Australia and New Zealand escorted tour operator AAT Kings has evolved its touring styles by adding new small group tours for the 2026/27 season.
The brand will now operate two types of guided holidays – Small Group and Classic Tours – on itineraries across both countries.
The Small Group tours – featuring 14 itineraries – will have an average of 16 and a maximum of 24 guests.
New on-tour experiences and nine new MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experiences, which the company says offer guests “extraordinary encounters championing local people, places and the planet” have also been introduced.
Up to 10% discount is available on select departures of 2026/27 Classic or Small Group tours, when booked before September 30, 2025.
The Small Group itineraries for 2026/27 include Tropical Queensland, a nine-day tour from Brisbane to Cairn. Highlights include crossing the Tropic of Capricorn, the Whitsunday Islands and a stay on Hamilton Island, a full day cruise on the Great Barrier Reef, Kuranda, and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. It is priced from £3,731pp, based on twin-share and excluding international flights, with the first departure on July 26, 2026.
Also featured is Untamed New Zealand, a 17-day Auckland to Christchurch tour, priced from £6,611pp.
New MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® EXPERIENCES include: Kimberley Adventure Tours, Broome, Western Australia featuring the region’s pearling history, bush foods and a private didgeridoo performance from an Aboriginal guide (available on the Broome & Kimberley Highlights tour), and Greytown Honey, Wairarapa, New Zealand, a behind‑the‑scenes look with fifth‑generation beekeeper Karly that takes visitors through the honey making process from hive to jar (available on the Untamed New Zealand tour).
Ben Hall, AAT Kings Group CEO, said: “Guests asked for deeper local stories and more flexibility, so we’re rolling out Small Group and Classic Group departures from Tasmania to the Kimberley and right across New Zealand.
“Every new experience is designed to spark wonder, whether that’s sleeping beneath fiordland stars in Milford Sound, tasting bush tucker with Indigenous food advocate Rayleen Brown, chasing the sunrise over Uluru, or sipping organic pinot in Wairarapa. Our 2026/27 season hands you the keys to curate your own extraordinary holiday experience with many moments that surprise and delight.”
AAT Kings is running a series of agent training webinars this summer covering all the developments and key selling points for the new season. The next sessions will run at 10.00 on September 9, 10 and 11.
Agents should pre-register, but recordings will be made available to anyone who can’t dial in on the day. There will be three giveaways per webinar of £20 lifestyle vouchers and registration can be done by contacting the team or completing the form at: https://forms.office.com/r/xsbVgh2rRG.
