revealed this week<\/a> off the back of a $3.11 million pre-tax profit for 2025\/26 \u2013 is the product of what he calls the group\u2019s \u201cvirtuous circle\u201d of member support.<\/strong><\/p>\nSpeaking with Travel Weekly<\/em>, at Cruise360 at ICC Sydney, Hunter said the strong first three quarters of the financial year had cushioned the group against uncertainty in the fourth.<\/p>\n\u201cWe expected it was going to be a really strong year with the first three quarters that we had in the bank, and then the big question mark was going to be how the final quarter was impacted, and it wasn\u2019t really impacted as significantly as we thought it might be,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cIt\u2019s really put the icing on the cake \u2013 so it\u2019s not a record profit, but it\u2019s a record distribution back to the members, which is great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hunter said the co-operative model meant member support for preferred partners flowed directly back into rebates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have preferred partners. The more the members support our preferreds, the more they get back in return. I call this our virtuous circle \u2013 the more they support, the more they get back, and the more they want to support because they can grow what they\u2019re getting back. We\u2019re going to see some fantastic returns this year, and members getting significant multiples of what they\u2019ve paid in membership fees, returning back into their bank account.\u201d<\/p>\n
On membership pricing, Hunter said Travellers Choice had introduced new categories at different price points and inclusions, but had held its core fee at pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we did was change the model, so there are now different categories of membership which have different price points and different inclusions. But our core membership fee is currently at the same level it was in 2019 \u2013 it hasn\u2019t gone up since the start of the pandemic. It\u2019s about supporting the members \u2013 they\u2019re small businesses, cash flow is important to them. So it\u2019s about supporting them to keep money in their bank, but then delivering more back with their performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Network growth continues<\/strong><\/h2>\nHunter said the group had welcomed 24 new members over the past two years and expected continued growth, though he declined to put a figure on current conversations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always lots of conversations, and we\u2019ve had really good growth over the last couple of years \u2013 we had 24 members join the group in the last two years. I don\u2019t want to put specific numbers around it, but there\u2019s conversations afoot. We know that transitioning into different groups doesn\u2019t happen overnight \u2013 it\u2019s not a decision that\u2019s taken lightly, and it can take a number of years before they make the step. But what we consistently hear is, \u2018I don\u2019t know why I didn\u2019t do this years ago \u2013 it\u2019s the best move I ever made.\u2019 We expect more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pointed to a recent Canberra expo as an example of members collaborating for the group\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had an expo just last weekend in Canberra, where we got four of our members in the ACT to put on an expo together, and they had nearly 3,000 people through the doors. That\u2019s a great example of individual businesses working together for the greater good of everybody, which is also good for the group.\u201d<\/p>\n
AI system moves into beta<\/strong><\/h2>\nAsked for a preview of announcements planned for the forthcoming Travellers Choice 2026 Conference in Perth, Hunter kept details close but confirmed the group\u2019s AI initiative \u2013 first announced last year \u2013 is now being tested by agents in market.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re all top secret at this stage,\u201d he said of any pending announcements.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been working on our AI, and now part of the system is in market \u2013 a sort of beta-testing version that the agents are using. But we\u2019ve got a lot of development happening, and there\u2019ll be some new releases in the not-too-distant future which will absolutely revolutionise the system they\u2019re currently using now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think it\u2019s going to be a game-changer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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