Best travel agents for cruise celebrated – is yours among them?

• Australasia’s best travel agents in cruise have been honoured at the 23rd CLIA Cruise Industry Awards in Sydney.
• With cruising booming and billions being invested in new ships, these are the advisers travellers trust most to plan their dream voyages.
• Read the list to see if your favourite agent has been mentioned.

Cruise travel agents across Australia and New Zealand were honoured in Sydney last night as the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) celebrated the industry’s best travel agents at its 23rd annual Cruise Industry Awards.

Held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney, the gala event brought together almost 600 members of the cruise community for the largest awards night ever staged by the Australasian cruise industry.

The celebration comes as cruising enters one of its most exciting periods of growth. Opening the evening, CLIA Managing Director Australasia Joel Katz said cruise lines globally now have more than 75 new ships on order backed by more than US$100 billion in investment, a powerful signal of confidence in the future of cruising.

Passenger demand is also surging, with global cruise numbers growing by nearly 10 per cent year on year, as travellers from multiple generations discover the appeal of cruising and the wide range of destinations and experiences now available. Some 37.7 million people cruised last year.

For travellers planning their next voyage, the awards highlight the cruise specialists who are considered the best in the business when it comes to advice, expertise and service.

“This year has brought our biggest-ever awards night, and we’ve never before had so much involvement from our travel agent members across Australia and New Zealand,” Katz said. CLIA Award Winners 2026

“The excitement around these awards reflects the record number of members we now have in Australasia and the enormous opportunity our community sees in cruising right now.”

A total of 15 awards were presented, selected from 83 finalists across Australia and New Zealand. The awards attracted about 1,200 nominations from CLIA members, the highest number ever recorded. CLIA Award Winners 2026

Among the standout individual winners, Tina Wheelock of Cruise Express was named Australia’s Cruise Consultant of the Year, while Lisa Wharfe of Pukekohe Travel took the New Zealand title.

Rising Star honours went to Jason Rigg of Phil Hoffmann Travel Glenelg in Australia and Flynn Cox of Travel Associates Howick in New Zealand.

Agency awards were also fiercely contested. Ignite Travel Group was named Multi-Location/Brand Cruise Agency of the Year across Australasia, while Main Beach Travel won Australia’s Single Location Cruise Agency of the Year and Pukekohe Travel took the same honour in New Zealand. CLIA Award Winners 2026

The evening also recognised one of the cruise industry’s most influential figures. Gavin Smith, Vice President & Managing Director Australia & New Zealand at Royal Caribbean, was inducted into the Cruising Hall of Fame for his decades-long contribution to the growth of the region’s cruise sector. CLIA Hall of Fame 2026

Smith opened Royal Caribbean’s first Australian office in 2008 and has played a key role in expanding cruise operations in the region, helping transform Australasia into one of the world’s leading cruise markets. CLIA Hall of Fame 2026

For cruise passengers planning their next adventure, the full winners list offers a guide to some of the most respected cruise travel specialists in the region.

Full Winners List

Agency/Agent Cruise Promotion of the Year
My Cruises – “Explorations by Norwegian”

Small Network Promotion of the Year
House of Travel Papamoa Group – “Small Ship Cruising Travel Showcase”

Large Network Promotion of the Year
Travel Associates – “The Travel Associates Film Festival”

Cruise Month Promotion of the Year
Globe Trotters Cruise & Touring – “Explore, Discover, Cruise”

Media Award
Lee Tulloch, The Australian – “Greenland Immersion”

Rising Star – New Zealand
Flynn Cox, Travel Associates Howick

Rising Star – Australia
Jason Rigg, Phil Hoffmann Travel Glenelg

Cruise Broker of the Year – New Zealand
Trish Seeherr, TS Travel Ltd

Home-Based (Mobile) Cruise Consultant of the Year – Australia
Lauren Jenkins, MTA-Mobile Travel Agents

Cruise Consultant of the Year – New Zealand
Lisa Wharfe, Pukekohe Travel

Cruise Consultant of the Year – Australia
Tina Wheelock, Cruise Express

Online Cruise Agency of the Year – Australasia
Clean Cruising

Cruise Agency of the Year – Single Location, New Zealand
Pukekohe Travel

Cruise Agency of the Year – Single Location, Australia
Main Beach Travel

Cruise Agency of the Year – Multi-Location/Brand, Australasia
Ignite Travel Group CLIA Award Winners 2026