TRAVEL MEDIA AWARDS 2025 WINNERS REVEALED

14 October 2025: The winners of the 11th annual Travel Media Awards were announced last night (13 October) at Pan Pacific London, where leading figures from travel journalism, broadcasting, PR and digital media gathered to celebrate excellence in travel storytelling.

This year’s event marked a record number of entries and reinforced the Awards’ position as one of the most prestigious events in the UK travel media calendar. A total of 25 awards were presented, recognising outstanding achievement across print, digital, broadcasting and social media. Two new categories — Cruise Travel Writer of the Year and Content Creator of the Year — were introduced to reflect the innovation of travel media sector.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Special Contribution Award to Simon Calder, honouring his remarkable career as one of the UK’s most trusted and influential voices in travel journalism.


Winners:

BROADCAST PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR — AUDIO

Wander Woman: A Travel Podcast, Phoebe Smith

BROADCAST PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR — VIDEO

World's Greatest Train Journeys, BBC

CONTENT CREATOR OF THE YEAR

Kash Bhattacharya, BudgetTraveller, Exploring the football culture of Great Britain, with Visit Britain

ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR

Sophie Morgan, Freelance

BREAKING TRAVEL NEWS OF THE YEAR

Julia Buckley, Freelance

REGIONAL PUBLICATION FEATURE OF THE YEAR (joint winners)

Domhnall O'Donoghue for ‘An Evening at the White House’ in the Belfast Telegraph
&
Ian Belcher for ‘What Lies Beneath’ in Brummell

GUIDE OF THE YEAR

The LGBTQ+ Travel Guide, Lonely Planet

SUSTAINABILITY TRAVEL FEATURE OF THE YEAR

Ellie Cobb for ‘The Indian Ocean's laid-back 'paradise on Earth’’ in BBC Travel

SUSTAINABILITY TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR

Imogen Lepere, Freelance

CUSTOMER CONTENT OF THE YEAR

Companion

EMERGING WRITER OF THE YEAR

Thom Brown, Intrepid Times

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD

Karolina Wiercigroch

SPECIALIST TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR — REGION

Ben Aitken, UK

SPECIALIST TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR — SECTOR

Mike Unwin, Wildlife

TRADE PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR — PRINT & ONLINE (joint winners)

Cruise Trade News
&
Selling Travel

TRADE WRITER OF THE YEAR

Jennifer Morris, TTG Media

CRUISE TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR

Mike MacEacheran, Freelance

NATIONAL BROADSHEET PRINT & DIGITAL SECTION OF THE YEAR

Telegraph Travel

NATIONAL TABLOID PRINT & DIGITAL SECTION OF THE YEAR

Daily Mirror

CONSUMER MAGAZINE SECTION OF THE YEAR

Breathe

CONSUMER PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR — PRINT

JRNY Travel Magazine

CONSUMER PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR — ONLINE

Adventure.com

NATIONAL CONSUMER FEATURE OF THE YEAR

Ben Lerwill for ‘Pakistan's mountains are calling — here's why you should go’ in National Geographic Traveller (UK)

CONSUMER WRITER OF THE YEAR

Ben Aitken, Freelance

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD

Simon Calder


The Travel Media Awards, created by APL Media and Travega, is the UK’s only awards dedicated to recognising top individuals and publications in travel media that shape how audiences experience the world.

Anthony Leyens, chairman and co-founder of APL Media, said: “It’s been a privilege to celebrate the 11th annual Travel Media Awards with such an inspiring community of travel media professionals. Each year the standard of entries continues to rise, reflecting the creativity and dedication that make this industry so exceptional. Congratulations to all our finalists and winners — the future of travel media is in excellent hands.”

Giles Harper, owner and founder of Travega, said: “Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Travel Media Awards such a success. The energy and enthusiasm in the room truly showcased the dynamism of the travel media sector. A special thanks to our venue partner, Pan Pacific London, our consumer media partner, easyJet Holidays, and all our category sponsors for their invaluable support.”

The evening also celebrated the interns of the Travel Media Awards Step Up internship scheme, which aims to improve inclusivity and diversity in the industry, and is now going into its third year. It offers work experience, mentorship and networking for young people from underrepresented backgrounds, this year welcoming five interns across 10 leading travel companies, including APL Media, Metro, TTG Media, easyJet holidays and Virgin Atlantic. With more than 400 young people applying, 2025’s scheme saw interns gaining eight weeks of experience and six months of mentorship.

For more information: travelmediaawards.com

To see a photo gallery of highlights from the event: travelmediaawards.com/2025-gallery

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About APL Media 

An award-winning publisher and content marketing agency founded in 1997, APL Media Limited has been changing the narrative, and the way clients communicate with their audiences, for over 27 years. In addition to publishing the award-winning National Geographic Traveller (UK) and The Collection by National Geographic Traveller (UK) and organising related events under the National Geographic brand umbrella, APL Media produces print, digital and live media across the travel and lifestyle sector. APL Media is the co-founder of the Travel Media Awards as part of a joint venture with Travega.
aplmedia.co.uk 



About Travega

Travega is a specialist travel marketing agency that serves both the leisure and business sectors. With over 25 years of industry experience, Travega offers a wide range of travel marketing solutions, including revenue generation for some of the UK’s leading travel industry events, bespoke event creation, third-party event management, marketing strategies and partnerships tailored for travel organisations. Travega is co-founder of the Travel Media Awards and is dedicated showcasing excellence in travel media.
travega.co.uk