The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has completed its “most ambitious structural expansion” ever, capped by a series of mergers and initiatives that now bring every major segment of the travel industry under one umbrella.
At its 49th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Sydney this morning, ATIA highlighted a year of significant growth, advocacy wins and record member satisfaction.
Three years into its Project A30 strategy, the association said it had delivered all structural commitments outlined at its Beyond Borders Summit.
Key milestones included the merger with the Australian Travel Management Company (ATMC), the launch of the Independent Travel Agents Association (ITAA) and the member-approved merger with the Council of Australian Tour Operators (CATO).
The CATO merger is particularly significant, bringing tour operators and wholesalers into the same structure as travel agents, corporate travel managers and other industry sectors.
ATIA said the changes mean it now represents the entire Australian travel industry through a single coordinated organisation when engaging government, regulators and the media.
“This year has been about conversion, turning strategy into outcomes that members can actually feel,” ATIA chair Christian Hunter said during the AGM.
“The ATMC merger brought corporate travel managers formally into structure; the launch of ITAA gave independent agents their own dedicated voice within ATIA; and with members voting yes to the CATO merger just a few weeks ago, we have now completed the picture: one peak body, every sector represented, and one coordinated voice.”
Hunter also pointed to what he called ATIA’s standout advocacy achievement of 2025/26: securing the exclusion of travel agents and tour operators from the Aviation Ombudsman Scheme. The group estimates the outcome will save members up to $100 million in compliance costs.
“On advocacy, the headline result was keeping travel agents and tour operators out of the Aviation Ombuds Scheme,” Hunter said of the action, the result of “four formal consultation rounds, a senate inquiry and sustained engagement with ministers and the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission)”.
“The outcome, an estimated 40 to $100 million in compliance costs that our members will never have to pay.”
Financially, the association reported revenue growth of 21 per cent to $3.64 million and a net surplus of $279,328 “that goes straight back into what we offer members”.
Hunter said growth was “driven by strong corporate partnerships and a record National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA)”.
ATIA also recorded a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 79, well above its target of 50.
Meanwhile, membership renewal reached 98.5 per cent, while 28 new businesses joined the accreditation program during the year.
“Accreditation is more than just a badge. It is actually the foundation that everything else is built on, including our advocacy work,” Hunter said.
Elsewhere, the chair flagged ATIA’s enterprise benchmarking reports, which provide members with individually tailored business insights free of charge, and its pulse meetings, which have “remained a genuine forum for honest dialogue across every member segment”.
“The association is fit for purpose, it is financially sound, and it is fighting for every business in this room,” he added.
Wednesday webinar
In other news, the association today announced that it would be hosting a real-time supplier update webinar on Wednesday (24 June) following the lowering of travel advice levels across the Middle East and a “spike” in traveller interest.
The primary purpose of the webinar is to help members understand the impact of the advisory downgrade on travel insurance.
Australian Travel Industry Association members will receive the registration link via email.
KARRYON UNPACKS: ATIA’s biggest story isn’t its financial results. It’s the creation of a genuinely unified travel industry voice, giving travel agents, tour operators, and wholesalers greater influence in policy decisions.
