The National Travel Industry Awards 2026 have crowned their winners at a gala ceremony in Sydney, the Australian Federation of Travel Agents' flagship recognition event for the retail and wholesale trade.

The full winner list, published by trade outlet Karryon following the event, spans the categories that matter most to sellers of travel: retail agency networks, independent agencies, consultants, wholesale suppliers, tour operators and industry suppliers.

Why does this matter for the trade?

NTIA winners gain a marketing asset that travels well. Agencies and operators routinely deploy the award badge in consumer-facing campaigns, consultant recruitment pitches and supplier negotiations. For consortia and host groups, category wins function as league-table proof in the fight for consultant recruitment — the single biggest driver of agency revenue share in the Australian market.

What the awards cover

The NTIA program recognises performance across the Australian travel industry distribution chain, from frontline consultants through to national agency networks and wholesale partners. Winners are determined through a process combining industry voting and judging, with finalists announced ahead of the gala.

The ceremony itself doubles as one of the sector's biggest networking nights, drawing agency owners, wholesale sales teams and supplier representatives — a distribution-critical room given how much Australian leisure and corporate volume still moves through the agent channel.

The competitive read

For suppliers and wholesalers, an NTIA result is direct feedback from the agent community on whose product, support and commission structures are landing with the trade. For agency networks, the winner list signals which brands are winning mindshare with consultants at a time when host-group consolidation continues to reshape the retail landscape.

Expect winning agencies and operators to move quickly: award-led campaigns typically launch within days of the gala, ahead of the peak booking windows.

Karryon has published the complete list of 2026 winners for trade readers who want the category-by-category breakdown.