TORONTO — Following the merger of Pulse Travel Marketing Inc. and The KAI Group, effective immediately, the new entity will move forward as Pulse Travel Marketing with The KAI Group operating as a division of Pulse, servicing the group’s resorts and tour clients.

The companies are known as two of Canada’s most successful boutique travel tourism marketing and public relations firms.
Patrice Bell, Sana Keller, and Annika Klint are equal managing partners in the new company, which represents clients from across the travel and tourism spectrum including destination marketing offices (DMOs) convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), hotels & resorts, airlines, cruise lines and tour operators.

A joint statement from Pulse Communications’ three managing partners says as the companies join forces, the partners plan to retain their close client relationships and hands-on approach “that we have always had as boutique agencies”, while taking advantage of their expanded expertise to evolve and grow the business.

“We are like-minded individuals that each bring their own strengths to the table, allowing us to become a more robust company and offer expanded resources and services to existing and potential clients.”

Clients include Visit San Antonio, headed up by President and CEO Casandra Matej. “We are excited about the expansion of Pulse Travel Marketing that now includes additional resources in the travel trade and hotel divisions of the company,” said Matej. “The merger with The KAI Group allows their clients the opportunity to tap into a broader base of knowledge and industry experience – and that becomes a valuable representation asset for Visit San Antonio.”

“The combined expertise of Pulse and KAI can only benefit Colorado Tourism,” said Andrea Blankenship, director of international tourism, Colorado Tourism Office, another client. “Congratulations to the new expanded team. We look forward to drawing on that expertise as we continue to sell Colorado to Canadians.”

Going forward, Bell and Klint will specialize in the travel trade side of the business while Keller will specialize in PR and marketing.

“We’re a very powerful combination of strong, creative, energetic, dedicated, and effective executives in the travel trade and tourism industry, each with expertise in many different areas,” say the partners. “We have similar processes, work ethic, and core values and together we can continue to deliver great results for our clients while attracting new business.”