As part of our 2025 Hotel and Travel Awards, the People’s Choice categories called on our well-travelled readers to vote for the Best Travel Experience in Australia, as well as Airline of the Year and Best Loyalty Program. The aim of these reader-voted awards is to showcase the diversity and outstanding calibre of Australia’s travel sector, as recognised by you.
The shortlist included some of Australia’s most iconic travel experiences, from traversing the length of the country by train aboard The Ghan to choppering over the Great Barrier Reef; while our Airline of the Year and Best Loyalty Program finalists recognised Australians’ preferred travel services.
Here are the highly anticipated winners of this year’s People’s Choice Awards for Best Loyalty Program, Airline of the Year and Best Travel Experience in Australia.
Best Loyalty Program: Qantas Frequent Flyer
Qantas is as Australian as the kangaroos that grace its aircrafts’ tails. So it’s little wonder Gourmet Traveller readers embraced our national airline as their favourite airline loyalty program.
Part of the oneworld Alliance, Qantas Frequent Flyer members are able to earn significant points and status credits when they fly with a broad range of airlines, as well as when they tap into an ever-expanding selection of everyday purchases and services from groceries to health insurance to booking an Airbnb or Uber. You can even earn points for walking; if you connect your phone to the airline’s Wellbeing app they’ll convert the steps you take every day into points that you can splurge on your next holiday. Signing up to the many Australian credit cards that score you points on everyday purchases is another “set and forget” way to keep the benefits rolling in.
It’s not just “earning” Qantas points that you love, either. Spending them is a big part of the reason so many of us – estimated at around 50 per cent of the Australian population – call ourselves Qantas Frequent Flyers. There are flights, of course, but your Qantas Points can also be used to pay for hotel stays via the Qantas Hotels program, or even buying great-value Australian wines (check out Qantas Wine for details).
The benefits of climbing the Qantas Frequent Flyer status tiers are well-known: priority boarding, luggage handling and upgrades as well as access to plush lounges both domestically and internationally (with some exciting lounge refurbishments on the horizon in 2025 and 2026, specifically at Auckland Airport and the Sydney International Business Lounge). They’ll even give you a swanky swing tag to let the crew and other passengers know your status as you make your way through Australia’s airports. They’re all pretty solid reasons to either sign up today, or double-check your membership to make sure you’re claiming every possible benefit.
Airline of the Year: Emirates
This year, Dubai-based airline Emirates celebrates 25 years of flying to Sydney. Since those early Singapore/Sydney flights in 2000 – just four a week – the airline has expanded to offer 77 weekly flights in and out of Australia, connecting passengers to 140 destinations globally from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. This consistency, as well as the airline’s celebrated service, food and reputation for its luxurious upper tiers, explains why Gourmet Traveller readers picked Emirates as their favourite way to fly.
The airline’s first-class, business and premium-economy offerings (the latter has recently expanded to include Brisbane flights for the first time, in addition to existing services from Sydney and Melbourne), are regularly cited as some of the most comfortable and hospitable of any of their rivals.
The spacious premium-economy cabins are decked out in wood panelling and leather upholstery that look business-class-level luxe, and meals are served on Royal Doulton china.
Business and first-class take sky-high luxury to a whole new level. Business, available on the airline’s A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft, include the expected fully flat beds, of course, as well as dedicated lounge areas on selected aircraft. Bulgari takes care of the amenities and your pale blue loungewear set is made from the plushest natural fibres. The menu is flavour-packed and global, with influences from as far away as the Middle East, Mauritius and Brazil.
First-class is another stratosphere altogether. The airline’s Mercedes-style first-class cabins (designed to mimic the interior of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class) have recently been introduced to the Melbourne-Dubai route, featuring Byredo amenities and a unique, weightless “zero-gravity” seat.
Across all classes, the Emirates crew – who are recognisable in their iconic red hats with gold pins – are famous for their welcoming, professional service. And it’s delivered – always – with a smile.
Best Travel Experience: Alba Thermal Springs & Spa
Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has a long-standing reputation as an eating and drinking destination but in recent times the region has been turning the heads of those on a wellness hunt. With its numerous day spa and bathing options, plus a restaurant overseen by chef Karen Martini, Alba Thermal Springs & Spa allows you to tick both boxes in a single visit.
A multi-million-dollar curvaceous concrete bath and spa complex at Fingal, across the road from the region’s original geothermal bathing complex, Peninsula Hot Springs, Alba is a gorgeously designed sanctuary with more than 30 baths (rain, salt, forest, geothermal, cold plunge) and a spa with 22 treatment rooms, all embedded in a landscape of dunes and native vegetation.
There’s a slight sci-fi feel to the serenely minimalist complex with its curving concrete walls punctured by skylights and narrow slit windows that make the interiors appear to glow with diffused light. Add elements such as a moat-like water feature at the entrance, sauna and steam rooms and beautifully designed changing areas where fluffy bathrobes and towels are provided and the feeling of being luxuriously transported to Planet Wellness is complete.
For those who find that bathing, massage, mud wraps and facials can work up a thirst and an appetite, Martini’s restaurant, Thyme, can soothe what ails you. There are plenty of healthy options for those who want to continue the clean and serene vibe (cold-pressed juices, teas, rice bowls and salads) but this is a thoroughly modern and all-inclusive wellness centre so you can also drink excellent local wine, signature cocktails and eat a crumbed fish sandwich or tuna crudo with tomato and burnt orange dressing.
There’s a little something for everyone, the reason why Alba topped the tables in our reader-voted People’s Choice Award for Best Travel Experience.
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