Helloworld Travel has pushed FY26 revenue and underlying earnings higher despite Middle East disruption, softer retail conditions and a statutory profit result clouded by investment revaluations.
Helloworld Travel Limited has landed a sturdy set of FY26 operating numbers, with rising sales, a firmer revenue margin and an 8.4 per cent lift in underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.
The Australian and New Zealand travel distribution group reported underlying Total Transaction Value (TTV) of $3.958 billion for the year to 30 June 2026. That was 4.1 per cent above FY25 and was rounded to $4.0 billion in the company’s results overview.
Underlying revenue and income rose 8.1 per cent to $208.5 million. The revenue margin improved from 4.9 per cent to 5.1 per cent, while underlying EBITDA increased from $55.6 million to $60.2 million. Its underlying EBITDA margin edged up from 28.8 per cent to 28.9 per cent.
Those gains came in a year when international travel once again proved that it can produce drama without asking the cabin crew for assistance. Helloworld said conflict in the Middle East interrupted travel plans and weakened bookings in the June quarter. Acquisitions also helped lift the full-year result.
A resilient core beneath the accounting noise
The headline statutory profit numbers require careful reading. Statutory profit after tax from continuing operations fell 96 per cent, from $33.2 million to $1.3 million. Yet underlying profit after tax was $30.2 million, only 0.5 per cent below the prior year’s $30.4 million.
The gap largely reflects significant non-operating and acquisition-related items. Helloworld recognised a $34.3 million fair-value loss on its holding in Webjet Group Limited shares. It also booked a $20.3 million fair-value gain when it remeasured its original 50 per cent interest in Mobile Travel Agents (MTA), plus a $6.3 million fair-value loss linked to consideration paid for Gilpin Corporate Travel.
Depreciation and amortisation rose by $4.0 million to $17.7 million, mainly because of identifiable intangible assets tied to the MTA and Barlow Travel Group acquisitions. Finance expenses increased from $0.8 million to $2.2 million after the group used debt to fund acquisitions.
That means the statutory and underlying columns tell different, but related, stories. Statutory figures capture the full accounting result. Helloworld’s underlying measures remove significant items to show how management views operating performance. TTV and underlying EBITDA are not measures prescribed by Australian Accounting Standards and are not subject to audit or review.
Investors and industry readers should therefore keep both sets of numbers in view. The operating engine grew, but the statutory bottom line absorbed a sizeable revaluation blow. One does not cancel the other.
Chief executive and managing director Andrew Burnes AO said: “This performance demonstrates the strength of our diversified business and our ability to adapt to changing market conditions.”
He said travellers continued to prioritise holidays and seek the expertise, reassurance and advocacy of professional travel advisers despite geopolitical uncertainty. For a group built around retail, wholesale, cruise, inbound and air consolidation, that demand is more than a comforting slogan. It is the commercial case.
Helloworld Travel Store
Acquisitions broaden Helloworld’s reach
Helloworld spent FY26 adding weight to its network across Australia and New Zealand.
The group bought the remaining 50 per cent of MTA in October 2025, giving it full ownership of a network that now comprises 450 home-based advisers. It acquired Auckland-based Gilpin Corporate Travel, took a 40 per cent interest in Brighton Travelworld and increased its ownership in Hunter Travel Group. The FY25 acquisition of Barlow Travel Group also contributed for the full year.
These deals helped TTV, although they also brought higher amortisation and finance costs. That is the less glamorous side of expansion: every new sign above the door eventually finds its way into a spreadsheet.
The broader network continued to attract agencies and members. Helloworld said its businesses employ more than 900 people across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Greece. Its travel agency and broker networks have about 2,600 members in Australia and New Zealand.
The company’s training pipeline also remained busy. The Helloworld Travel Academy trained more than 145 new advisers and recorded almost 6,700 attendances at masterclasses and webinars during FY26. In an industry where experience has traditionally been learned at the counter, the academy is helping pass that craft to the next generation.
Wholesale, hotels and cruise gather pace
Several operating divisions produced lively growth.
Helloworld Wholesale lifted TTV by 15.6 per cent in Australia and 4.7 per cent in New Zealand. ReadyRooms, the group’s wholesale hotel booking platform, grew 49.5 per cent year on year across the two markets.
Wholesale cruise sales rose 12.3 per cent across Helloworld’s dedicated cruise brands. Cruiseco also launched dynamic packaging for complete cruise holidays, focusing on short- and medium-haul destinations.
The inbound division handled travel for more than 65,000 international visitors, mainly leisure travellers. Business from the United Kingdom grew 26 per cent, while Germany advanced 30 per cent. Helloworld’s inbound brands now work with more than 300 agent partners and about 4,000 suppliers, serving clients in 30 countries.
Air Tickets introduced enhanced refund automation during FY26. Helloworld said the change cut turnaround times for agents and customers during the Middle East disruption. It is a practical example of technology doing what the travel trade needs most when plans unravel: untangling them faster.
Technology moves closer to the agency counter
Helloworld launched Resworld Next Generation, an updated version of its flagship mid-office system. Developed with network-member input, it combines important agency functions in one environment and aims to improve productivity.
The group also completed the rollout of Data Vantage. The platform gives agency owners and managers deeper business intelligence and performance data for planning and decision-making.
Elsewhere, MyWay Travel & Events benefited from partnerships with event owners and venues. AFL Grand Final packages and concert experiences at Marvel Stadium and Accor Stadium were among its strongest performers. A partnership with Collingwood Football Club expanded the sports travel offer.
Helloworld delivered more than 210 retail campaigns in Australia and New Zealand across television, radio, digital, print and outdoor media. It also secured the inaugural naming rights for the new Helloworld Stadium in Penrith, due to open in early 2027 with capacity for between 25,000 and 30,000 people.
Cash rises as debt funds expansion
Helloworld ended FY26 with $84.8 million in total cash, up from $79.4 million a year earlier. Of that amount, $33.0 million was restricted under International Air Transport Association requirements, compared with $18.5 million in FY25.
External bank debt stood at $35.0 million. The group also held 78,250,205 Webjet Group shares, equal to 20.29 per cent of that company’s ordinary shares and valued at $32.1 million on 30 June 2026.
The board declared a fully franked final dividend of 5.0 cents a share, payable on 16 September 2026. That takes total FY26 dividends to 10.0 cents a share. Helloworld calculated a 7.0 per cent yield using its $1.42 closing share price on 30 June.
For balance, both dividend instalments were lower than the prior year. The FY26 interim dividend was 5.0 cents, down from 8.0 cents, while the final dividend fell from 6.0 cents to 5.0 cents. Underlying basic earnings per share from continuing operations eased from 18.7 cents to 18.5 cents.
FY27 opens with bookings and caution
Helloworld entered FY27 with strong forward bookings, a pipeline of prospective members and further retail opportunities across Australia and New Zealand. July 2026 TTV was level with July 2025, while EBITDA for the month was up 8.8 per cent.
The company expects the complexity of overseas travel to keep supporting demand for professional advice. It said past experience points to a recovery in leisure demand within 60 to 90 days after geopolitical conditions stabilise. That is management’s observation, not a guarantee, and international events retain an unfortunate habit of ignoring the itinerary.
Helloworld plans to provide FY27 guidance before its annual general meeting in October 2026. Until then, the FY26 result offers a clear message for the travel trade. Customers are still travelling, advisers are still valued, and the group’s diverse operating base is producing growth.
The statutory result may have hit turbulence, but the underlying business kept its seatbelt fastened and moved forward.
By: Jill Walsh – © 2026.
Read Time: 7 minutes.
Author Bio:
Jill Walsh has always kept a pen close and a suitcase closer. She started in media releases, then learned the trade by escorting press trips around the world, discovering which stories travel well and which need a sharper edit.
Before long, she wasn’t just promoting destinations; she was representing them, translating civic ambition and local pride into words people actually wanted to read. These days, semi-retired and happily so, Jill has traded departure boards for deadlines, joining old friend and colleague Stephen at Global Travel Media on a casual basis.
Her patch is the business end of wanderlust: balance sheets, route maps, tender wins and the numbers that quietly decide where travellers go. She writes with dry humour, clean prose and an old-school respect for facts a steady voice when the market starts shouting.
