Tuesday, 24 October 2023

23 October 2023, London: The winners of the Travel Media Awards 2023, in association with the Moroccan National Tourist Office, have been announced. The ceremony, held at The Savoy in London, saw 127 finalists compete across a range of categories covering all areas in print, digital, broadcasting and photography. Many of the industry’s leading figures were in attendance, some of whom were fortunate enough to walk away with a coveted Travel Media Awards trophy.  
Among the winners were The Sunday Times Travel for National Broadsheet Newsprint Section of the Year and The Sun for National Tabloid Newsprint Section of the Year.

In the new Sustainability Travel Writer of the Year category, Holly Tuppen was the inaugural winner. The judges said: “Holly's research and expertise within the responsible travel sector shines in abundance throughout her writing.” Separately, the Sustainability Travel Feature of the Year had joint winners, with articles by Phoebe Smith and Sam Haddad for The Guardian chosen for this category.

Writer Adrian Phillips’s spectacular piece ‘Into the Deep’ — published by National Geographic Traveller (UK) — also impressed the judges, with the panel naming it National Consumer Feature of the Year. Ben Clatworthy of The Times took home the trophy for Breaking Travel News and Jacqui Agate was named as the 2023 Young Writer of the Year.

The 2023 Special Contribution Award went to TTG’s Pippa Jacks. Pippa began her journey with a work experience placement at TTG Magazine in 2006 before joining the team as features writer, later becoming features editor, then taking the helm as editor of the 70-year-old trade publication between 2013 and 2017. As editorial director, Pippa now manages an award-winning team of 14 editorial staff across TTG’s print magazines, digital channels and events. 

Anthony Leyens, co-founder of the Travel Media Awards and CEO of APL Media, said: “After a difficult few years for the industry, it’s truly inspiring to see it in such good health. The works produced by this year’s finalists are some of the best to date, so thank you to the entrants, the finalists, the judges and everyone who came to this year’s ceremony. We’ll see you in 2024!” 

Giles Harper, co-founder of the Travel Media Awards and managing director of Travega, added: “Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Travel Media Awards and ensured that the night went as spectacularly as it did. Additionally, I would like to thank our headline sponsor, the Moroccan National Tourist Office; our consumer media partner, easyJet Holidays; and all our category sponsors. This event would not have been possible without your continued commitment and generosity, for which we are all very grateful.” 

As part of the Awards, it was announced a new scheme would be introduced: Travel Media Awards Step Up – in partnership with APL Media, Finn Partners, Intrepid Travel and TTG Media, a new internship programme driving diversity and inclusion in travel media. The scheme seeks to create opportunities for young people looking to move into travel publishing, journalism and PR, offering two candidates the chance to join our partner companies in London for a paid internship position in summer 2024. Applications will be open from 1 November. For more details and to enter, please visit: travelmediaawards.com/awards/en/page/step-up-internship

THE WINNERS IN FULL: 

National Broadsheet Newsprint Section 
The Sunday Times Travel 

National Tabloid Newsprint Section 
The Sun 

Consumer Publication of the Year – Print 
Condé Nast Traveller UK 

Consumer Publication of the Year – Online  
FT Globetrotter 

National Consumer Feature of the Year 
Adrian Phillips for ‘Into the Deep’ in National Geographic Traveller (UK) 

Consumer Magazine Section of the Year 
Good Housekeeping 

Trade Publication of the Year – Print  
The Business Travel Magazine 

Trade Publication of the Year – Online  
TTG 

Trade Writer of the Year 
Sophie Griffiths, TTG 

Sustainability Travel Feature of the Year  
Sam Haddad for ‘“It’s still as beautiful as ever”: the changing face of the French Alps’ in The Guardian 

Phoebe Smith for ‘Thailand cove made famous in The Beach reopens to visitors after four-year closure’ in The Guardian 

Sustainability Travel Writer of the Year  
Holly Tuppen 

Blogger/Vlogger of the Year 
Alex Hunter, Attaché 

Guide of the Year – Book, Online, App 
111 Places in County Durham That You Shouldn't Miss, Elizabeth Atkin 

Breaking Travel News – Print, Broadcast and Online 
Ben Clatworthy, The Times 

Regional Publication Feature of the Year 
Ben Lerwill for ‘The joy of the search’ in Hidden Scotland Magazine 

Photography Award 
Mark Parren Taylor 

Customer Content  
Much Better Adventures Magazine 

Young Travel Writer of the Year 
Jacqui Agate 

Specialist Travel Writer of the Year 
Jamie Lafferty, South America

Broadcast Programme of the Year – TV, Radio, Online and Podcast 
BBC 100 Women – The Last of Albania’s ‘Sworn Virgins’, BBC World Service and BBC Reel 

Consumer Writer of the Year 
Ed Grenby 

Special Contribution Award 
Pippa Jacks