The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) has announced the finalists in the judged business categories for the 2026 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIAs), with this year’s competition described as the strongest in the awards’ history.
The finalists were selected from the top-ranked submissions across 14 judged categories, with several categories expanding to six finalists after tied scores.
Strong competition across business categories
Unlike the voted categories, the judged awards are assessed by an independent panel of university-level judges, who evaluate entrants on both their achievements and the quality of their submissions.
The judged categories recognise excellence across travel agencies, travel management companies, sustainability, marketing, employee engagement and industry training.
They include awards for Australia’s most outstanding independent and branded leisure travel agencies, online travel agencies, travel management companies, mobile advisor networks, travel agency groups and sustainability initiatives.
Winners to be announced in October
ATIA CEO Dean Long said the standard of submissions continued to rise each year.
“We’re impressed with the high calibre of submissions from nominees, and it’s good to see that the industry is continuing to raise the bar each year,” Long said.
“The closeness of the scoring is a testament to the level of professionalism across the board, and we’re excited to celebrate the hard work of the finalists at the NTIAs.”
The winners will be announced at the 2026 National Travel Industry Awards, to be held at Crown Melbourne on 10 October 2026.
