Link Travel Group has reported another strong year, unveiling a suite of sector-breaking growth results, a rapidly expanding national footprint and a sharpened partner strategy as it heads into FY26.

Speaking at the group’s first Link Live event at the W Brisbane at the weekend, General Manager Scott Darlow shared the group’s performance over the year. “We’ve talked about growth — 35% growth this year, 14% organic growth,” he said. “When you look at standard industry growth around the two to five percent, we are well ahead of anything that’s out there.”

This growth has been driven not only by new agencies joining the network, which was founded in 2022, but importantly by the strong performance of existing members, according to Darlow. Almost 47% of all growth came from agencies already in the group – an indicator of a highly engaged, growth-minded membership base. “We are not a group that is just relying on new members to come into the group to pick us up,” he pointed out. “The ones that we’ve got are growing.”

Across key travel sectors, Link delivered standout gains. Air revenue rose 3.5% despite a high base and yield declines, which Darlow highlighted as a strong performance in a challenging environment. Insurance surged into double-digit growth, positioning the category as the network’s “biggest opportunity.”

Cruise revenue also soared. “From a cruise perspective, we’re up to close to 50% growth, and if we added the luxury affiliate revenue into Link, we’d be looking at 100% growth,” Darlow said.

Car hire achieved another 50%+ uplift, with hotel performance another bright spot. GDS hotel bookings exceeded $100 million for FY25, with Darlow confident this will rise further as more members deepen their use of Link channels. Meanwhile, the tour sector saw the most significant surge, climbing roughly 120%, driven by strong volume through partners such as Intrepid, Infinity and Club Med.

The organisation’s membership base also expanded strategically over the past year. Link now includes 39 locations and 35 brands across five states, following the addition of new agencies including Spencer Corporate, Planet Blue Travel and Main Beach Travel. More than half of its members now operate across multiple states, cementing the group’s position as a national network with both corporate and leisure depth.

Darlow stressed that Link’s selective membership model remains central to its success. “When you look at our new members this year, there is a strong emphasis on ambition, growth mindset and strong ambition — that is very much a typical Link member,” he said.

From a partner perspective, Link reported record engagement, with 42 preferred partners present at the conference. Sponsors and suppliers played a critical role in subsidising member attendance, enabling entire teams from several agencies to take part.

Highlighting the “4242 years’ worth of industry experience in the room”, Darlow underscored Link’s intention to remain a disciplined, low-leakage organisation – with preferred partners receiving priority and strong commercial return.

He urged partners to nurture direct relationships not just with head office but with frontline staff and agency owners. “You do not need to come through us — have a relationship at the front line, with the owners and with the staff in this room,” he said.

Looking ahead, Link is positioning itself as the “finest concentration of elite corporate and leisure agencies” in the country. “Here at Link, we get to access anything in the red and white ecosystem, anything in the independent system, and we also have our own direct deals – giving our members the best of all three worlds,” Darlow said.