Aussie Grand Tours AGT

B2B Partner Newsletter  ·  MICE & Luxury Edition  ·  July 2026

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RGD Travel Group

July 2026

Australia is Open
for Business.
Are You Ready?

Record visitor spend. New luxury hotels. A world-class MICE precinct at its peak. Your clients deserve Australia's best — and AGT delivers it.

"Australia's visitor economy has just crossed $57.6 billion in annual international spend — up 16% in a single year. For MICE and luxury travel professionals, this is not a trend to watch from the sidelines. This is a market in full swing, and AGT is your front-row seat to it. We've deepened our Melbourne Convention Precinct partnerships, expanded our luxury lodge portfolio, and — as you'll see below — we're building into New Zealand. The pipeline has never looked stronger. Let's build something remarkable together."

— Chetan Gupta, Managing Director, Aussie Grand Tours

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
South Wharf Precinct, Melbourne

Up to 5,500-seat auditorium  ·  40,000m² exhibition space  ·  6 Star Green Star rated  ·  Yarra River frontage

MCEC took home Gold at the 2025 Qantas Australian Tourism Awards for Best Business Event Venue in Australia — and it's easy to see why. With the largest operable walls in the Southern Hemisphere, a retractable seating system, and 40,000m² of pillarless exhibition space, MCEC sets the global benchmark for convention infrastructure. The precinct pairs world-class event capability with Melbourne's legendary food, culture, and connectivity.

AGT's MICE packages around the South Wharf Precinct bring together end-to-end event logistics, accommodation blocks, pre/post-conference touring, and curated delegate experiences — all managed by our specialist MICE team.

Australia tourism market to reach AUD 475 billion by 2035

A CAGR of 5.1% from 2026–2035 makes Australia one of the fastest-growing long-haul MICE markets globally. Luxury, adventure, and dining tourism lead growth. — Expert Market Research

Melbourne enters 2026 as Australia's undisputed MICE capital

New hotels, expanded global air connectivity, and the upcoming Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention Centre (July 2026) strengthen Victoria's dominance in the business events space. — Melbourne Convention Bureau

Slow travel and sustainable luxury redefine incentive design in 2026

Indigenous cultural experiences, farm-to-table dining, and eco-lodge stays are now front and centre for high-yield incentive programs. AGT is fully positioned across all these categories. — Australian Traveller

Western Australia breaks all inbound records — 1M+ international visitors

Year ending October 2025. WA's luxury lodges, Ningaloo Reef, and the Kimberley are emerging as premium MICE extension destinations post-Perth conference. — Tourism Research Australia

Pair Melbourne MICE with an outback incentive extension. Conference in Melbourne, then fly delegates to Arkaba or Berkeley River Lodge for 3 nights of pure luxury wilderness. This two-act structure creates itineraries that win awards.

Build a sports + MICE package around NFL Melbourne in September. The first-ever NFL game in Australia is a once-in-a-decade incentive hook for US-based clients. AGT can wrap full conference + game day + touring packages.

Leverage The Ghan's new Australis Suite as a top-tier incentive reward. Position a private rail journey across the outback as the once-in-a-lifetime prize for your client's top performers. We handle the block allocation.

Offer a helicopter arrival into Melbourne conference programs. Microflite transfers from the Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula create an unforgettable arrival moment — and a social media moment your clients will love.

Add AUS + NZ as a combined incentive destination. With Kiwi Grand Tours launching, AGT can now offer seamless dual-country programs — Queenstown adventure followed by Great Barrier Reef luxury. No other Australian operator makes this easier.

Use the $130M Tourism Australia campaign as your tailwind. The federal government's largest-ever international tourism push is driving awareness globally. Now is the time to convert that awareness into booked MICE programs — AGT has the product ready.

Everything New Zealand, under one roof — and one team you already trust

The RGD Group is proud to announce the upcoming launch of Kiwi Grand Tours — a dedicated New Zealand inbound travel vertical built from the same DNA as AGT. From Milford Sound to the Bay of Islands, Queenstown adventure to Māori cultural journeys, Kiwi Grand Tours will deliver the same depth of product, local expertise, and best-in-class B2B support — purpose-built for Aotearoa.

And here's the big play for MICE and luxury partners: seamless AUS + NZ combined programs under a single operator. One brief, one contract, one point of contact.

© 2026 Aussie Grand Tours  ·  A division of RGD Travel Group  ·  Sydney, Australia
This newsletter is for accredited B2B partners only. Not for distribution to end consumers.
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