Winners to be announced at TravMedia Awards Gala Dinner, The Londoner, Leicester Square on 22 April | Awards set high bar for the finest journalistic, influencer and PR achievements in travel.

TravMedia UK today announced the finalists for the TravMedia Awards 2024 in an industry broadcast, held ahead of this year's Awards ceremony at The Londoner, Leicester Square on Monday 22 April 2024. A full list of the finalists can be found here: https://www.travmediaawards.com/2024-finalists.html

The Awards (www.TravMediaAwards.com) attracted a record entry of 1015 registrations, up a staggering 36% year to year.

The Finalist Announcement event presenters Henry Hemming, Global Managing Director of TravMedia, and Louise Napier, Managing Director of Travel UK, also reported a record number of new finalists in the Awards, including lots of first-time entrants. Up to seven finalists were announced across 25 categories.

The Awards (www.travmediaawards.com) honour the finest journalistic, influencer and PR achievements in travel, and set the highest bar for recognising the most memorable output and impactful individuals. Highlights of April's Gala dinner will include the revelation of the Travel Writer of the Year, Influencer of the Year and PR Professional of the Year.

Among the most hotly contested Awards were Freelance Writer of the Year and Specialist Writer of the Year, with each category eliciting over around 100 entries and plenty of new journalists achieving finalist status.

New categories this year included a Diversity Champion of the Year, with six entrants achieving finalist status from an impressive entry. In the media categories inaugural finalists were revealed for Feature of the Year, Domestic Travel Writer of the Year, and Travel Media Website of the Year. TravMedia also divided the blue-ribband national newspaper travel section category into two, announcing both Tabloid and Broadsheet finalists. In the PR Awards the first ever finalists for PR Business Leader were revealed.

Said Louise Napier, Managing Director of Travel UK: “Given the record entry, anyone who has made finalist status this year has done outstandingly well. We offer every commiseration to those who just missed out.

“We believe the 'stratospheric entry' we reported reflects the stature the Awards have attained. The entry also shows our audience is comfortable and confident about how hard TravMedia has always strived to ensure impartial outcomes.

“We have received entries from everyone from rookie reporters to Fleet Street veterans, boutique PR agencies to A-list global tourism destinations. The judges remarked that we gave them a truly challenging task!”

The level playing-field created by TravMedia also depends on rotating judges, Of this year's 35 judges, 20 were not involved in 2023 – a 57% turnover – and 15 of this year's judges have never previously adjudicated in any year.

This year's TravMedia Awards sponsors include Gran Canaria Tourist Board (Travel Magazine of the Year); Hong Kong Tourism Board (Welcome Drinks Reception); Hyatt Hotels Corporation (Consumer Staff Writer of the Year); Kuoni (Outstanding Contribution Award); Princess Cruises (Travel Media Website of the Year); Switzerland Tourism (Freelance Writer of the Year); Tourism Australia (National Broadsheet Newspaper Travel Section of the Year); Travel Texas (Photobooth); True Traveller (Media Rising Star of the Year); Visit Gibraltar (Diversity Champion of the Year); VisitPITTSBURGH (Influencer Rising Star of the Year).  A few categories still remain available in the run up to the big night.

On Awards night, a celebrity host will drive the show and sponsors' tables will host finalists from their chosen category. The evening's big reveals will segue within a three-course dinner, following a welcome drinks reception sponsored by Hong Kong Tourism, and the night will climax with an after-party. Entry to the Awards event will be limited to finalists, sponsors, and limited ticket holders. Some table bookings remain available.

Last year's event at The Londoner attracted a packed audience of 300 people with comedian and broadcaster Dom Joly the celebrity host.

The Awards are organised by TravMedia, the leading social network connecting the global travel industry with media and influencers. The Awards are independent, not linked to any grouping or association, and are open to all journalists, influencers, and PR professionals. The Awards are adjudicated by an expert panel of 35 judges (listed below) from across the travel industry, including senior media figures, communications heads and commentators, and top industry executives.

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The TravMedia Awards – Finalists

THE INFLUENCER AWARDS 

INFLUENCER RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
SPONSOR: VisitPITTSBURGH

Alex Stratikis, Autism Adventures Abroad
Bea Meitiner, Bea Adventurous
Jess Murray, Jet Off with Jess
Jessica & Wayne Heather, Holiday With The Heathers
Stacey Milentijevic, Minas Journey 

INFLUENCER - VLOGGER OF THE YEAR

Alex Hunter, Attaché
Alex Outhwaite, Alex Outhwaite
Amy Hulley, Amy en Voyage
Dave & Deb Bouskill, The Planet D
David & Alicia Reilly, Life of Riley
Mansoureh Farahani, Travel With Mansoureh 

INFLUENCER - BLOGGER OF THE YEAR

Abigail King, Inside the Travel Lab
Becki Enright, Borders of Adventure
Kate McCulley, Adventurous Kate
Lavina Dsouza, Continent Hop
Victoria Watts Kennedy, Bridges and Balloons

INFLUENCER - INFLUENCER OF THE YEAR

Alex Hunter, Attaché
Amy Hulley, Amy en Voyage
Chloe Gunning-Sherifi, Wanderlust Chloe
Peter Elia, The Man Who Hiked The World
Sima Sthanakiya, the Curious Pixie
Sion & Ben Walton-Guest, The Globetrotter Guys 

THE PR AWARDS

PR - RISING STAR OF THE YEAR

Ellie Chambers, Sekoya Communications
Emma Berg, Heaven Publicity
Emme McKay, Intrepid Travel
Freya Lord Jones, FINN Partners
Harriet Wright, J/PR
Lauren Clifton, LOTUS 

PR - PR CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

Black Tomato, 'Black Tomato x 007'
FINN Partners – Advantage Travel Partnership, 'Travel Triumph: Making Advantage the Voice of the Travel Industry'
Hotels.com, 'Room Service Report'
LOTUS - TravelSupermarket, 'Cost of Holidays'
Skyscanner, Travel Trends 2024
Universal Destinations & Experiences, 'The Grinch UK Takeover' 

PR - IN-HOUSE PR TEAM OF THE YEAR

Atout France
Intrepid Travel
Kuoni
Switzerland Tourism
TUI
VisitEngland

PR AGENCY OF THE YEAR

Black Diamond
FINN Partners
J/PR
Lemongrass Marketing
LOTUS
MMGY Hills Balfour 

PR PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR

Charlotte Humphrey, Princess Cruises
Grace Parker, FINN Partners
Kate McWilliams, LOTUS
Kevin Gibson, Universal Destinations & Experiences
Louise Newton, Iglu.com
Marine Teste, Atout France 

PR - PR BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR ** NEW **

Daisy Rachlin. Templemere PR
Debbie Flynn, FINN Partners
Jules Ugo, LOTUS
Lynsey Devon, Heaven Publicity
Natalia Dowling-Kennedy, MMGY Hills Balfour
Rachel O'Reilly, Kuoni

THE MEDIA AWARDS 

RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY: True Traveller Insurance

Bella Falk
Jessica Reid
Laura Sanders
Sam Kemp
Sasha Nugara
Sophie Dickinson

TRADE STAFF WRITER OF THE YEAR

April Hutchinson, Editor, TTG Luxury
Beverley Fearis, Editor, The Business Travel Magazine
Harry Kemble, Cruise Editor, TTG Media
Ilaria Grasso Macola, Reporter, TTG Media
Madeleine Barber, Head of Partner Content, TTG Media
Tom Parry, Content Producer, TTG Media 

DOMESTIC WRITER OF THE YEAR

Ben Aitken
Ed Grenby
Greg Dickinson
Lauren Jarvis
Phoebe Smith
Sarah Baxter
Sian Lewis 

SPECIALIST TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR

Chris Leadbeater
Farida Zeynalova
Mary Novakovich
Mike Unwin
Nigel Tisdall
Sarah Marshall 

SUSTAINABILITY WRITER OF THE YEAR

Charlotte Cullinan
Emma Gregg
Karen Edwards
Phoebe Smith
Richard Hammond
Shafik Meghji 

CONSUMER STAFF WRITER OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY: Hyatt

Cathy Adams, Senior Content Editor, The Times & Sunday Times
Greg Dickinson, Deputy Head of Travel, The Telegraph
Liz Edwards, Deputy Travel Editor, The Times & Sunday Times
Lorna Parkes, Commissioning Editor, National Geographic Traveller
Niki Blasina, Deputy Editor, FT Globetrotter
Tom Robbins, Travel Editor, The Financial Times

FREELANCE WRITER OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY: Switzerland Tourism

Adrian Phillips
Ed Grenby
Emma Thomson
Georgina Lawton
James Stewart
Jamie Lafferty

BROADCAST PROGRAMME OF THE YEAR

Heart & Soul: Future Shaman, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent, BBC (Podcast)
Simon Parker's Global Adventures, Simon Parker, Times Travel (TV)
The Travel Diaries, Holly Rubenstein (Podcast)
The Travel Show: Uzbekistan, Rajan Datar, BBC (TV)
The Wanderer, Alex Outhwaite, Amazon Prime (TV)
Wander Woman: A Travel Podcast, Phoebe Smith (Podcast) 

EXCLUSIVE OF THE YEAR

I found paradise, drew a map, and in 15 years it was ruined', Greg Dickinson, The Telegraph
No passports needed under Border Force e-gate plan', Ben Clatworthy, The Times
Rhodes Fires - I was so scared for my baby', Heidi Fuller-Love, iNews
The double-decker airplane seat is back', Francesca Street, CNN Travel
The otherworldly US states where cows outnumber humans', Zoey Goto, The Times
The three-year cruise is cancelled', Julia Buckley, CNN Travel

FEATURE OF THE YEAR

A Rail Adventure in Kyushu', Sarah Barrell, National Geographic Traveller
Cruise Captain', Mark Palmer, Daily Mail
Finding a happy place', George Kipouros, Wanderlust
I had an emotional reunion with the City my parents fled', Eddi Fiegel, The Sunday Times
The Magnetic North', Mike MacEacheran, National Geographic Traveller
The World's Newest Mega Hotel', Ed Grenby, The Sunday Times

TRADE PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR

Cruise Adviser
Hertelier
Onboard Hospitality
Selling Travel
The Business Travel Magazine
TTG Media

TRAVEL MEDIA WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY: Princess Cruises

Adventure.com
Anywhere We Roam
CNN Travel
National Geographic Traveller
Rough Guides
The Sun 

CONSUMER MAGAZINE TRAVEL SECTION OF THE YEAR

Breathe Magazine
British Muslim Magazine
Fabulous
Good Housekeeping
Radio Times
Woman & Home 

TRAVEL MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY: Gran Canaria Tourism

Charitable Traveller
JRNY
Much Better Adventures
National Geographic Traveller (UK)
OutThere Magazine
Wanderlust

NATIONAL TABLOID NEWSPAPER TRAVEL SECTION OF THE YEAR

City A.M.
Daily Mail
The Sun

NATIONAL BROADSHEET NEWSPAPER TRAVEL SECTION OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY: Tourism Australia

The Daily Telegraph
The Financial Times
The Guardian
The i
The Independent
The Sunday Times

THE SPECIAL AWARDS 

DIVERSITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
SPONSORED BY: Visit Gibraltar

Chloe Berman, Intrepid Travel
Sassy Wyatt, Blind Girl Adventures
Sion & Ben Walton-Guest, The Globetrotter Guys
Steph Dyson & Lottie Gross, Talking Travel Writing
Uwern Jong, OutThere magazine
Vivienne Dovi, Freelance Journalist 

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION
Revealed on the night 

TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR
Revealed on the night

THE TRAVMEDIA AWARDS JUDGES

Amy Skelding, Managing Partner, Finn Partners
Andrew McConnell CAA, Head of Media & External Affairs, UK Civil Aviation Authority
Barry Neild, Global Editor, CNN Travel
Carol Hay, Lead Consultant and Chief Tourism Officer, McKenzie Gayle Limited
Caroline Moultrie, President, MMGY Global EMEA
Charlotte Humphrey, PR Manager, Princess Cruises UK & Europe
Daniel Pearce, CEO & Owner, TTG Media
Dawn Page, Marketing Director, True Traveller Insurance
Debbie Hindle, Vice-Chair, The Travel Foundation
Fiona Anderson, Director, GEC PR
Florian Valmy-Devillers, Director, Caribbean Tourism Organisation UK & Europe
Freya Matthews, PR Manager, British Airways Holidays
George Kipouros, Editor in Chief & CEO, Wanderlust
Graeme Buck, Director of Communications, ABTA
Jamie-Lee Abtar, Marketing Manager, Not in the guidebooks
Jane Dunford, Travel Editor, The Guardian
Jane Knight, Freelance Travel Journalist and Editor
Jim Odoire, Founding Director, Black Diamond
Jules Ugo, CEO, Lotus
Julie Giraud, PR Director, MSL
Kevin Gibson, Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Communications – EMEA, Universal Destinations & Experiences
Laura Brander, Vice President – Communications, Virgin Atlantic
Lauren Khawam, Senior Communications Manager, easyJet holidays
Lisa Minot, Head of Travel, The Sun
Louise Ferrall, Senior PR Manager, VisitEngland
Lysbeth Fox, CEO, Fox Communications
Marine Teste, Head of Public Relations, Atout France
Mark Palmer, Travel Editor, Daily Mail
Martyn Sumner, Executive Director, AITO – The Specialist Travel Association
Myriam Ziesack, Head of Media and Communications, Switzerland Tourism
Rachel O'Reilly, Director of Communications, Kuoni
Stuart Fyfe, PR Manager UK & Northern Europe
Tolene Van Der Merwe, Director UK & Ireland, Malta Tourism Authority
Tracey Poggio-Magnus, UK Head Media and Marketing, Gibraltar Tourist Board and Chair, ANTOR
Uwern Jong, Experientalist-in-Chief and co-Founder, OutThere magazine

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For information on TravMedia Awards 2024:

Louise Napier

Regional Director, TravMedia

T: +44 (0)20 3440 8915

E: louise.napier@travmedia.com

EDITORS' NOTES

The TravMedia Awards are owned and operated by TravMedia UK, the company operating TravMedia.com in the UK and Ireland. TravMedia is a global social network connecting the travel industry with the media and connects PR professionals from over 3000 tourism and travel brands with over 25,000 journalists and influencers worldwide.

The technology used by TravMedia has become an essential tool for journalists and PR professionals in their day-to-day activities, as they connect and share information in their working lives.

TravMedia was originally created by a travel journalist seeking a better way to research and report travel news and is dedicated to creating thriving online communities of travel journalists and travel PR professionals.

The site operates across multiple global regions and has amassed over 50,000 journalist and PR members.

In the UK, TravMedia and Food4Media are part of the family of websites that also includes Homes4Media.com and Property4Media.com, sites that are owned and operated separately by News4Media Ltd.

TravMedia operates the worldwide event IMM (International Media Marketplace), a market-leading exhibition-style event connecting the travel industry with journalists and influencers.

The first-ever IMM was held in London in March 2013 and has since expanded to all corners of the earth, with annual events now taking place in countries including the USA, Australia, Germany, and France. IMM in the UK features two days of meetings, professional development sessions and breakout networking events.