expertise and enviable reputations for service and driving value in corporate travel.

The new combined business is poised to transform the industry through a cutting-edge technology platform boasting proprietary technologies in Online Booking and Meetings & Events.

The business will be led by the combined Executive Leadership teams from both businesses and headed by Pat McDonagh as CEO. “We’re delighted to have completed the acquisition and I’m looking forward to working with the new combined team to create something extraordinary. We’re laser-focused on delivering for our customers and that will be our first priority over the coming months as we begin integrating the businesses. We will take our time and ensure the benefits of this deal are delivered to our combined customer base; something we believe to be a truly unique and powerful offering to the market.”

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• Capita agrees to sell its travel businesses

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Capita plc (‘capita’) today announces that it has agreed to sell its travel and events businesses agiito and evolvi to clarity travel ltd (‘clarity’) for an enterprise value of £36.5m on a cash free, debt free basis. taking into account the working capital and debt liabilities that clarity is assuming as part of the transaction, capita expects to receive cash proceeds of £16m, of which £8m is payable on completion and £8m is payable 12 months following completion..

The senior management teams and employees will remain with their businesses as they transfer to Clarity, the business travel and events division of the Portman Travel Group Ltd (‘Portman’).

The reported revenue and profit before tax of the combined businesses for the year to 31 December 2022 were £31m and £4m respectively, and gross assets were £76m at 30 June 2023.

The sale to Clarity is subject to National Security and Investment Act approval.

The agreement to sell these Capita businesses follows the completion of the divestment of our Software, Enforcement and PageOne businesses in July. The sale also marks the penultimate transaction before the completion of Capita’s non-core disposals programme.

The proceeds, net of transaction costs, will be used to further strengthen the balance sheet and reduce debt.

Jon Lewis, Capita’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are pleased to have agreed the sale of our travel and events businesses to Clarity, following a competitive sale process.

“The transaction offers significant growth opportunities for the businesses, their clients and colleagues.

“It also marks another significant step towards reducing Capita’s debt, as we continue to simplify and strengthen the organisation, and become a more successful business for the long term.”

For more information, please contact:   Media enquiries Capita external communications Tel: 0207 654 2399 Email: [email protected] 

About Capita plc

Capita is a leading provider of business process services, driven by data, technology and people. We are a purpose-led, responsible organisation¬. Every day our 50,000 colleagues help millions of people, by delivering innovative, digitally enabled solutions to transform and simplify the connections between government and citizens, businesses and customers. We partner with our clients and provide the insight and technologies that give time back, allowing them to focus on what they do best and making people’s lives easier and simpler. We operate across three divisions – Capita Public Service, Capita Experience and Capita Portfolio – in the UK, Europe, India and South Africa. Capita is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (CPI.L).

About the travel businesses

Agiito is an award-winning UK travel, meetings and events management intermediary with its roots going back 50 years, supported by well recognised brands. Agiito serves a diverse set of enterprise, mid-size and small-capitalisation customers in the private and public sectors - the majority with a UK-centric buying profile.

Evolvi is a specialist B2B rail ticket issuing platform provider.

About Clarity

Clarity, the Business Travel and Events division of Portman Travel Group is headquartered in Manchester with over 400 employees, servicing a wide variety of clients across sectors including Legal & Professional Services, Retail, Infrastructure, Construction, Marine, Charity, Academia and Public Sector.

About The Portman Travel Group

The Portman Travel Group is a UK based portfolio of travel businesses. It has three core divisions, Business Travel, Sports Travel and Luxury Leisure Travel with a number of businesses operating in each division: The key brands are Clarity for Business Travel & Events, Destination Sports Group for Sports Travel, and Elegant Resorts and IfOnly for Luxury Leisure Travel. The Group has over 750 employees.

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INSPIRESPORT ACQUIRED BY PORTMAN TRAVEL GROUP

Expansion continues following success of clarity sports and sportsbreaks.com.

Inspiresport Group Limited has today announced its acquisition by the Portman Travel Group.

Inspiresport are the industry leading sports development tour operator, offering unrivaled access to world class clubs, coaches and facilities to take young players of all abilities on extraordinary sporting journeys.

The deal will further establish Portman Travel Group’s expansion into the sports travel market following the successful launches in 2019 of Clarity Sports , which provides best-in-class team and business travel services for professional clubs across a range of sports, and sportsbreak.com , a sports travel experience operator aimed at fans and consumers.

Steve Butchart, CEO of inspiresport said:

“The team and I are very excited at the next phase of expansion of inspiresport under our new ownership, which will further enhance our position as market leaders in the school and club sports tour sector, but also accelerate our future development plans by opening up new partners and new sports to add to our current impressive portfolio.

“We’ve grown significantly over the last decade and, whilst the last year has been particularly challenging for the travel industry, to be able to complete this deal is testament to the underlying strength of our business and the hard work of all the team.

“We look forward to working with the Clarity Sports and Sportsbreaks.com teams to complement their activities within the business, and to continue to deliver the best-in-class sports development tours which inspiresport is known for.”

Pat McDonagh, CEO of Clarity Travel, said:

“ inspiresport has been a business that we have admired for a long time and this acquisition helps us build a very strong portfolio of offerings in this bespoke market.

“We are delighted that Steve and the team at inspiresport are joining us and we look forward to continuing the excellent work they have done over the years by progressing with partners, customers and colleagues, and expanding the business moving forward.”

Privacy Overview

Clarity  was created by the merger of Portman and Clarity Travel Management in November 2016, and is a global, multi award winning Business Travel Company.

At Clarity we pride ourselves on offering a platinum level of customer service to our clients on a consistent basis, and we invest heavily in training via our dedicated training academy. All our roles are advertised internally first, so you will have the  opportunity to personally grow and develop your career in one of the UK’s fastest growing TMC’s.

So if you’re a high performer with a passion for travel and possess outstanding customer service skills then Clarity wants to talk to you!

CURRENT OPENINGS

• Stockport , England , United Kingdom
• Manchester , England , United Kingdom
• Derby , England , United Kingdom
• • Derby , England , United Kingdom
• East Kilbride , Scotland , United Kingdom
• Flexible , England , United Kingdom

PERKS & BENEFITS

A selection of what we have to offer.

Long service awards

Incentive trips and prizes, high street discounts, company funded social events, discounted staff travel, funded courses, health and wellbeing perks, free flu jabs, discounted fitbit, option to buy additional holidays, excellent opportunities for progression, pension scheme.

No two days are the same in this role! We have a broad range of clients with specific needs and requests; one minute you could be booking a boardroom for 4 people in Manchester, the next you could be looking at event venues for 300 in Dubai! It’s a fast-paced role but I love the challenge.

We have a varying range of clients which means no two days are the same! It’s our job to source the best possible venues or suppliers for our clients. This means speaking to suppliers all over the world, creating proposals and managing all the details of the booking; from the contract stage right through to the finer details of the event. We are a fast-paced team who work hard but have a lot of fun along the way

Jade Hughes: Being able to travel is definitely a perk of the job! This year I’ve been to Las Vegas, Switzerland and the Netherlands to help with events.

LIFE AT CLARITY

OUR OFFICES

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• Trans-Siberian Express

Our 8 Best Trans-Siberian Rail Tours of 2022

Come with us on truly... The Journey of a Lifetime along the world’s longest railway. See how the landscape and culture changes as you head West to East. See Moscow, Siberia, China and more. Our Trans-Siberian Railway tours are all customizable and can be adjusted to fit any budget. Our most popular packages are listed below. Please click on the tour details to learn more or contact us for more information about our Trans Siberian rail tours using the form on the page. Feel free to also schedule a call with one of our Russian travel specialists. Many travelers have found this to be the best way to together, create an unforgettable customized tour for you.

Trans-Siberian by Imperial Russia Train

Besides the below tours, we also offer a luxurious tour by a private train

Trans-Siberian 3 in 1

This is our shortest version of our Trans Siberian railroad tours but it covers some of the most interesting cities. The trip begins in Moscow, the capital of Russia, then continues on to Yekaterinburg, located in the Ural Mountains and at the edge of Siberia. The tour ends on the shores of Lake Baikal.

• Schedule Tour can be started on any day
• Route Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk
• Languages English-speaking guide is guaranteed. Other languages are on request.
• Accommodation The following hotel options are available: 3 stars
• PRIVATE TOUR This is a private tour, there won't be other people in your group

Great Russia by Train

This tour will take you along the full route of the Trans-Siberian railway to 3 of Russia's most interesting cities - Moscow with stunning Red Square, the Kremlin and Cathedrals, Irkutsk located in the heart of Siberia and home to the great Lake Baikal and Vladivostok - the King of the East with its harbor of the Golden Horn and Amursky Bay on the Pacific Ocean.

• Route Moscow - Irkutsk - Vladivostok

Trans-Sib - four cities

On this great Eurasian journey from West to East you will cover the entire route of the Trans-Siberian Railway, visiting four major cities along the way: Russia's capital Moscow, Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, Irkutsk including incredible Lake Baikal, and finally Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean, at the very edge of Russia.

• Route Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk - Vladivostok

Highlights on the Trans-Sib

This tour is a great choice for seeing the highlights of Russia, Mongolia and China. From Golden-Domed Moscow you will continue on to Irkutsk and visit beautiful Lake Baikal. Mongolia will greet you with its endless steppes and the Gobi Desert. Finally, you will reach China and visit the magnificent Great Wall, Ming Tombs and Forbidden city.

• Schedule Tour can be started on any Monday
• Route Moscow - Irkutsk - Ulan Bator - Beijing

The Great Journey - East to West

This trip lasts for 2 weeks and passes through 6 fascinating cities. Starting in Vladivostok with its harbour of the Golden Horn and passing through the Buddhist city of Ulan-Ude, then to Irkutsk - home of magnificent Lake Baikal and onto Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg - very dynamic Siberian cities, and finally ending in golden-domed Moscow.

• Route Vladivostok - Ulan-Ude - Irkutsk - Novosibirsk - Yekaterinburg - Moscow

5 stars - East to West

This tour covers the highlights of the Trans-Siberian Railway - including all 5 major cities along its route. You will admire cultural masterpieces in Beijing, learn about nomadic life in Mongolia, see amazing Lake Baikal in Irkutsk, learn about the fate of the Last Tsar in Yekaterinburg, and visit Russia's energetic capital Moscow.

• Schedule Tour can be started on any Thursday.
• Route Beijing - Ulaanbaatar - Irkutsk - Yekaterinburg - Moscow

Trans-Sib through Russia - Mongolia - China

This exciting Trans-Siberian tour takes you to three countries - Russia, Mongolia and China. From Moscow you will proceed to the Siberian cities of Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Irkutsk, close to Lake Baikal. Then you will cross Mongolia with its endless steppes and the Goby Desert, and finally arrive in China with the Great Wall and more.

• Schedule Tour can be started on any Saturday
• Route Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Novosibirsk - Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar - Beijing

Journey of a Lifetime

The tour is a great opportunity to visit three countries on one trip. You will be delighted with the capital of Russia, see the border of Europe and Asia in Yekaterinburg, admire beautiful nature in Krasnoyarsk, see the world's largest lake Baikal, steppes of Mongolia and China's cultural heritage.

• Route Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Krasnoyarsk - Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar - Beijing

My wife & I have just completed the Journey of a Lifetime 16 day 15 night Trip as organised by Express to Russia. We also had a tour of St Petersburg & Moscow as well. The planning & execution of both trips was well above our expectations. The guides we had in all of our destinations were exceptional & the meet & greet & return to the stations went as smooth as clockwork. We had one minor hitch but that was through no fault of Express to Russia..a quick email from our Ipad had the problem resolved immediately We did have some misgivings at the start about doing the booking online ourselves but Elena was wonderful & answered all of our questions promptly & to our satisfaction. We felt comfortable with the whole process.The train trip is wonderful with Mongolia being a "special " place for us! We highly recommend Elena & her company. I am happy to answer any questions any body may wish to ask.

Thank you so very much for organizing our trip. Everything went wonderfully, and we really enjoyed our time in Russia. Moscow was beautiful, Lake Baikal was very cold, yet very fun to swim in, and the DPR Koreans that I met and made friends with in Vladivostok was beyond priceless. The guides you got for us did an exceptional job, and the drivers helped us out a lot as well. The hotels you got for us were great, and the room you got for us in the Vladivostok really made the long stay comfortable. The trains were also very enjoyable as was the Russian hospitality, although we really weren´t expecting people to be so generous or helpful. Overall, the trip was wonderful, and you arranged it magnificently. You really went out of your way to accommodate my schedule and help me with my schoolwork, so I really appreciate it; I couldn´t have done it without you. So once again, thank you for all of your efforts, and hopefully in the future you will be able to help us out again. Take care, and thank you for everything.

The Trans-Siberian Express is the longest train journey in the world. The route takes you from ancient Russian cities through deep forests and breathtaking mountains to Siberian outposts and into Asia. You will visit Buddhist temples , Lake Baikal , the Ural Mountains , Vladivostok or Beijing . Express to Russia is a specialist in travel for individuals and small groups along the route. We will make sure that you have an unforgettable journey on this incredible adventure. Choose basic packages below or contact us to arrange your own custom travel.

Our Russian tours are offered as land only where you arrange your own airfare and we meet you at the airport and handle everything else. You can easily book the discount tickets yourself through our own discount internet ticket office . Please browse our discount air tickets section to learn more.

Trans-Siberian Train

The main route of the Trans-Siberian Railway begins in Moscow and heads east to Vladivostok passing through Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude, Chita, Blagoveshchensk and Khabarovsk. The length of the route is 9259 km or 5753 miles. The train travels through 7 time zones and takes 8 days to complete without making overnight stops. The Trans-Siberian splits off into a few other fascinating directions as well:

Trans-Mongolian Train

The Trans-Mongolian Line was built from 1940 to 1956 between Ulan-Ude at Lake Baikal’s eastern shore and the Chinese capital Beijing. From Ulan-Ude the tracks go south towards Mongolia, crossing the great Gobi Desert and finally ending up in Beijing. This route is a mere 7867 kilometers long (Moscow - Beijing).

Trans-Manchurian Train

The Trans-Manchurian Line runs on the same route as the Trans-Siberian as far as Tarskaya, which is a few hundred miles east of Baikal. From Tarskaya, the line runs southeast into China near Zabaikalsk and makes its way down to Beijing. This route is a 9001 kilometres long (Moscow - Beijing).

Click to learn more about the history of the Trans-Siberian Railway .

Frequently Asked Questions From Our Travelers

Where does the trans-siberian railway start and where does it end.

The Trans-Siberian Railway starts in Moscow and extends all the way to Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean. This route connects the European part of Russia, the Ural region, Siberia and the Russian Far East.

Are Beijing and Ulan Bator stops along the Trans-Siberian railway?

Beijing and Ulan Bator are parts of Trans-Mongolian railway - an offshoot of the main Trans-Siberian Railway. There are many options to arrange your travel: to visit Ulan Bator and or follow the Trans-Siberian railway to or from Vladivostok. 

Can I use the hop-on hop-off principle when traveling by Trans-Siberian train?

Unfortunately, that is not possible. Train tickets in Russia are not open, so you will need a separate ticket with a particular date for each leg of your trip - for example, you may go all the way from Moscow to Vladivostok, but you will only be able to leave the train for short stops at the railway stations. In case if you would like to explore different cities on the way, you will need separate tickets, for example Moscow – Yekaterinburg, Yekaterinburg – Irkutsk, Irkutsk - Vladivostok. We offer carefully planned private tours that will allow you to visit several cities on your way.

Are there showers aboard Trans-Siberian trains?

Most of the Trans-Siberian trains do not have showers, and there are two WCs per each carriage. Please consider it while planning your trip. We recommend to choose shorter distances (that is, to plan more overnight stops in the cities along the way) to avoid the inconvenience of not showering. Another option is to choose the trip on board a more luxurious train which has all the on-board amenities that one might need.

Are meals included on the board of Trans-Siberian express train?

When traveling with RZD regular trains meals are not included. You can easily buy your meals in the restaurant car.  Another option is to buy local specialties from “babushkas” (grandmothers, or simply Russian old ladies) on the short train stops along the way. This is a very authentic way of getting your meals.

What is the most comfortable way to travel on the Trans-Siberian railroad?

There are luxurious trains on the Trans-Siberian railway that are quite different from regular RZD trains and can be described as 5* hotels on wheels. We offer this type of accommodation on the Imperial Russia train where you can enjoy a full board menu, a shower and a comfortable compartment.

Our travel brands include

Express to Russia

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