Cairns Crocodiles Adds Travel Marketing Track As Festival Expands for 2026

Cairns Crocodiles, presented by Pinterest, has announced a major expansion for 2026 with the launch of the Cairns Crocodiles Travel Marketing track, giving tourism and travel a dedicated spotlight at the evolving landmark festival.

The new Travel Marketing track debuts on 12 May 2026 as part of the official Cairns Crocodiles event, shining a light on tourism, aviation, hospitality and destination marketing.

It will continue in partnership with publication Travel Weekly and further strengthens the event’s commitment to supporting one of Australia’s most important economic and cultural sectors.

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Cairns Crocodiles 2026 runs from Tuesday 12 May to Thursday 14 May, with the existing main stage keynotes and the Building Brands track and Rewilding Creativity track running across all three days.

Earlier this week, the new Film & Screen track was unveiled, now giving delegates four unique areas to explore.

The Travel Marketing track is supported by a stellar and diverse advisory board, bringing together leaders from across tourism, technology, media, and innovation.

This powerhouse group includes Dean Long, CEO, Australian Travel Industry Association; Lucio Ribeiro, chief AI & innovation officer, TBWA/Australia; and Krystle Ramirez, country head, Philippine Airlines – and many more (see full list below).

Nancy Hromin, director of The Misfits Media Company and Travel Weekly editor-at-large, said the industry has been clear about what it wants from a travel marketing event.

“The industry told us they wanted to deliver intelligence and insights from the marketing world as much as from travel itself. That’s why bringing this new track to Cairns is an investment, as delegates get exposure to, and access to, some of the region’s greatest marketing minds,” Hromin said.

Hromin explained that travel executives can already access strong travel-focused programs through events like ATIA’s Beyond Borders Travel Summit, but the Travel Marketing track has a different goal.

“Delegates challenged us to do something different,” she said. “With people like Dean Long on our advisory board and the strength of Travel Weekly’s sister publication B&T, we can deliver world-class marketing speakers, horizon scanning and business data — giving travel leaders the tools to take their businesses into the next decade with confidence.”

The Travel & Marketing track launches as Australia’s travel and tourism sector continues its strong recovery and growth. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Tourism Research Australia show the sector is not just back, but it’s booming. In the 2024–25 financial year, tourism generated A$81.1 billion in GDP, a 3.8 per cent rise on the year before, making up 2.9 per cent of the national economy.

The Travel Marketing track runs concurrently with the Cairns Crocodiles mainstage on Tuesday and the Film & Screen track takes place on Wednesday, while Thursday features the Cairns Masterclass, presented by News Australia, followed by the Cairns Crocodiles Awards and Cairns Hatchlings, presented by Yahoo.

Read: Cairns Crocodiles Reveals 2026 Masterclass Lineup With Trio Of Legends, Presented By News Australia.

“Fresh from the Film & Screen track launch, and now with the Travel Marketing track joining the mix, Cairns Crocodiles delegates are getting a festival that’s bigger, bolder and packed with more choice across creative, commercial and cultural disciplines,” said Pippa Chambers, Cairns Crocodiles content director.

“Whether you’re coming for ideas, inspiration or new connections, it all comes together in Cairns this May!”

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See the Travel tracks full advisory board here: