In a world where recognition often arrives long after the applause fades, the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours List has delivered a much-deserved standing ovation. Mike Thompson, a stalwart of Australia’s travel industry and a devoted champion of the arts, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)—and frankly, it’s about time.
Not that you’d hear that from Mike himself. Modest to a fault and allergic to fanfare, he accepted the nod with typical understatement:
“I’m honoured to be recognised in the King’s Honours List. This was entirely unexpected and I’m grateful. Travel and the Arts are passions that have shaped my life. To be acknowledged is appreciated.”
But let’s not be shy on his behalf. For over four decades, Mike Thompson hasn’t just shaped Australia’s travel sector—he’s fortified it, uplifted it, and, at times, downright rescued it. And he did it all with grace, grit, and the kind of dry humour that would make a Qantas captain blush.
Travel’s Gentleman General
Mike Thompson OAM pictured receiving his Life Member award from then Chair Tom Manwaring
Mike’s resume reads like a blueprint for industry reform. From Chairman of the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) between 2009 and 2018, to his earlier years as a Director, Mike didn’t just occupy the seat—he rewired the whole cockpit.
At a time when the travel trade was undergoing seismic shifts (remember GDS systems that looked like bank heist terminals?), Mike was the steadying force in the eye of the storm. His time steering Travelscene American Express, brokering alliances at Helloworld Travel, and guiding supplier relationships at American Express was marked not by showy slogans, but results.
And while many executives are fluent in buzzwords, Mike was fluent in people. He understood that travel wasn’t just about bookings—it was about connection. Communities, cultures, and livelihoods.
As ATIA CEO Dean Long puts it:
“Mike Thompson’s impact on our industry cannot be overstated. He was a fearless advocate for the independent agency owners, ensuring their issues were always centrally considered by the Board.”
“He led with integrity, insight and a deep respect for the role travel businesses play in connecting people and communities—qualities that make this recognition richly deserved.”
That’s not corporate speak. That’s reverence.
Life Beyond the Departure Lounge
But let’s not pretend Mike is all frequent flyer points and policy papers. The man’s heart beats in time with a symphony.
Away from the boardrooms and industry conferences, Mike has quietly built a second legacy: as a longstanding patron of the arts. You’d find his name etched in gratitude across a Who’s Who of Australian cultural institutions: the Sydney Youth Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Brandenburg Orchestra, the Belvoir Theatre, Bangarra Dance Company, and the Sydney Dance Company—a roll call of brilliance, made better through his steadfast support.
Where others might have seen the arts as peripheral, Mike saw them as essential. Not a hobby. A heritage.
A Quiet Force with a Loud Legacy
In 2019, the industry Mike helped build gave something back—a life membership to ATIA, the equivalent of being knighted in a cabin crew uniform—a gesture of gratitude from an industry that, frankly, owes him more than one honour.
His contribution to the Travel Compensation Fund also cemented his place as a guardian of fairness. When customers needed financial protection, Mike didn’t hesitate to step in. He helped hold the sector to account, ensuring the trust between agent and traveller wasn’t just rhetoric.
More Than a Medal
Let’s not allow this OAM to be seen as a complete stop. It’s not. It’s a pause for applause before the next act.
In an age where legacy often comes wrapped in hashtags, Mike’s story is refreshingly analogue—built on eye contact, handshakes, strategy meetings, and opening nights. His is a legacy of authentic leadership—where service wasn’t a slogan but a way of life.
ATIA, the industry, and indeed, Australia, are all the richer for it.
So here’s to Mike Thompson OAM: travel titan, arts ally, and a bloke who never needed a spotlight to make a difference—but finally, rightly, stands in one.
By Sandra Jones
