Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows advertising spend across the travel category in Australia rose 12% year-on-year, reaching $684.1 million in 2025, up from $610.7 million in 2024.
Travel agents/tour operators remained the largest segment by advertising spend, investing $340.2 million in 2025. Airlines recorded the strongest growth, with ad spend rising 36% year-on-year, while tourism authorities increased investment by 15%, reflecting continued competition between destinations.
The highest-investing carrier was QANTAS, followed by Virgin Australia International, Jetstar, Emirates, and Malaysia Airlines.
Among travel agents and tour operators, Flight Centre led the market for ad spend in 2025, followed by Booking.com, Scenic Tours Australia, Ignite Travel and TripADeal, according to Nielsen Ad Intel.
Cruise advertising also lifted, growing 9%, mirroring Australians' growing interest in cruising, with 56% of potential travellers saying they would consider taking a cruise . Viking River Cruises topped the list of cruise ad spenders, followed by Silversea Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
On the destination side, the top tourism advertisers were Tourism & Events Queensland, the South Australian Tourism Commission, Tourism Tasmania, Destination NSW and the Northern Territory Tourist Commission.
Additionally, Nielsen CMV (Consumer & Media View) research showed leisure was the most dominant motivation for Australians to travel, while nature-based and experience-led trips maintained strong appeal.
Nielsen's findings showed New South Wales was tied with Queensland as the top destination for domestic travel (18.7% each), followed by Victoria at 14.6%. Internationally, the UK and Japan stand out as the destinations Australians most want to visit at 6.4% and 6.2% respectively.
Nielsen's data also shows that digital planning is now virtually universal, with 85% of respondents saying they would check the Internet if planning a trip, while 52% prefer booking accommodation through online sites.
Despite Australians' obsession with travel, cost remains a driving factor for many, with 47% showing an interest in no frills and cheap airfares.
Rose Lopreiato, Nielsen Ad Intel's Australia Commercial Lead, said: The data confirms that despite the economic headwinds, the Aussie love affair with travel is stronger than ever. A 12% lift in travel advertising investment, year-on-year, signals a category that's accelerating, with online travel services continuing to dominate, airlines increasing their presence sharply, and tourism authorities stepping up as destinations compete even harder for travellers. With such intense competition between travel destinations and travel providers, it's never been more crucial for advertisers to know where their competitors are spending and winning over the millions of Aussies wanting to travel .
About Nielsen Ad Intel Ad Intel provides the most complete source of cross-platform advertising intelligence available today. With intuitive software, review-and-compare ad activity across media, company, category or brand, plus historical data.
Note: Nielsen monitors gross advertising expenditure in major media at published rate card values. While discounts are made available from some media owners, rates are not openly available. Please also note that the category and brand/product groupings figures are grouped at Nielsen's discretion.
Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).
About Nielsen Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences now and into the future. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram).
Media Contact Dan Chapman
Assoc. Director, Communications, Nielsen APAC
dan.chapman@nielsen.com
+61 404 088 462
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Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
