It’s been another busy year for APL Media, with exciting new projects, talented new staff members and some truly memorable highlights. We’ve whittled down our list to just 15 but the longlist was in the dozens. To all our partners and clients — it was a pleasure producing groundbreaking editorial, adverts, events and campaign videos with you. We look forward to continuing the conversation in 2024. 

PRINT & DIGITAL 

1. National Geographic Traveller (UK) wins big, brings readers expanded content & new formats 
The magazine kicked off a successful year being named Travel Magazine of the Year at the TravMedia Awards, adding further accolades at the PPA Awards Independent Publisher Awards where it was highly commended in the Consumer Publication of the Year category. The editorial team also won big at the BSME Talent Awards 2023, bringing home prizes for Best Art Team and Best Picture Editor, presented to former picture editor Oliver Puglisi, while Amelia Duggan was highly commended in the Best Deputy Editor category. 

The Cool List returned in the December issue, highlighting 30 destinations to visit in the year ahead, from unspoilt Nordland in Norway to South American food capital Lima. The magazine also came with eight guides this year, with diverse themes including Indian Ocean, Winter Sports and US Cities. And, there was the introduction of a regular new feature, The Big Trip, providing inspiration and planning tools for a varied range of experiences, such as campervanning in Australia and hiking Spain’s Camino de Santiago. 
 
2. Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK) racks up trophies & launches new newsletter 
This year, Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK) won at the BSME Awards, with Glen Mutel being named Editor of the Year — Food & Drink. Contributor Jessica Vincent scooped Consumer Magazine Sustainable Tourism Feature of the Year for her piece, Dine out in Galicia’s Unofficial Restaurants, at the Spanish Tourist Office’s Sustainable Media Awards. Tom Burson, meanwhile, was Highly Commended in the Consumer Travel Publication Feature category at the Visit USA Media Awards, for On the Trail of True ’Cue, about barbecue in North Carolina.  

Elsewhere, the magazine launched its weekly newsletter, shining a light on some of the most engaging food and drink features from the website and the print edition, and produced a mouthwatering culinary guide to Wales. 
 
3. Three thematic editions added to the Collection by National Geographic Traveller (UK) series 
National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s coffee table Collection brand continued to grow in 2023, with the release of three brand-new editions — The Coastal Collection, The Caribbean Collection and The Experiences Collection. These are just the latest additions to the established series of stylish bookazines, which includes The Luxury Collection and The Spa and Wellness Collection. 
 
4. Newspaper publications grow in success & scope 
APL Media continued its prolific work creating newspaper publications for distribution with The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard. The lifestyle team delved into the latest innovations across healthcare, education and beauty, as well as forecasting trends and interviewing experts across food, homes and finance. The past year also saw the launch of the latest newspaper title, The Business Guide, and the continuation of its showcase of National Geographic Traveller (UK) content with The Travel Guide — bringing the most recent, standout content from the magazine to new audiences.   

5. Postcards enters new editorship, bringing Travel Network Leaders’ US customers leading travel advice 
Farida Zeynalova took up the reins as editor of the US business to consumer title, Postcards, maintaining a fantastic relationship with Travel Network Leaders. The title has produced a wealth of news stories and immersive features targeted at the North American audience. Articles included delving into Argentina’s inextricable love affair with beef, exploring the Northern Lights in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and getting to know the fun-filled city of Cartagena, Colombia. 
 
6. New leadership & a product refresh for ASTA Worldwide Destination Guide  
This year has seen the ASTA Worldwide Destination Guide go from strength to strength, with new editor Beth Finney steering the ship as well as some refreshing updates made to the guide itself. The team continues to work closely with the American Society of Travel Advisors and other esteemed clients in order to make this a vibrant and useful product for all members. 

MULTIMEDIA CAMPAIGNS 

7. Large-scale campaign with Sarawak Tourism delivers video, digital & print content across National Geographic Traveller (UK) platforms 
APL Media collaborated with Sarawak Tourism to create a multi-faceted campaign across multiple platforms. Drawing on a 10-day shoot and tour of Malaysia’s island region, the campaign, which included a TV commercial and a series of videos and features across National Geographic Traveller (UK), Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK), nationalgeographic.com and YouTube, explored Sarawak’s culture and cuisine, offering insights into the lesser-known region, and showcasing its natural beauty and welcoming people.  
 
8. Content partnership with The Red Sea delivers bespoke video content & more 
Following the publication of six in-depth travel features in the Evening Standard, APL Media’s partnership with luxury travel destination The Red Sea culminated in spring with the launch of a multimedia content hub, hosted on Living360.uk. The site is designed to give readers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of one of the year’s most anticipated openings through a combination of bespoke travel films, engaging online articles and inspirational photography, all of which was devised and executed by APL Media’s lifestyle team. 

 
DIGITAL 

9. Living360 grows its following with more wellness content & celebrity interviews 
Living360, APL Media’s digital lifestyle destination, continued to grow its readership in 2023 with a wealth of health, wellness, travel, beauty and home content, as well as exclusive interviews and exciting competitions. The team have chatted to the likes of Millie Mackintosh, Merlin Griffiths and Rocco Seminara; they’ve visited the streets of Basel, discovered Bali, explored the south Cotswolds and delved into Christmas in London to inspire readers to get travelling this New Year. They’ve also taken a 360-approach to wellness, from exploring pro-ageing and body positivity to rounding up their top picks of spas and rejuvenating retreats. 

10. National Geographic Traveller (UK) begins publishing relationship with nationalgeographic.com  
National Geographic Traveller (UK) has successfully migrated its top travel and food content to its new home on nationalgeographic.com, reaching millions of readers at National Geographic’s main digital hub. Throughout 2023, National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s digital articles were read by 3.4 million unique visitors and garnered 6.1 million page views throughout the year. The magazine’s digital content reached more than 21 million users across digital platforms. 

11. APL Media and the Independent embark on a new commercial collaboration  
This year saw APL Media team up with independent.co.uk to offer unique native content opportunities, allowing brands to reach out to a distinguished readership and create online content with a difference. Independent.co.uk is the flagship website of the Independent and attracts 87 million unique global users per month. Under this partnership, APL Media’s sales team undertake the important task of pairing digital ads with contextually relevant travel articles on independent.co.uk, building on the recent revamp of its travel section to offer advertisers exclusive access to thousands of curious and affluent potential customers. 

EVENTS 

12. National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival 2023 records best-ever ticket sales 
With more than 7,000 attendees over two days, the 2023 National Geographic Traveller (UK) Food Festival was the biggest — and arguably — the best yet. Returning to London’s Business Design Centre for the third time, the event hosted exhibitors, demonstrations, interviews and masterclasses from chefs, food personalities, sommeliers and producers representing cuisines from all over the world. 

Once again, the event brought together some of the most exciting names in food, with a Main Stage line-up that included John Torode MBE, Anna Haugh, Asma Khan, Melissa Thompson, Ravinder Bhogal and Ixta Belfrage, while over in Speakers’ Corner, cookbook authors such as Andi Oliver and Coinneach MacLeod were quizzed about their latest releases. The 2024 event has been announced for 20-21 July, with talent including TV chef Nadiya Hussain appearing. Tickets are now on sale. 
 
13. The Masterclasses by National Geographic Traveller (UK) returns with new speakers 
The brand’s expert-led online workshops dedicated to all things travel writing and travel photography returned with 12 unique sessions in 2023. The spring and autumn series explored everything from finding the right story to the art of wildlife photography, with the likes of Alicia Miller, Adrian Phillips and Holly-Marie Cato coming together to share their top tips for aspiring creatives. The workshops not only gave participants the chance to learn from leading National Geographic Traveller (UK) contributors, but also to connect with fellow creatives and ask burning questions about the art of travel storytelling. It’s still possible to purchase the recordings online and catch up on the event. 
 
14. Travel Geeks returns with a live event dedicated to the Festivals, forests & flavours of Tobago 
National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s latest Travel Geeks event saw over 100 guests meet in central London for an evening devoted to the Caribbean island of Tobago. Alongside the in-depth panel discussion, in which local experts and travel specialists recommended their favourite landscapes, restaurants and festivals, guests were invited to enjoy live music and sample a range of Tobagonian dishes and drinks. One lucky attendee won the evening’s special prize draw, walking away with a paid-for trip to Tobago for two. The event also showcased the brand’s latest video collaboration, viewed here. 

15. The ninth Travel Media Awards serves up a night to remember  
On Monday 23 October, the Travel Media Awards 2023 took place at The Savoy, London. Attended by over 300 guests, the awards ceremony saw 127 finalists compete across 21 different categories, with TTG Media’s Editorial Director Pippa Jacks taking home this year’s Special Contribution Award. Maria Pieri, Editorial Director of APL Media, announced the launch of Step Up, a new internship scheme from Finn Partners, Intrepid Travel, TTG Media and APL Media. Set up with the aim of driving diversity and inclusion in the travel media industry, it will offer a pair of candidates a paid two-month internship in London. Registration is now open.    

AND ONE MORE WE’RE EXTRA PROUD OF… 

In 2023, APL Media also relaunched the editorial internship, offering four three-month paid internships a year to attract aspiring talent and offer recent graduates a hands-on experience, mentorship and exposure to a variety of print and digital aspects of magazine publishing.