Cairns will host the 2026 iteration of the Helloworld Travel Owner Manager Conference.
The event will be held at the Cairns Convention Centre from June 11 to 14. The 2026 destination and venue was announced on the closing day of the 2025 Helloworld Travel OMC that wrapped up in Vancouver.
CEO Andrew Burnes said the organisation was delighted to be taking next year’s event to Tropical North Queensland.
“Queensland is a highly popular travel region for all travellers from Australia, New Zealand and around the world, and we are very pleased to be supporting this region and tourism in the state,” he said.
“We have a strong connection with Cairns dating back to the late 1980s when we started the Australian Outback Travel Company which ran tours out of Cairns to Cape York. We spent ten years in Cairns setting up and growing the business. Now, almost 40 years later, we are heading back to where it all began.”
Mr Burnes said the company would put together a strong program that will highlight many of the unique features of Cairns and the region.
Tourism and Events Queensland CEO, Craig Davidson, said the organisation was thrilled to be welcoming Helloworld Travel owners and managers from Australia and New Zealand to Cairns in 2026.
“We will be inviting everyone to experience ‘That Holiday Feeling’ to keep Queensland top of mind when it comes to planning that next trip. Because no one does holidays quite like we do,” he said.
Janet Hamilton, general manager of the host venue, the Cairns Convention Centre, also welcomed the announcement, saying the organisation was honoured to host such a high-profile group.
“As an internationally recognised convention centre, uniquely positioned between two UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites, the centre provides an inspiring platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing – making Cairns the natural choice for this prestigious event,” Ms Hamilton said.