Bali could be cheaper than Gold Coast this summer, says Webject CEO
“In our research, Millennials and Gen Z didn’t know it was a mouse,” Barry said.
Under Barry, who was appointed CEO in June 2024, Webjet has a strategy to double the company’s total transaction value by 2030 and is seeking to capture more travel spend by increasing sales of hotel trips and tours and leveraging technology-enabled travel packages. The total transaction value in 2025 was $1.5 billion.
Webjet CEO says Australians prefer the Mediterranean. Image: Navagio Bay, Zakynthos, Greece.Credit: iStock
To do this, Barry aims to change the way customers use and think about Webjet by moving from a comparison site for flights to one that can combine different flights, hotels and insurance into one package.
The company uses artificial intelligence to sift through and compile travel segments that have been difficult to combine in the past. “So we create what we can call a unique product that is really difficult to compare.”
Many online travel agencies were born in the dotcom era (the late 1990s and early 2000s), serving travelers in North America and Europe who could compare point-to-point flights over several weeks, Barry said.
Wellington offers Australians a closer destination. Credit: Mlenny
At the time, Australians and Kiwis were booking extensive and expensive multi-stop tours to Asia, Europe and North America, relying on travel agents to navigate the complexity. This has slowed local innovation in multi-stop online booked travel in Australia.
But demand remains solid. Investment bank Jarden noted last month that the Asia-Pacific region “had the second-highest demand growth in July after Latin America.” The outlook could improve by 2026, “potentially aided by mitigating geopolitical impacts”
Recent research from the Australian Travel Industry Association has shown that more than 50 per cent of all trips are booked through an online travel agency, physical office or in-person agency.
“This is much higher than any other market in the world outside of New Zealand,” ATIA CEO Dean Long said.
“We have more complexity than you might think when it comes to travel, say, domestic Europe or domestic North America,” Long said.
Closer and cheaper during the cost of living crisis: Vietnam.Credit: Getty Images
This trend includes an emerging younger demographic that is focused on using an online tool that can support them with their combined travel needs, he said.
Webjet’s Barry said that although travel agents today “definitely have a place” catering to high-end customers, advances in technology and booking have allowed Webjet to sell entire travel packages consisting of different legs to customers online, often priced at the most competitive prices.
“Our market consists of people who are digitally native, want to self-serve, and are looking for great value.”
Webjet’s new logo “go somewhere” also aims to capture some of the post-COVID Gen Z sense of travel, with people being pushed as much as they are being pushed towards holidays.
“Ultimately, they just want to go somewhere,” Barry said.
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers big stories, exclusive news and expert insights. Sign up to receive it every weekday morning.
