APT: 85 years and going strong

"It's the dreaming," says a tanned Geoff McGeary wistfully as he looks out the boardroom window of APT's suburban Melbourne headquarters on his first day back in the office after a two week trip to Tahiti. "It's dreaming of the experiences and destinations and that's what I enjoy."
APT has conquered river cruising, 4WD adventures, rail journeys and coach tours. Even natural deterrents to people travelling – terrorism and unpredictable economic conditions – do not perturb McGeary particularly.
In fact, for the man in control of one of Australia's leading tour companies, current world conditions have colluded to create the perfect storm. "I'd be very happy if the world just stayed as it is at the moment – a little bit of trouble here and there, a little bit of uncertainty, the Australian dollar high. Europe still trying to sort itself out five years from now would just be lovely. That'd be perfect," McGeary says.
And on APT's 85th anniversary, the man responsible for its success has no intention of slowing down. As the biggest Australian-owned tour operator, patriotism is less important to McGeary than family ownership. Supported by his son who works in investments and his daughter who works for Kimberley Wilderness Adventures, APT runs through the McGeary family veins, with the legacy beginning with Geoff McGeary's father, Bill.
The signs of success were there from the early days. A 19 year old Geoff McGeary was tasked with running what was to become APT when Bill was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The tenacious younger McGeary ran the company from the front of the bus, balancing office documents on top of the dashboard. To avoid the company being sold he had to earn an income, and he could only achieve that by driving the buses himself and doing the paperwork in between.
That was in 1956 and McGeary has been at the helm ever since. While he is clearly at retirement age, he assures Travel Weekly that he won't be ceasing work anytime soon and that new projects keep him young.
He certainly has a youthful exuberance for the industry that is evident when he recalls seeing empty seats onboard new A380 aircraft. "I thought – they are going to have to fill those seats and people don't fly in planes to fly in planes, they fly in planes to get to the cookie jar at the other end and I have the cookie jars," he says.
APT went international in 1993 when McGeary sold out of a partnership in AAT Kings. But it wasn't because this global foray was too risky a proposition for his business partner. "Probably in those days it was considered unnecessary," he says.
McGeary knew it was crucial to take Australia to the world and such foresight underscores the success of APT. Five years ago the operator predicted the rise of river cruising and now McGeary tips expedition cruising as the next big thing, and APT is putting its money where its mouth is by buying a stake in small ship operator Noble Caledonia.
While McGeary prides himself on his ability to divine what travellers want next, he knows that APT's diverse offering, from Topdeck's youth focus to Captain's Choice high-end product, is not without its hardships. "It's a challenge to retain the skills to be an expert in all those areas, but after 85 years you gradually grow into these things," he says.
Word of mouth referrals are essential to APT and customers report a 98% level of satisfaction with their travel experiences. One question posed to capture repeat customers is where the respondents want to go next time. "It's quite amazing because people get this bug, it catches them and it's almost like they are obsessive about getting through it," McGeary says.
McGeary believes there is a boom bigger than mining happening right under our noses, and that is in the retiree market. With many of his friends at retirement age, he has an advantage in knowing what the market wants. "Life spans are getting longer and longer, so that a once-in-a-lifetime trip is now what I call a many-in-a-lifetime trip," he says.
The APT website gets millions of hits but very few bookings, and McGeary believes his customers rely on the assurance and blessing of an independent travel agent. He expects that the future will bring a combination of bricks and clicks and that Australia will be the last country to close the door on traditional travel agents.
McGeary may be office-bound on his first day back, but that doesn't stop the dreaming as he heads off to a staff meeting to plan the new places APT will go.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
aptLatest News

Klook hosts inaugural Partner Awards with Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison as special guest
Travel activities and experiences booking platform, Klook, held its inaugural Klook Partner Awards event in Sydney last night honouring its top-performing and best-loved merchant partners. Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison, who was invited to the event as the guest of honour, spoke about the importance of experiences. “I think that experiences are absolutely everything,” she said. […]

APT Travel Group launches early release of 2026 Canada and Alaska Holidays
For anyone with clients craving an icy getaway, APT is serving up some steals right now.

Film, photography and so much more to explore this year in Berlin
Often known for its grungy aesthetics, or perhaps a currywurst stall, there's so much more on offer this year in Berlin.

TravelManagers welcomes two new directors to HOTA Board
We wish Narendra and Judith the best of luck in trying to remember the rest of the Boards' names.

Tauck celebrates 100 years of hosting travellers around the globe
Tauck would only ever celebrate its 100th birthday in pure style - and Italy is just that!

Travelglobe unveils exclusive food tour with MasterChef’s Kirsten Tibballs
Fancy brushing up on your skills making delicious chocolate and pastry-based treats? Meet us on this tour!

Fiji Airways to bring South Australians closer to paradise with third weekly flight from Adelaide in April
South Australians might say they're already in Paradise, but how can they be sure without checking Fiji out?

Bookings for Vanuatu surge with Aussies ready to support earthquake-struck tourism hotspot
In times like those Vanuatu is surfacing from, the tourism dollar goes a long way and Aussies aren't holding back.

Bullo River Station shares its first ever sustainability report
If you would like to be inspired to be a little more green, then check out what Bullo River Station is up to.

‘Fortune favours the bold’: luxury brand leader Anna Burgdorf departs Flight Centre after 6 years
Time for a pop quiz - who first came up with above quote? Was it A) Virgil B) Shakespeare or C) Aristotle?

Cruise Guru unveils Channel Nine show featuring Ponant, Viking, NCL and more
A little offended that we weren't invited on as the 'Cruise Guru' ourselves, but we'll be tuning in regardless.

Explore Worldwide gives agents a chance to win an exclusive Sri Lanka famil
It's like finding a ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! And the prize is even better than unlimited sweets.

Heathrow Airport to upgrade operations as part of multi-billion-pound cash injection
We're usually a bit scared of injections, however a 'cash injection' is one we would welcome with both arms (literally).

Club Med announces Manveer Ramdhian as new MICE manager in Pacific
Rest-assured, being a MICE manager has nothing to do with our furry little friends.

Sydney Airport welcomes daily flights from Hong Kong Airlines
To top it all off, it looks like the representatives scored a cracker of a day for the celebratory photo!

Collette’s Karen Deveson on what Aussies really want from luxury
For Aussies, we're a little bit more laid back when it comes to luxury. No gold-plated cars for us, thanks!

Intrepid Travel partners with Helloworld Travel for exclusive food tour with Luke Nguyen
Vietnamese is one of our favourite cuisines, so we're headed to the Bánh mì shop for lunch in celebration.

Quark Expeditions opens its Antarctic 2026/27 season
You'd have to be Quarking mad to not have a trip like this on your bucket list.

Federal government to purchase REX Airlines if no buyers arise, Albanese says
News that is sure to ruffle some feathers in the offices of competing airlines this morning, but we're all for it!

Topdeck discounts select 2025-26 trips with up to $1,000 off
Knowing my Gen Z sister, that $1,000 saved would be headed straight to the shopping fund.

Windstar Cruises unveils ‘Basil + Bamboo’ on Star Seeker yacht
Don't worry, we're talking about a restaurant here, not the materials used to build the stunning yacht.

Captain Cook Cruises celebrates 55 years of excellence on the water in the habour city
With a view like Sydney Harbour as your office this would be a hard job to leave.

TravelManagers’ Michael Gazal: ‘Agents are spending a lot of time on bespoke trips’
If you haven't already thrown out your cookie cutter mentality, please do so now.

JP Morgan Chase grows travel offering with tech partnership
Our inner bohemian spirit strongly objects to buying travel from an investment bank. #sorrynotsorry

Helloworld celebrates Valentines Day with Air Ticket sale
Nothing gets travel agents' hearts fluttering more than discounted air fares. It is a love language.

Agents return from Sno’n’Ski Whistler and Vancouver famil
If you want to be really jealous this lunchtime, check out what these four agents got up to in Vancouver.

2025 Taipei Lantern Festival lights up Ximending
We hope our boss currently on the ground is as impressed with the snake lantern in person as we are behind the screen.

Numbers reveal how hard it REALLY is to become ATIA accredited
If you have ever failed to be accredited by ATIA then this article will make you feel better. Dust off that form!

Travel agent STILL waiting on $15k Bamboo Airways refund 16 MONTHS after carrier left Australia
This has motivated us to stop complaining about the time we got one less chicken nugget than expected.

AIME 2025 is underway!
If you're headed down to AIME we hope you brought your networking shoes because it's going to be big!

dnata spends $17m on inflight catering centre at Western Sydney Airport
Airline food has come a long was from the days you would be given a dry roll and a long strip of cheese. Time for lunch?

AYANA Bali invites guests to experience the Sacred Day of Silence
When our Balinese taxi driver informed us that it was 'time to be silent', we just assumed we were talking too much.

Brand USA launches inaugural ‘Ambassador Panel’ for ANZ agents
Interested agents need to send in a video of them singing 'Born in the USA'. Okay we made that up...

Experience Co. calls on marketing expertise of Unique Tourism Collection for Wild Bush Luxury
You no longer need to choose between experiencing bush or experiencing luxury. You can do both!

Deserts, dates and doors: Inside the secret Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
For a trip that talks the talk, we can assure you, it certainly walks the walk!

Paw-Patrol returns to Reflections Bermagui as groups boasts $3.5m economic boost
Be careful where you leave your lunch around this holiday park, there will be plenty of noses paying attention.