Australia Mission & New Zealand Workshop 2026
Introduction
Australia Mission 2026, our flagship event in the country, brings the best of the Australian and New Zealand market in one place to connect with selected UK travel trade partners.
Through a series of product workshops and agent training sessions to increase product awareness, this event is value packed and the most efficient opportunity to build long-lasting business opportunities in these markets.
Event Details
Australia Mission 2026 provides the best in-market platform for up to 20 UK travel trade businesses and destinations with hand-picked buyers from Australia.
New for 2026, we are hosting a workshop in New Zealand for 8 UK suppliers to undertake 1-2-1 meetings with buyers and have direct access to 100+ highly influential travel agents—many of whom are independent and operate like buyers.
The event includes a variety of opportunities to gain maximum exposure with the buyers in attendance, mixing 1-2-1 appointments with product training and more informal networking opportunities such as the gala dinner.
At a Glance
Australia Mission – Sydney & Melbourne 13 to 18 September 2026
- Sydney: 13 to 16 September 2026
- Melbourne: 16 to 18 September 2026
- UK Primary Delegate fee: £4800 +VAT (1 table, 1 primary delegate)
- UK Co-exhibitor* fee: £3000 + VAT (1 co-exhibitor delegate sharing a table with a primary delegate)
- Secondary delegate from the same primary company will be considered on request. Please email [email protected] for further information.
Register for the Australia Mission
Registration deadline: 11 March 2026
Applications assessment will be completed week commencing 23 March 2026.
What’s included?
- Five nights accommodation: 13, 14, 15 September in Sydney, 16, 17 September in Melbourne
- Access to post-event contact database
- Australia market masterclass
- 2x Product Managers Workshops
- 2x Agent Training & networking events
- Lunches and dinners as part of the official programme
Sydney
- Three nights accommodation: 13, 14, 15 September
- Continental breakfast: 14, 15, 16 September
- Welcome dinner: 13 September
- Transfer from hotel to airport in Sydney: 16 September
- Domestic flight from Sydney to Melbourne: 16 September, group booking provided by VisitBritain
Melbourne
- Two nights accommodation: 16, 17 September
- Breakfast: 17, 18 September
- Transfer from airport to hotel in Melbourne: 16 September
Notes
- Co-exhibitors package includes:
- Your company profile visible throughout the event
- Shared table for Product Workshop meetings with an approved Primary Delegate
- If registering as a co-exhibitor, please ensure this has been discussed with the relevant Primary Delegate with whom you wish to attend. Co-exhibitor approvals are contingent on the approval of the relevant primary delegate application being approved.
- Grants: There are currently no grants available through VisitBritain. You may wish to check with VisitScotland or Visit Wales, or for businesses based in England, your Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) or Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for any grants available through local authorities to attend overseas trade events.
New Zealand Workshop (Optional) - Auckland 9 to 11 September 2026
For the approved delegates to the Australia Mission, there is an optional New Zealand Workshop.
Auckland
- Auckland 9 to 11 September 2026
- UK Primary Delegate fee: £1900 + VAT (one table, one primary delegate)
- Co-exhibitor fee: £1500 + VAT (one co-exhibitor delegate sharing a table with a primary delegate – see above for further information)
- Please note attendance for the New Zealand Workshop is open to approved Australia Mission delegates only.
Register for the New Zealand Workshop
Registration deadline: 11 March 2026
Applications assessment will be completed week commencing 23 March 2026
What’s included?
- Two nights’ accommodation in Auckland: 9, 10 September
- Breakfast: 10, 11 September
- New Zealand market masterclass
- Product Managers Workshop
- Travel Agent training and networking event
- Welcome dinner
- Lunches and dinners as part of official programme
Not included:
- International Flights between UK and New Zealand or Australia
- International flights between New Zealand and Australia for attendees of New Zealand Workshop
- Accommodation 11 to 12 September
- All expenses not outlined in the itinerary including any items of a personal nature, additional meals or transfers not part of official programme (arrival into Auckland/Sydney or departure Auckland/Melbourne)
Notes
- Co-exhibitors package includes:
- Your company profile visible throughout the event
- Shared table for Product Workshop meetings with an approved Primary Delegate
- If registering as a co-exhibitor, please ensure this has been discussed with the relevant Primary Delegate you wish to attend with. Co-exhibitor approvals are contingent on the approval of the relevant primary delegate application being approved.
- Grants: There are currently no grants available through VisitBritain. You may wish to check with VisitScotland or Visit Wales, or for businesses based in England, your Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) or Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for any grants available through local authorities to attend overseas trade events.
Registration Timeline
Registrations open
Apply for the event by completing the registration form.
Registration deadline
Registrations may close early should we reach capacity.
Assessment of Applications
Registrations received will be assessed and scored. Outcome of the scoring will be communicated by the end of March.
Why should I target Australia and New Zealand?
With Australia a top five inbound market for the UK, and visits and spend from New Zealand growing, these markets offer visitors keen to stay longer in the UK, spending more than average, exploring more of the nations and regions and travelling year-round. The Australia Mission and New Zealand Workshop offers an impactful opportunity to build contacts with influential trade and grow your business from these valuable markets.
With strong historic and cultural ties with the UK, Australian and New Zealand travellers spend more and stay almost twice as long as the average international visitor. Adventurous explorers across Britain’s nations and regions, these visitors are well-placed to boost regional economies throughout the year.
Australia is the UK’s fourth most valuable inbound market with 1.28 million Australian visitors set to contribute a record £1.83 billion to the UK economy in 2025. The 2025 estimate for New Zealand should see the market double its pre-pandemic spend and retain its position as one of Britain’s strongest growth markets (post 2019).
Combined, these markets are set to contribute £2.77bn into the UK visitor economy by 2030.
Australia: The travel trade are a crucial channel for influencing and converting high value Australian travellers who rely on expert travel agents for validating destination choice and for making complex ultra long-haul holiday bookings.
New Zealand: New Zealand had record spend and visits in 2024 and had the highest growth (spend) of any market since 2019. Like Australia, these ultra long-haul travellers rely extensively on travel agents to plan their trips and make bookings.
Who should attend?
The Australia Mission is tailored for UK suppliers looking to establish or strengthen their presence in the Australian markets. It offers guidance, introductions to key operators and opportunities to showcase products that resonate with Australia demand to build connections and drive sales.
The New Zealand workshop is designed as a new platform for UK businesses interested in this growing market. The event will offer the opportunity to connect with important in-market travel trade and educate local travel agents about your destination and/or product offering.
Recommended Requirements
To ensure maximum impact, participating businesses must be fully travel tradeready and actively engaging in support activities tailored to the market, such as developing a dedicated market strategy for Australia and New Zealand. If you’re unsure whether your business qualifies, please review our Eligibility Criteria.
It is recommended that your business has an existing foothold in Australia with some established connection to this market before attending the New Zealand workshop.
Businesses most likely to benefit from attending
- Trade ready businesses (mandatory) with advanced delegate experience preferred.
International trade-ready businesses
Strategic partners and Destinations (LVEPs, DDPs)
Attractions that are new to the markets
Accommodation providers (boutique experiences, luxury & bespoke)
- Transport providers: Sightseeing operators, rail travel
As space for this event is limited, all registrations are subject to approval to ensure a variety of regions and product types are represented. Market relevance, trade-readiness, and registration date will be taken into consideration, with a capped number of product by type. You are encouraged to answer the registration questions with as much detail as possible.
Eligibility Criteria
Space is limited to 20 places for Australia and 8 in New Zealand. A limited number of co-exhibitor places are available - priority will be given to approval of primary places. All applications will be assessed against strong market alignment while ensuring broad representation from across the nations and regions of Britain.
- Trade readiness: Businesses that have engaged in market support activities and can demonstrate a dedicated strategy for the Australia Market
- Destinations accompanied by trade ready businesses from the region
- Regional destinations and products
- Bespoke tour operators and boutique accommodation providers
- Rail travel experiences
- New products and experiences that have not yet gained direct exposure to this market in previous editions of the event
If you are unsure about the relevancy of your business to the market, watch the dedicated Australia & New Zealand Market Webinar and check out the Australia and New Zealand Market Page. You can also reach out to the team for further support in assessing your business relevance to this event, below further details.
Who will you meet?
Australia:
- Prominent buyers from approximately 40 Australian travel trade businesses (Wholesaler, Retail, Tour Operators)
- Over 250 Travel Agents and Advisors
New Zealand:
- Eight plus New Zealand key travel trade businesses (approx 1:1 ratio with UK suppliers)
- 150 Agents and Advisors
Media and Press from New Zealand and Australia will also be invited.
Why are you meeting with Travel Agents and Advisors?
These are crucial channels for influencing and converting high value Australian and New Zealand travellers who rely on expert travel agents for validating destination choice and for making complex ultra-long haul holiday bookings to Britain.
The Australia Mission and New Zealand Workshop format provides critical face-to-face training opportunities for Australian and New Zealand agents and advisors.
These large scale, first-hand training events ensure agents can confidently promote and sell British/UK experiences and destinations.
These interactions strengthen partnerships and ensure the UK travel trade can continue to meet the evolving long-haul customer needs.
Provisional Agenda
Definitions:
- Masterclass: a comprehensive market update provided by our in-market team.
- Product Manager Workshop: 1-2-1 structured meetings with local travel trade followed by free-flow networking
- Agent Training & Networking Event: Expo style event including short elevator pitches followed by free-flow networking.
New Zealand Workshop | ||
| Day 1 | Wed 9 September | Arrival day & NZ masterclass Welcome dinner |
Day 2 | Thu 10 September | Product Manager meetings & Agent training and networking event |
| Day 3 | Fri 11 September | Departure for Sydney |
Australia Mission | ||
| Day 1 | Sun 13 September | Welcome Dinner |
| Day 2 | Mon 14 September | Australia masterclass Agent training and networking event |
| Day 3 | Tue 15 September | Product Manager workshop and networking |
| Day 4 | Wed 16 September | Travel from Sydney to Melbourne Agent training and networking event |
| Day 5 | Thu 17 September | Product Manager workshop and networking plus Supplier Farewell Dinner |
| Day 6 | Fri 18 September | Departure from Melbourne |
Testimonials
Effective way for us to promote our destination to the Australian travel trade - really enjoyed the combination of meetings with product managers and travel agents. Lots of new contacts made.
It was a great introduction to the market when the business hasn't looked into this region, well organised, good reach and a good mix of partners.
