How have travel brands and destinations evolved in recent years? APL Media’s editorial director, Maria Pieri, joined the Travel Connection Group’s ‘Zoom In Bites’ webinar on Wednesday 11 February to discuss how travel can be effectively promoted in today’s rapidly changing media landscape. 

Hosted as part of the monthly webinar series, the Promoting Travel in the Modern World session brought together a panel of industry professionals moderated by Howard Salinger (Travel Connection Group) and featuring Lisa Minot (The Sun), Katie McGonagle (Travel Weekly), and Sophie Lam (The i Paper).  

During the hour-long discussion, discussed the changes over the past six years. 

Key themes from the discussion 

• How we choose destinations 

Writers and editors look at relevance, reader appetite, accessibility, and where we’re genuinely seeing momentum. Data matters, but so does instinct. The strongest stories still come from places we’ve experienced first-hand or can frame with authority. 

• The USA — is it still being covered? 

Travel in the USA will always be popular, but it’s safe to say the conversation has shifted — finding the right angle, careful timing and proper audience fit are how to market the USA these days.  

• AI in travel media 

AI-generated press releases are firmly not welcome in the travel media industry, and while the inbox is more crowded than ever, thoughtful pitching really stands out. The panel agreed that AI will never replace editorial judgement. 

• Relationships matter more than ever 

Cultivating in-person connections, trust and long-term working relationships remain central to how travel media professionals work. The best partnerships are collaborative, strategic and built over time. 

• Print and digital aren’t competing against each other 

Each of the panellists agreed that these two publishing factions work strongly together. Print delivers depth, authority and brand experience, while digital delivers immediacy and scale. The strongest travel brands understand how the two complement each other. 

Despite the challenges that travel, media and their combined industries face, it’s clear that good journalism, strong relationships and compelling destination storytelling remain at the heart of a constantly evolving landscape. 

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About APL Media  
APL Media is a multi-award-winning content marketing agency and publisher, producing high-quality print, digital and live media across the travel and lifestyle sectors. Since 1997, it has published National Geographic Traveller (UK) under licence from National Geographic Partners LLC, supported by brand extensions including guides, events and digital platforms. The portfolio also features Living360, a digital lifestyle brand covering wellness, travel, food, sustainability and culture, distributed via national media and its own platform. APL Media delivers custom content, branded campaigns, editorial consultancy, internship schemes including Step Up and leading events such as the Travel Media Awards. Its trade titles include Postcards and the ASTA Worldwide Destination Guide, with content also produced for national newspapers.  
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