The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has approved Kelsian Group’s sale of its Tourism Portfolio, which includes SeaLink, to Journey Beyond, clearing a key hurdle in a deal first announced in February.
Kelsian (ASX:KLS) confirmed the ACCC has determined the divestment may proceed following expiry of a statutory 14-day period, on the basis it’s unlikely to substantially lessen competition in any market.
Kelsian is a global bus, motorcoach and marine services operator with more than 35 years’ experience across Australia, the UK, Singapore, the US and the Channel Islands. Its businesses include Transit Systems, one of Australia’s largest public bus operators; All Aboard America!, the second-largest motorcoach operator in the US; Tower Transit, which runs bus franchises in the UK and Singapore; and SeaLink Marine & Tourism, which operates ferry services in Australia. As at 30 June 2026, Kelsian employed more than 13,300 people and operated 6,317 buses and 122 vessels, delivering over 384 million customer journeys over the year.
The deal was first flagged on 24 February this year, when Kelsian entered binding agreements to sell the companies and businesses making up its Tourism Portfolio to Journey Beyond – trading name of Experience Group Australia, which also owns JB Sightseeing and JB Whitsundays Operations. The sale remains subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval, change-of-control consents for key contracts and authorisations, and other customary conditions precedent.
The transaction perimeter was narrowed on 26 August 2026, when Kelsian and Journey Beyond agreed SeaLink Rottnest would no longer be included in the sale.
Completion is anticipated in the first half of FY27. Kelsian’s FY27 guidance, issued 26 August, assumed no material change to the business structure and included the Tourism Portfolio for the full year; the company has said it intends to update that guidance once the transaction’s impact can be properly assessed.
Kelsian group chief executive Graeme Legh authorised the announcement to the ASX.
Journey Beyond owns and operates 19 brands across Australia and New Zealand spanning rail expeditions, touring, cruises, camps and lodges, and attractions.
