Helloworld takes full control of MTA, opens 14 new stores in expansion push
What's the deal? Helloworld TravelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has completed its full acquisition of MTA — Mobile Travel AgentsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, buying the remaining 50% stake in October 2025 to secure 100% ownership of Australia's largest home-based travel network. The deal brings MTA's 450 home-based travel advisors and 60 head-office staff fully under the Helloworld banner.
What each side brings: MTA, based in Queensland, runs the country's biggest home-based travel network. Helloworld operates retail leisure and business travel networks, broker networks, destination management, air ticket consolidation, wholesale travel, and online platforms, with over 2,600 members across Australia and New Zealand.
Why now? The acquisition lands alongside a broader growth drive. Helloworld has opened, committed to, or signed 14 new retail stores over the past 18 months, drawing both independent owners joining the network and existing members expanding into multiple locations.
Where it's expanding: New outlets include Helloworld Hampton, Mt Gravatt, Nerang, Waverley Gardens, and Dutton Park, plus Delta HolidaysDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Barrow and BearDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Two newly branded sites arrive at Helloworld Chadstone, in Melbourne's largest shopping centre, and Helloworld Miranda in New South Wales. Established owners at Kingsway, Noosa, and New Farm TravelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → are adding stores.
What's the endgame? More openings are confirmed for the rest of 2026 and into 2027, including Helloworld Elanora, Wagga Wagga, Toowong, North Lakes, and Whitford City. Chief executive officer and managing director Andrew Burnes AO said the additions "strongly endorse" the network and reflect consumer demand for expert travel advice.
The signal: By consolidating full ownership of MTA and layering on physical stores, Helloworld is betting that a mix of home-based advisors and bricks-and-mortar agencies remains central to how Australians book travel.
Read more: kalkinemedia.com
Image credit: Traveloscopy
