After 35 years in the pilot’s chair of Australia’s most awarded travel agency, South Australian travel icon Phil Hoffmann has officially stepped aside to begin his next adventure. But don’t expect him to stay still.
From a two-person office in 1990 to a travel empire with more than 160 staff across the country, Phil Hoffmann Travel (PHT) has helped generations of Australians see the world.
“I was going to have a five-person operation, golf on Wednesdays, and a vibe like a good Italian restaurant,” Phil says.
“We’d know every client who walked through the door. It was always going to be about building relationships.”
That small team dream didn’t last long, and it was his early decision to specialise in cruising that quickly expanded his business and helped shape the industry.
“In 1996, I told my team we were going to get into cruising in a big way. They looked at me like I was on Whoopi beans,” he laughs.
“But it grew fast. We opened a cruise-only division and then launched Cruiseco in Sydney. We started chartering ships. It just took off.”
Phil has travelled the world countless times, but it’s the human connections that stand out.
“I once had a traveller who thought she wouldn’t cope with a three-week tour. She came back with 40 plus new friends. A few years later she went through cancer treatment, and it was those travel connections who stood by her.”
That care has been a cornerstone of PHT’s success, from cooking classes and photography nights to travel reunions.
“We aren’t just selling trips. We’re creating bonds. We always hosted a pre-departure get-together so no one felt like a stranger at the airport. And we’d bring the group back together after the trip for a reunion lunch or dinner. Some of those groups still catch up a decade later.”
When COVID hit, it rocked the industry and Phil.
“It tested me more than anything else. September 11, SARS, even the GFC — they hit certain areas. But COVID stopped everything. We lost three years of business.”
Phil says what got them through was loyalty and trust. “People didn’t just love travel. The trust us.”
He’s still leading the occasional group tour and will continue in an ambassadorial role, but he’s looking forward to a new pace.
“I love watching people light up when they travel. I’ve taken people who had never left Adelaide. You watch their confidence grow. It’s such a privilege.”
His bucket list still includes seeing the five Stans (a group of five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and gorilla trekking in Rwanda.
He’s already ticked off Antarctica three times and is heading there again.
And the future of travel? He says space tourism may not be far off.
“In five years, I think we’ll be doing small space trips. But even before that, I reckon we’ll see a new version of the Concorde. Faster travel is on its way.”
He’s also excited by the innovation coming from cruise lines.
“Some ships now have submarines and helicopters. You can explore the Arctic underwater. The technology is phenomenal.”
While he’s stepping back from steering the ship day-to-day, CEO Peter Williams and COO Michelle Ashcroft will continue to lead the business.
For Phil, success has never been about size. It’s been about stories, laughter and lives changed.
“I said to my wife during COVID, if we never travel again, haven’t we had an unbelievable life? Not just the places we’ve been, but the people we’ve met.”
And his advice to South Australians?
“Just keep travelling. Travel safe, travel well, and don’t put it off. There might not be a next year. Life is amazing.”
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