The Beyond Borders Travel Summit, the Australian travel industry’s premier thought leadership event, has sold out ahead of Friday 9 October at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Presented by the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA), Beyond Borders has become a fixture on the industry calendar, and this year’s sell-out shows it continues to grow as it enters its third year, with about 480 attendees registered.
Across a single day, attendees will hear directly from the industry’s key decision makers: regulators, policymakers, industry leaders and their peers.
The program covers the full breadth of the industry, from retail agents and independent advisors to tour operators, wholesalers and travel management companies.
The first session, The Industry Outlook: What’s Next for 2027, features ATIA Chair Christian Hunter and Chief Executive Officer Dean Long on the lessons of 2026 and where the industry is heading.
Mr Long will then moderate a leaders’ panel on traveller expectations, distribution, technology and talent with Helloworld Travel Executive Director Cinzia Burnes, Flight Centre Travel Group Global Leisure Chief Executive Officer James Kavanagh, CATO Chair Sean Martin of G Adventures and ATMC Chair David Goldman of Goldman Travel.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s David Cranston and Tony Hilton will cover airfares, delays, cancellations, new airline entry, codeshares and Western Sydney International Airport, followed by a fireside discussion with Mr Long on the aviation outlook.
Mr Long will also join Tourism and Transport Forum Chief Executive Margy Osmond, Travel Agents’ Association of New Zealand Chief Executive Julie White and Airlines for Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Beckett on the policy outlook from Canberra.
A News Corp and Growth Distillery keynote will examine where Australians travel, what they spend and who they book with.
Touring and wholesale has its own panel, moderated by ATIA Director of CATO and Education Mira Yates.
Practical sessions run alongside them. ATIA Director of Compliance and Membership Nina Hedges will lead a masterclass on turning complaints into better business, and Birds Eye View Consulting Managing Director Nicole O’Sullivan will cover introducing non-credit-card payment options without losing the sale, following new surcharging rules from 1 October. Accredited members will also get a closed session on ATIA’s aviation advocacy.
Major Sponsors Helloworld Travel, American Express and Allianz Partners are backing the summit, and ATIA Domestic Airline Partner Virgin Australia hosts the Virgin Australia Lounge. Impact Partner Intrepid Foundation will invite attendees to back one of three charity initiatives through an activation at Beyond Borders.
Beyond Borders opens the industry’s biggest weekend of the year, followed that evening by the Viking NTIA Finalist Celebration at Aerial Melbourne and on Saturday by the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) Gala at the Palladium at Crown Melbourne, which has also sold out.
Quotes attributable to ATIA CEO Dean Long:
“Selling out Beyond Borders shows how much the industry values being in the room. Travel businesses want to hear first-hand from the regulators and policymakers making the decisions that affect them, and to work through what’s coming with their peers.”
“Beyond Borders gets bigger and better every year, and that’s because the industry keeps backing it. Thanks to everyone who registered and to our sponsors and partners. We look forward to welcoming a full house to Melbourne on Friday.”
