Originally launched at the Travel Media Awards 2023 to improve diversity and inclusion in the travel industry, as backed by recent research*, the initiative is supported by the inaugural partners APL Media, FINN Partners, Intrepid Travel and TTG Media. For 2025, it’s expanded significantly, welcoming six new leading travel organisations. The addition of easyJet holidays, Ink Global, Kuoni, Metro, The Sun and Virgin Atlantic, brings the internship to a total of 10 industry-leading partners.

In 2024, Kira Richards and Sasha Wiltshire secured the two available places. Kira later joined APL Media full time as an assistant project editor. This expansion means an increase in placements, with the offer rising from two to five positions for the 2025 cohort. Each of the five interns will join two participating companies for an eight-week paid summer placement, compliant with the London Living Wage, benefitting from invaluable experience within the fields of journalism, publishing, public relations and marketing, leading to opportunities for a promising career in travel media and communications.

Both Kira and Sasha were fully embedded into each partner’s business, working on a range of tasks, including TTG’s flagship event Fairer Travel Month, the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival, researching stories, creating content and writing articles. The 2025 cohort can look forward to a summer filled with events, writing, research and learning. Plus, Step Up interns receive six further monthly mentoring sessions upon completion of the internship, as well as a complementary ticket to the Travel Media Awards in London this October to engage in key networking opportunities.

The judging panel have been assessing entries this month, with placements awarded in April to start in June.

“It’s gratifying to have had such a significant response this year to TMA Step Up,” said Maria Pieri, editorial director and COO at APL Media. "When we launched this in 2023, we aimed to secure interest and are pleased to have received 112 entries; the fact it’s increased significantly demonstrates the team's efforts to raise awareness of the scheme and the support from our partners. All the partners involved are committed to addressing the need for better diversity in travel media and communications, recognising that it enhances team strength and the impact of stories."

"Kira is our success story from 2024 and a valued member of our team who’s worked on this year’s process making it more robust than ever. The entire panel of judges and business partners are so looking forward to meeting with the shortlisted finalists and another successful year ahead."

For more updates on the scheme, sign up to the TMA Step Up newsletter.

Notes to editors: 

Travel Media Awards Step Up is an internship programme run by the Travel Media Awards — in partnership with APL Media, Finn Partners, Intrepid Travel, TTG Media, easyJet holidays, Ink Global, Kuoni, Metro, The Sun, Virgin Atlantic — that aims to drive diversity and inclusion in travel media for young people.

Travel Media Awards was created by, and is owned and operated under, a joint venture agreement between Travega and APL Media Limited. Launched in 2015, the Travel Media Awards is widely recognised as the premier awards event in travel media, and the only UK national awards exclusively rewarding editorial excellence and achievement across all forms of travel media. For more information, visit travelmediaawards.com .

For all enquiries regarding the Travel Media Awards Step Up scheme, please contact:

• Sabera Sattar, head of events: sabera.sattar@aplmedia.co.uk
• Kira Richards, assistant project editor: kira.richards@aplmedia.co.uk

*Sources 

• In journalism, research from Statista shows 12% of the UK workforce belong to a non-white ethnic group, while this group makes up 18% of the population. In PR, it’s 10%; in publishing, 15%. 
• A 2024 study published by Statista shows 59% of journalists are male, compared with the population average of 49%; in PR, there’s a skew in the other direction — 67% of the industry is female, according to the PRCA. 
• In the UK, around 24% of the population have a disability. In journalism, one data set from the NCTJ shows a comparable 22% having a disability or a work-limiting health problem. Meanwhile, in the publishing industry, just 13% have a disability; in PR, 4%. 
• Data from Press Gazette shows 80% of journalists come from households with professional occupations, yet only 33% of the country fall into this demographic, indicating an over-representation of middle- and upper-class voices in UK journalism. The data for the publishing industry is 67%, according to the Publishers Association.  

• statista.com 
• pressgazette.co.uk
• prca.org.uk
• ons.gov.uk
• publishers.org.uk
• researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk 
• nctj.com