London, June 2026: The Travel Media Awards Step Up internship scheme — designed to drive diversity and inclusion in travel media for young people — will welcome its 2026 cohort this summer following a record-breaking year for applications. More than 500 entries were received for the programme this year, marking a 29% increase on 2025 and highlighting growing demand for accessible pathways into the travel media and communications industries.

This year’s interns are:

• Ayşe Avan, who will intern at Food and Travel and Kuoni
• Dharshinee Krishna Naidu, who will intern at The Sun and FINN Partners
• Kavarna Spence, who will intern at TTG Media and Virgin Atlantic
• Nasreen Gordon, who will intern at Living360 and Intrepid Travel
• Rutalee Buch, who will intern at APL Media and easyJet holidays

Throughout the summer, each intern will complete two eight-week paid placements with participating companies, all compliant with the London Living Wage. The programme offers hands-on experience across journalism, publishing, public relations and marketing, helping young people from underrepresented backgrounds gain invaluable industry exposure and build long-term careers in travel media and communications.

Maria Pieri, editorial director and COO at APL Media, said: “Seeing Step Up grow year on year is incredibly rewarding, not just in terms of application numbers, but in the calibre, ambition and diversity of talent coming through the programme. The travel media industry is at its strongest when it reflects a broad range of voices, perspectives and lived experiences, and Step Up is helping to create meaningful pathways for the next generation. We’re proud to work alongside our partners to offer opportunities that are practical, paid and genuinely career-shaping, and we’re excited to see what this year’s interns go on to achieve.”

Originally launched at the Travel Media Awards 2023 to improve diversity and inclusion in the travel industry, and backed by research at the time, the initiative is supported by the inaugural partners APL Media, FINN Partners, Intrepid Travel and TTG Media. The scheme expanded in 2025 to include a further six organisations. Now, the TMA Step Up scheme is proud to also work with easyJet holidays, Food and Travel, Kuoni, Living360, The Sun and Virgin Atlantic on the scheme, bringing the number of industry-leading partners involved to a total of 10.

The success of last year’s cohort highlights the programme’s growing impact across the industry. Jenna Stevens has since secured a full-time travel journalist role at The Sun, while Kinza Chaudry is now working as a PR account executive at integrated communications agency Black Diamond. Daniella Dhorasoo is currently working as a production assistant at Business Traveller magazine, while Lillie-Rose Lenga-Kroma is completing her final year at university and Sophie Colson has been travelling around Western Canada while continuing to pursue opportunities in travel media.

During their placements, last year’s interns contributed to a wide range of projects across the partner organisations, including supporting TTG’s flagship Fairer Travel Event, organising and attending press events, researching stories, creating content and writing articles.

As well as their summer placements, this year’s interns will also receive six monthly mentoring sessions following the completion of the programme, alongside a complimentary ticket to the Travel Media Awards in London this October, providing further networking and professional development opportunities.

For more information and updates visit: Travel Media Awards Step Up website

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, Kuoni, Food and Travel, Living360, The Sun, Virgin Atlantic — that aims to drive diversity and inclusion in travel media for young people. 

Travel Media Awards is owned and operated under by APL Media Limited. Launched in 2015, the Travel Media Awards (in a joint venture agreement between Travega and APL Media Limited) it 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:

• Maria Pieri, editorial director and COO: maria.pieri@aplmedia.co.uk
• General enquiries: stepup@travelmediaawards.com