The excitement of the world’s biggest football tournament has officially gripped Australia’s sporting community. With host cities buzzing with record-breaking crowds and intense competition on the pitch, the energy surrounding the tournament is also driving a major surge in international travel. Recent booking data from October 2025 to May 2026 by Trip.com [https://au.trip.com/?locale=en-AU&curr=AUD], a leading global travel service provider, highlights that the total global order volume to host cities during the Group Stage (11 to 27 June) increased by almost 70% year-on-year, heavily outpacing the growth during the Knockout Rounds (4 to 19 July). The front-loaded momentum among Socceroos fans is even more pronounced. Total order volume from Australia to host cities during the Group Stage has skyrocketed by 98.5% year-on-year, compared with growth of just over 5% during the Knockout Rounds. The data suggests travel demand is being driven primarily by Aussie fans wanting to experience the opening stages of the tournament and support their national teams in person, rather than by traditional mid-year holiday travel patterns. Fans Planning Ahead for Football Pilgrimage The sheer scale of these long-haul trips is heavily reflected in booking lead times. For Australian travellers, securing a front-row seat required serious forward planning; those heading to the Group Stage booked flights 124 days in advance on average, while those planning for the Knockout Rounds booked even earlier, averaging a 143-day lead time. This intense wave of advance planning is creating standout growth stories across host destinations. In Mexico [https://au.trip.com/hotels/country/mexico.html], some host cities have recorded hotel demand increases of more than 4,000% year-on-year during the opening weeks of the tournament before moderating in July. Los Angeles and Vancouver Lead Aussie Arrivals To establish their tournament bases, Australian travellers are overwhelmingly choosing major North American gateway cities with strong trans-Pacific flight connectivity and convenient access to multiple host destinations. Trip.com flight booking data ranks Los Angeles [https://au.trip.com/flights/to-los-angeles/airfares-lax/] as the most popular arrival city for Australian fans, followed by Vancouver [https://au.trip.com/flights/to-vancouver/airfares-yvr/], New York [https://au.trip.com/flights/to-new-york/airfares-nyc/], San Francisco [https://au.trip.com/flights/to-san-francisco/airfares-sfo/] and Toronto [https://au.trip.com/flights/to-toronto/airfares-yto/]. Los Angeles and Vancouver maintain their top positions throughout both the Group Stage and Knockout Rounds, serving as attractive starting points for fans navigating the tournament across the three host countries. Aussie Travellers Embrace Multi-City Travel A clear global trend defining this tournament is the rise of “fixture-following” behaviour, with supporters mapping out their journeys around the specific regions where their teams play. Once on the ground, this behaviour translates into a unique appetite for multi-city travel among Australian fans. During the Group Stage, 14% of Australian users booked multi-city itineraries, one of the highest globally. Unlike many other international markets, where multi-city travel declines during the Knockout Rounds, Australian travellers maintained this behaviour, with the share rising slightly to 14.9%. Popular combinations include Los Angeles and New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and cross-border itineraries linking Los Angeles and Vancouver. This trend highlights a distinct long-haul travel mindset: Australian fans are not just attending matches—they are turning the tournament into a broader North American travel experience.

Trip.com [https://au.trip.com/], the global travel service provider, has officially launched its End of Financial Year (EOFY) Mega Sale [https://au.trip.com/sale/w/41819/eofymegasale.html?locale=en-AU], kicking off the winter travel season in style. From the week commencing 9 June 2026, Aussie travellers can access weekly rolling discounts, flash sales, and coupon drops designed to turn dream holidays into an affordable reality. The EOFY Mega Sale is a chance to save big across flights, hotels, and travel essentials—with four big weekly drops starting from 9 June. EOFY Mega Sale Calendar: * Week 1 (9 June) — Travel Essentials Launch: Up to 50% off coupons for attractions and eSIMs, a free eSIM coupon (valued up to $2), 30% off car hire coupon, plus Buy 1 Get 1 Free offers on selected attractions * Week 2 (16 June) — Hotel Mega Deals: Up to 70% off hotel coupons in addition to flash sales on accommodation from $9 per night * Week 3 (23 June) — Flight Frenzy: o $29 domestic flights between Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Adelaide o $109 flights from Perth to Bali o $149 flights from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane to Bali and Ho Chi Minh City o Up to 50% off flight coupons * Week 4 (30 June) — Last Chance Deals: Final opportunity to secure the month’s best travel bargains before the financial year closes. Even Bigger Savings – Partner Airlines & Airports Alongside the EOFY Mega Sale, Trip.com [https://au.trip.com/] has teamed up with leading airlines and airports to deliver significant direct savings for Australians travelling overseas. * This Is China [https://au.trip.com/sale/w/9276/thisischina.html?locale=en-AU&transparentBar=1&wkp=1] : From today to 27 July, snag up to $100 off on flights from Sydney to China, valid across premium carriers including China Southern, China Eastern, Air China, and more. Flash sales are also available for flights from Sydney to Shanghai at $189 on 9 June and 7 July, and the same price also applies for flights from Sydney to Beijing on 23 June and 21 July. * Brisbane Airport – Take Off To Asia [https://au.trip.com/sale/w/40770/brisbanetakeofftoasia.html?locale=en-au&curr=aud&transparentBar=1] : Queenslanders can score $50 off flights heading into Asia’s popular hubs from today until 14 June. * Fly with Batik Air [https://au.trip.com/sale/w/41589/flywithbatikair.html?locale=en-AU]: Discover Southeast Asia with up to $100 off flights from Sydney to destinations across Indonesia and Malaysia. * Premium Global Airline Savings: Enjoy an instant $100 off for bookings with Malaysia Airlines with more airline partner discounts to be announced in due course. Don’t Miss Out – Get Ready Now Download the Trip.com app now to grab these limited-time offers. Terms and Conditions apply. All promotional offers are available on a first-come, first-served basis within the specified period and while stocks last. Please note that all deals are in AEST time. For more information, please visit https://au.trip.com/.

Mr. Edison Chen, Vice President of Trip.com Group, and Ms. Sarah Kingston Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Tasmania signed MoU during Envision Conference last Thursday in Shanghai. Trip.com Group, a leading global travel service provider, has signed a one-year strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tourism Tasmania to elevate and expand its longstanding partnership at the Envision Conference in Shanghai last Thursday (28 May). The agreement marks the first official global MoU between the two organisations and establishes a new partnership framework to accelerate Tasmanian tourism growth across global markets. It aims to highlight Tasmania’s restorative, nature-based travel experiences to international travellers seeking premium and pristine destinations, while leveraging Trip.com Group’s marketing capabilities and global network. Trip.com Group and Tourism Tasmania will work together to enhance the quality and visibility of Tasmanian tourism offerings, ensuring that accommodation, tours, attractions, and signature experiences are accurately presented on Trip.com platform. To further reinforce service quality, the partnership also includes delivering specialised training and familiarisation programme to Trip.com staff. Furthermore, the collaboration will utilise platform data and user insights to optimise performance, and co-create impactful global marketing campaigns across Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The MoU was signed by Mr. Edison Chen, Vice President of Trip.com Group and Ms. Sarah Kingston Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Tasmania. “Trip.com Group is delighted to formalise and deepen partnership with Tourism Tasmania,” said Mr. Chen. “This MoU represents a milestone in our efforts to provide global travellers with access to high-quality, authentic experiences. By combining our platform’s technology and global reach with Tasmania’s world-class tourism offerings, we are set to advance the state’s tourism sector and deliver greater value to both travellers and tourism operators.” Ms. Kingston Clark added, “We are delighted to continue to strengthen our partnership with Trip.com and Tasmania’s presence across their platforms, which plays an important role in connecting Chinese consumers with Tasmania’s world class tourism experiences” The MoU is built on years of fruitful collaboration. During the post-pandemic period, the two sides launched recovery initiatives targeting the Chinese market in 2022 and 2023, before expanding their cooperation to Hong Kong and Singapore from 2024 to 2025. Looking ahead, Trip.com Group will continue to leverage its technology and innovation to make travel more seamless and accessible. Together with Tourism Tasmania, the collaboration seeks to showcase the island’s natural beauty and cultural depth to the global audience.

Trip.com is proud to announce that its Trip for Everyone project has been awarded the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD 2026. The iF DESIGN AWARD is recognised as one of the world's most renowned design honours. Run by the independent iF Design Foundation in Germany, the award has served as a global benchmark for outstanding design excellence and impact for over 70 years. The sought-after design accolade was awarded to Trip.com in the Branding & Communication Design discipline as part of iF DESIGN AWARD’s Apps/ Software category, recognising its innovative design and outstanding design feature of Trip for Everyone. With a strategic shift toward Universal Design, Trip.com is providing a digital app solution that enhances the planning and booking experience for travellers with diverse physical and situational needs. From visually impaired travellers to elderly users, Trip.com’s Trip for Everyone allows customers to plan trips and explore the world equally and autonomously. To turn this vision into reality, Trip.com upgraded its visual system with dynamic font scaling and higher colour contrast, optimised the experience for full-screen readers and keyboard navigation, and built AI-powered travel tools, such as an itinerary planner, live guide, and menu translator. Its product has helped over one million users, and 83% of users reported improved clarity. This year’s iF DESIGN AWARD saw over 10,000 submissions from 68 countries. Winning signals Trip.com as an industry leader and Trip for Everyone as among the most outstanding designs in its field – an impressive achievement that underlines the highly competitive nature and significance of winning this award. Further information about the Trip for Everyone can be found on the official ifdesign.com [https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/winner-overview/?awardId=2&sort=random&yearId=0] website under “Winners & iF Ranking”: Trip.com: Trip for Everyone [Trip.com:%20Trip%20for%20Everyone]

SYDNEY, 30 April, 2026 — Global travel service provider Trip.com has today unveiled the details of one of its most anticipated events of the season—the 5.5 May Autumn Mega Sale [https://au.trip.com/sale/w/11986/55mayautumnsale-2026.html?locale=en-au&curr=aud&transparentBar=1] . Taking place exclusively on Tuesday, 5 May, the event offers savvy travellers unprecedented access to domestic and international escapes. The platform will feature a 12-hour schedule of timed drops, including 50% off hotel and flight promo codes, $29 domestic fares for major eligible Australian cities and up to $149 for international flights to Bali and Ho Chi Minh City. These high-value coupons and/or discounts are designed to make travel more accessible for the Australian market throughout the Autumn season. “Big Day” Drop Schedule on 5 May A range of exclusive offers will be released in stages throughout the day (all times AEST): * 6:00am: Premium airline coupons from Vietnam Airlines, Thai Airways, China Airlines and more, alongside special perks at Perth Airport. * 11:30am: Up to 50% off flight coupons (discount caps apply). * 12:00pm: $29 domestic fares for flights connecting Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Gold Coast, alongside international flights to Bali from $109 and Ho Chi Minh City from $149. * 2:00pm: Up to 50% off hotel coupons (minimum of 2-night stay) and a dedicated flash sale across top-tier Asia hotels. * 6:00pm: $25 off promo codes for all flight and hotel bookings, except domestic flights within China. Exclusive Booking Incentives As an added incentive, travellers who book any flight departing from an eligible Australian city to Singapore between midnight on 5 May and 2am on 6 May will be eligible to enter a draw^ to win a two-night stay at Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong by IHG [https://au.trip.com/hotels/singapore-hotel-detail-5732631/hotel-indigo-singapore-katong-by-ihg/] . Additionally, 2,000 Trip Coins [https://au.trip.com/ask/questions/trip-coins.html] will be awarded to travellers booking any flight departing from an eligible Australian city for two or more people in a single booking. These Trip Coins are valid for three months, with the offer exclusively available for bookings made between 8:00pm on 5 May and 1:59am on 6 May (AEST). Full-Suite Travel Support Beyond the timed drops, a comprehensive range of discounts will be available to support every stage of the journey. Holidaymakers can stay connected with 50% off eSIMs and explore more for less with Buy 1 Get 1 Free deals on attractions across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. For seamless transit, Trip.com is also offering 50% off car hire and package tours and a $100 off code from Avis & Budget Car Rentals at no minimum spend, alongside up to 30% off airport transfers and up to 50% off high-speed rail in China, Europe, and Japan. Bonus Feature: “Seek Southeast Asia” for Sydney Travellers In collaboration with Sydney Airport, Trip.com is also running the ‘Seek Southeast Asia [https://au.trip.com/sale/w/38684/asiaawaits.html?locale=en-AU]’ campaign, inviting Sydney-based travellers to explore Southeast Asian destinations including Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Available through 29 May, the initiative features high-impact flight vouchers of up to $100 off paired with 5% discounts on hotel stays of three nights or more. The campaign also integrates essential “last-mile” logistics, including 8% off car hire, up to 10% off airport transfers, and dedicated deals on local eSIMs and attractions. Highlighting the premium nature of the offer, travellers booking flights from Sydney to Thailand can enter a draw^ for a two-night luxury stay at a five-star beach resort in Koh Samui. Travellers are encouraged to download the Trip.com app now to prepare for both campaigns. Terms and Conditions apply. All promotional offers are available on a first-come, first-served basis within the specified period and while stocks last. Please note that all deals are in AEST time. For more information, please visit https://au.trip.com/. ^Campaign terms: Both campaigns are hosted on separate landing pages with unique terms and conditions. Giveaway entries are independent and tied to specific campaign pages used; therefore, participation in both draws requires separate qualifying bookings on each respective page.

Trip.com’s Go Explore Mega Sale is set to take off, bringing massive savings to travellers across flights, hotels, attractions, eSIMs, car hire, airport transfers and trains.