Entertainment
15 March, 2026
Cairns Oasis wins honours
A CAIRNS hostel has been recognised among the world’s best after winning multiple awards in the 2026 HOSCARs announced by Hostelworld.
Travellers Oasis has claimed Best Small Hostel in Oceania, Most Popular Hostel in Cairns and 2nd Best Hostel by Continent in Oceania in the annual Hostelworld Customer Annual Ratings.
Now in their 24th year, the HOSCARs are determined by reviews from 7 million bookings and assess hostels on overall customer experience, value for money, security, location, atmosphere, staff, cleanliness and facilities.
The awards were announced on 29 January in Dublin, Ireland. They also include three publicly voted Responsible Travel Awards celebrating the Environmental, Cultural and Community impact of hostels within the travel sector.
The HOSCARs cover categories across continent, country, city and hostel size, as well as recognising the best hostel chain, most social hostel, best new hostel and best hostel for solo travellers.
Travellers Oasis owner Gabe Thallon said the awards reflected staff commitment and guest feedback.
“We are delighted to win the awards and appreciate all the hard work our staff put in. The past six years have been a real challenge with COVID and then the massive boom. We work by the motto that we are only as good as the last review, so we know we must keep on top of our game. We value everyone who comes and stays.
“We have just celebrated our 20th anniversary at Travellers Oasis, so this is a great way to celebrate,” Mr Thallon said.
“We like to feel we help contribute to Cairns tourism, so to create such a welcoming and beautiful place for visitors to experience is truly an honour to have.”
A full list of winners is available at www.bit.ly/4qUEkFF
