Company Profile

Tempo Holidays is one of Australia’s most respected specialist travel wholesalers. Starting in 1990 with just three destinations, we now offer travel arrangements in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North Africa and Latin America.

Tempo specialises in fully independent holidays and organised group tours. Our huge selection of hotels, tours and sightseeing options means we can offer our clients great value, enormous flexibility and unparalleled customer choice.

We are committed to providing our clients with the best products, highest service standards and lowest possible price. We are constantly looking to enhance and expand our product range, and are always happy to tailor-make itineraries to our customers’ needs or special interests.

Tempo Holidays is proud to be a part of the Cox & Kings global group. With a history stretching back over 250 years, Cox & Kings is the world’s longest-established travel company.

International Operations

Tempo has opened highly successful offshore offices in Britain, New Zealand and the Middle East, and is committed to further international expansion.

Memberships and Affiliations

Tempo is a full member of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, the Travel Compensation Fund, the Eastern Mediterranean Tourism Association and the Council of Australian Tour Operators. It is an affiliate member of the International Air Transport Association.

Industry Partnerships
Tempo enjoys strategic alliances with some of the travel industry’s leading organisations, including Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways and LAN Airlines. We are also committed to nurturing partnerships with quality local operators in all our destinations. These partnerships enable us to maintain steady growth while keeping our rates competitive, and are central to our success as a company.

Our products are distributed via preferred partner arrangements with some of Australia’s leading travel retailers, including Flight Centre, Harvey World Travel, Jetset Travelworld, Travelscene American Express, Concorde Agency Network, Travellers Choice, Magellan Group and Travel Counsellors.

Tempo Holidays Milestones

1990 The company is established in Melbourne as Ya’lla Tours. Starting out with just 3 staff members, Ya’lla offers tours in the Middle East, Greece and Turkey.
1991 Product range expands to include Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
1992 Ya’lla appoints their first full-time sales executive and introduces a computer reservations system (CRS). The company achieves ‘preferred’ status with Flight Centre and Traveland.
1993 Alitalia becomes Ya’lla’s first partner airline. The company purchases SM Tours, a Middle East wholesaler.
1994 Further expansion of product range includes the first Italy brochure. Ya’lla opens an office in Sydney.
1995 Now with 4 annual brochures and 11 staff, Ya’lla is invited to participate in the first Israeli Prime Minister’s Conference on Peace Tourism. The company wins the Israel Tourism Award for Best Wholesaler, an honour it will receive for 6 consecutive years. 5,000 passengers travel with Ya’lla this year.
1996 The company continues to expand, negotiating wholesale airfare deals with Emirates and Egypt Air.
1997 Ya’lla now offers five brochures covering 11 countries.
1998 10,000 passengers travel with Ya’lla this year.
2000 Now employing 23 staff, the company appoints a Chief Operating Officer and publishes its first Latin America brochure.
2001 Ya’lla changes its name to Tempo Holidays. Continuing to expand, the company moves to larger premises in Port Melbourne and is a finalist in the National Tourism Industry Awards (NTIA) for Best Wholesaler.
2002 Tempo purchases a state-of-the-art, web-enabled CRS and begins implementation. The company is an NTIA finalist again.
2003 Tempo becomes the first Australian wholesaler to deploy a fully integrated online booking engine. The company wins the National Tourism Industry Award for Best International Wholesaler. Now employing 48 staff, it is operating in 28 countries and producing 8 separate brochures. 22,000 passengers travel with Tempo this year.
2004 Tempo wins the Best International Wholesaler award for the second year running.
2005 Staff numbers reach 60 and a new call centre system is introduced. Tempo now operates tours in 40 countries. The company introduces the Tempo Loyalty Club (a travel agents recognition scheme) and expands into New Zealand with a new sales office in Auckland. Tempo wins the Port Phillip Business Award for Best Small Business and is also presented with an award of appreciation from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.
2006 After a year of expansion, Tempo records an increase in turnover of more than 25%. Staff numbers grow to 85, and the company extends its sales and marketing operations into Dubai. A ‘balanced scorecard’ system is introduced to monitor company performance.
2007 Tempo achieves a record year of turnover as more than 40,000 passengers travel on its tours. The company continues its international expansion with a new sales and marketing operation in London.
2008 Tempo opens an office in Jordan and becomes a part of the Cox & Kings group. It is selected as a finalist in Port Phillip Council’s Small Business Awards.
2009 The company launches a new reservation system and online booking engine called Temptation, significantly improving communication and booking confirmations with both customers and suppliers.
2010 Tempo is selected as a finalist in the National Tourism Industry Awards for Best International Tour Operator